MnIndy video: Union members rally at St. Paul Wal-Mart

[...] Minnesota Independent: Union members rally at St. Paul Wal-Mart [...]

awesome video. good rally and energizing for the workers.

The bigger question, to me that is, is why is MN. doing anything to promote Walmart. Walmart is NOT for their workers nor are they for this State. Their prices are not lower and the hidden costs are in the taxes the local community has to pay for them for a number of years. A more successful solution would be to quit shopping there, shop at Target, so they will open up new stores and give jobs. I know that most Big-Boxes are not worker friendly but the lesser of the two evils is Target. They help our State. Shame on the City Councils that allow Walmarts instead of Targets to open up in some areas.

Good video. I’m a member of the UFCW and a former employee of Wal-Mart and am glad to see a strong union in the Twin Cities. Everything that is wrong with commercial retailers (or retailers in general) can be found at ANY Wal-Mart. Walk around one and ask an employee what their opinions are (if they can speak…) about what they do. This is the United States of America and we should be just as progressive and just as moral as anyone in the world. Business (no matter how big the political contributions) should be held accountable at all times.

“…Walmart is not doing anything for the workers”?
They are putting people to work aren’t they? Are unions hiring anyone?
Every one that shops there and manages to find themselves in a position to get more for their dollar than pretty much anywhere else are also workers, each and every one albeit the majority of us don’t have union cards or a union to join.
If you don’t like Walmart’s policies regarding employment or unionization, fine. Don’t patronize the stores. But all this caterwauling and protesting is childish. Keep it up and you may find the average low economic end, non-unionized workers/consumers in America will begin picketing against the unions that are making the most noise. Remember, a pro-union victory at Walmart would also mean higher consumer prices for people who don’t make union wages and work in hundreds of other industries that will never experience any benefit from Walmart going union other than higher costs passed on to the consumers.
The irony is that the same folks who want everything unionized are often the very same crowd that complains about America becoming socialized. Is there some way we can squeeze the word duality into our national anthem?

Well, the unions have run just about all of the manufacturing out of the country. Now that the car companies are just about scrapped too, Walmart is the only “target” left.

Personally I would pay a bunch to see the look on the union bosses faces when they realize they have struck and protested themselves out of a job.

foxisms wrote:
“They are putting people to work aren’t they?” No. Wal-Mart does not put people to work. Wal-Mart shoppers put people to work. More union workers with higher wage jobs, means more shoppers with money in their pocket.
“Remember, a pro-union victory at Wal-Mart would also mean higher consumer prices”
Not necessarily or even likely. For starters Wal-Mart could reduce profits and CEO pay. Or they could work with their employees to improve productivity. This would mean higher wages with no cost increase. Union employees have greater incentives to increase productivity because the can negotiate for a larger share of the gains.

“Union employees have greater incentives to increase productivity because the can negotiate for a larger share of the gains.”

So that explains why American auto makers are rolling in profits.

GadZooks:

“So that explains why American auto makers are rolling in profits”

Automakers current problems are due more to the overvalued U.S. dollar, higher U.S. healthcare costs, and excessive labor costs for managers. Labor costs for assembly line workers are actually lower in the U.S. It is not union auto workers, but managers with excessive salaries that make the auto industry less competitive. Read all about it.
http://epi.3cdn.net/66692b04c9f900c12f_jhm6ivvay.pdf

“Read all about it.” Sure, um, except, you’ve linked to:

“The Economic Policy Institute or EPI is an organization based in Washington, known to be left-leaning in its views, and has known ties to organized labor.”

Jimmy Hoffa would have been a better choice.

I work Part time a midway and they have been very very nice to me! I work two jobs and they work out a schedule that works for me each week. I can talk to the mangers to help me! and if I’m late witch is a lot I just stay longer and they are ok with that I do say I work very hard at midway, and I can even joke with the managment team.
I think it should be up to the workers who work for walmart to see if they want a union or not, but most of the workers that I have asked they say NO. maybe they dont understand what a union is but at this time they dont want one! and I have asked alot workers they all know me!!!! if you call on the phone and ask them who cheryl is they will tell you.