Why conservatives should support the Wal-Mart worker uprising.

One of the grievances expressed by Wal-Mart workers participating in the nationwide ” Black Friday ” protests being planned across the country is the lack of affordable health insurance available through the mega-retailer’s benefits plan. Wal-Mart critics charge that the company sets its hour and wage policies such that a sizable percentage of its employees are eligible for state medicaid programs and other public assistance, even suggesting that this is deliberate.

One study in Ohio determined that Wal-Mart had the greatest number of employees enrolled in the state’s medicaid program, and it appears that this is the case in every state where such information is available. In short, a whole lot of Wal-Mart employees and their kids are on medicaid programs across the country.

That means that taxpayers are footing the bill for health care costs that belong to Wal-Mart. So when workers rise up demanding hour and wage increases in order to be able to afford the company health insurance plan, conservatives should get behind them 101%.

 

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11 thoughts on “Why conservatives should support the Wal-Mart worker uprising.

  1. Tsk, tsk.

    Uprising? Hardly.

    My mother-in-law worked at WalMart for twenty years and was committed to the store. She was an hourly worker her whole time. High school education, supplemented family income. Never had a bad word for the store. WalMart is not evil to people. Now, if you want to know about how evil WalMart is to companies whose product it sells, then you have a case. Deep discounts,company product buy back, sheesh. I know companies that decided it wasn’t worth the time and effort and money to make a deal for nationwide distribution through Walmart. Ever been to their corporate HQ? If you had, you’d know they have no tolerance for fancy office furnishings or buildings. $100 million dollar company CEOs are engaged in frugal surroundings to drive the point home that WalMart demands a good purchase price.

    1. You are clearly a Wal-Mart hack (and not a very good one, I might add) . I hate to state the obvious, but Wal-Mart employs a legion of public relations specialists (whose only job is to google keywords associated w/ anti- Wal-Mart websites, find those websites, and attempt to contradict any statement which reflects badly upon the company and to discredit anyone who dares to question its business practices).

  2. PB,

    Thanks for weighing in, but,

    A. I didn’t write that Wal-Mart is evil to people but that, among myriad other problems, they don’t pay their employees enough to afford the company health insurance.

    B. YOur mother-in-law’s experience cannot be used to determine the experience of 1.4 million other Wal-Mart workers.

    C. For all I know you don’t have a mother-in-law or, if you do, she may never have worked at Wal-Mart.

    Tsk,tsk,indeed.

  3. I’m reasonably certain that “ol’ Sam Walton” would not be pleased with the direction his mega corporation is now heading towards… Fact is, as the worlds’ largest retailer Wal-Mart is beyond non-commital when it comes to acquiescing in the direction of employees requests… Long ago Wal-Mart decided to form a “special team” to deal with ANY and ALL types of employee, shall I say, “dissatisfactions”?
    This team, and I’ve recently learned Wal-Mart now has even more of these teams, is constantly aware, watching and on “stand-by” to hop on a jet and go to wherever on an instants notice to squash any type of problem which would affect employee relations and, more importantly, Wal Marts “total control” of their employees.
    Currently, in Minnesota, there is a huge “revolt” planned wherein Wal Mart employees are tring to organize, effectively attempting once again, to “unionize”. Wal Mart, in the past, has immediately sent intervention teams to these “uprisings” and have, to date, always succeeded in quelling any and all attempts for employees to organize and attempts to get better wages, insurances and benefits of any kind.
    I’m watching closely as events will unfold in Minnesota tomorrow. Black Friday is, traditionally, the largest consumer spending day of the year. With thousands of their employees involved in “abandoning ship” during the largest spending day of the year, Wal Mart, I’m certain, has many teams ready and, if I’m not off the track here, already here to intervene, “nudge” and yes, even coerce their minions into following the path Wal Mart wants them to follow. Watch these unfolding events in the next few days.
    IPSO FACTO

  4. Notice that in Partially Blue’s reply he says that his mother-in-law work “supplement the family income”, which is really nice for their family, since they had another source of income. I think the major complaint with today’s Walmart workers is that they are the sole provider of the family income, and as such it pretty much sucks…..can’t live on those wages and no benefits!

  5. Your whole argument is based on the false premise that an employee’s healthcare costs are the responsibility of Wal-Mart. They are not. I understand that Obama’s economy does not allow people many options for finding work, but if it is so gosh darn awful to work at Wal-Mart, why do so many people continue to do so?

    1. You’re absolutely right Roland…..the healthcare costs of many Wal-Mart employees (at least here in Wisconsin) are the responsibility of Wisconsin’s taxpayers, given that so many Wal-Mart employees earn wages so low they actually qualify for BadgerCare.

  6. Roland,

    I’m assuming then that you think everyone should be on their own when it comes to health insurance? Would you say that this is the mainstream conservative/GOP view?

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