Let's see how many more states can chime in here:
Jury orders US Wal-Mart pay 172 million dollars
OAKLAND, United States (AFP) - US retail powerhouse Wal-Mart should pay 172 million dollars for cheating employees out of lunch breaks, a civil jury in the California city of Oakland has declared.
See, with a company like this, you know damn well this crap comes right from the top down.
They know that in the long run, they can stall, they can hope for nothing to be done, but they save hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run by screwing people out of their (already poverty-level) wages. It makes me freakin sick to my stomach.
Not surprisingly:
In the wake of the verdict, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and single largest private employer in the United States, issued a written statement vowing to appeal the verdict.
I particularly like this part:
The company conceded in court that it denied workers meal breaks, but tried to coax the jury into sparing Wal-Mart from paying punitive damages by claiming it had changed its ways, (atty for Wal Mart workers) Lebsock said.
Yea, we fucked a whole bunch of people, but we don't do that anymore. Our managers have had "training" now. Meaning, please hire and screw those who you think can be bullied around the best. Is this a happy-faced, all-American, Christian company or what!?
A separate suit against Wal-Mart accuses the retail giant of "time shaving" to cut payroll costs, according to Lebsock, who represents plaintiffs in that case.
Among tactics used by Wal-Mart managers were refusing to log overtime and falsifying employees' work records.
And all you working people out there (and that means YOU if you earn a paycheck) the lowering of wages, benefits and shit working conditions that Wal Mart has forced on the working class can affect everyone. It affects your community and your future wages and benefits.
Just because you can save 50 cents on a bottle of Tide doesn't mean you're getting a good deal.
The real costs to the middle class are starting to be felt.
We're losing manufacturing jobs overseas, people are losing their pensions. These are not good things for us. A strong middle class means a strong USA.
4 comments:
Right on! stories like this renew my shaky faith in humanity. Down with WalMart!
That's beautiful!
My mother lives in a very small town in Northeastern Michigan on Lake Huron. It has a small Main Street and the local economy is mostly dependent on tourism during the summer's boating and camping season. Sure as shit, Wal-Mart moved in less than twelve months ago. And sure as shit, those little Ma and Pa shops on Main Street are struggling more and more each month. The town closes down during the winter, so it will be interesting to see how many business re-open this spring.
In other good anti-Wal-Mart news, Inglewood, CA, has been successful at keeping Wal-Mart out of their community.
Yea, that is their MO, coming to Small Town, USA and ultimately driving the economy into the shitter.
They wont be happy until everything is free. Free labor, free products, free rent, free electricity; then maybe they can make some real money. After all, this is capitalism; why should they be forced to endure rules, regulations and all the costs that are associated with running a business.
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