Wal-Mart Concedes China Can Make Unions

[Itascapark]

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Under pressure from the Chinese labor federation, the world's biggest retailer, <a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=13&k=wal%20mart" illegal code"window.status='Wal-Mart'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">Wal-Mart</a> Stores Inc., said Tuesday it would permit branches of the official Communist Party-controlled union in its Chinese stores if employees requested it.

``Should associates request formation of a union, Wal-Mart China would respect their wishes and honor its obligation under China's Trade Union Law,'' said the Bentonville, Ark.-based company in a statement faxed to news media.

``Currently, there are no unions in Wal-Mart China because associates have not requested that one be formed,'' the statement said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-China-Wal-Mart-Unions.html

[denverbill]

1. Oh, geez. How bad it that?

How ironic would it be if Walmart's first unionized store would be in a Communist country? Chinese Walmart employees have more rights than American Walmart employees. How f-in sad.

[Itascapark]

2. Yup...I'm thinking the same thing...

Must be frustrating to the Wingnut management that they can't force their hand and make workers perform off the clock...

[Brundle_Fly]

8. it's unionized here

in Canada...i believe.

[denverbill]

11. OK, I guess I didn't realize that.

Maybe it's only in America and other third-world countries where Walmart employees aren't unionized.

[Krupskaya]

16. One is in negotiations...

...in Jonquiere, Quebec. No Wal-Mart has signed a contract with union workers.

[TO Kid]

18. Not any more

The union backed out of the Windsor store after organizers were caught rigging the vote.

[warrens]

19. One store in Canada is unionized and Wal-Mart is threatening to shut it

Claiming that it is not making its target numbers. Not that it is UNPROFITABLE, but that it is not making the target. Which I imagine could be altered at will by Bentonville.

[central scrutinizer]

3. what bullshit

China is more afraid of real unions (not the offical party-approved "union") than Wal-Mart is. Organized workers is one of the first steps in opposing totalitarianism. This is why Nike and other multinationals chose totalitarian regimes for their sweatshops - they can count on tanks and the army breaking unions for them.

[dArKeR]

5. Anyone who has visited China would know that is many ways China is

freer than America.

[UL_Approved]

7. That has to be true, anymore

I seriously wonder how much of the information we get from China is skewed by the U.S. media. After all, if a billion people were oppressed, wouldn't they rebel?

/sarcasm.off

I want some proof if you make that accusation.

[dArKeR]

13. One can get a plane ticket special about US$450 round trip. Mom always

said, "If you want something done right you've got to do it yourself."

[bullimiami]

20. darker. do you know this firsthand?

how about some details, a little storytime for us kids.

[Hand]

4. Canada may beat them to it...

As the article observes, barring a successful appeal, the first unionized Wal-Mart will be in Quebec. And may the rest of the world follow!!

:toast: to the Froggies!

[lumpy]

9. Great, that might help to bring

some jobs home where they belong.

[bloom]

6. "associates have not requested that one be formed"

Now would be good time.....

[oly]

10. What strikes me about the story is not that China or Wal-Mart

allow unions (of any type -- independent or Management or China controlled) but that Wal-Mart is so powerful that it can enter into negotiations with China on some sort of equal partner status. China ia a fucking first rank world power. I guess Wal-Mart is too -- a fucking corporation as powerful as world states.

[SmileyBoy]

12. That's what I was thinking too.

It's almost like Wal-Mart is its own fucking country, or something.

[one_true_leroy]

15. ya kidding!?....

They've got more guns, more food, more supplies than most countries' armies. When the fundies start getting restless with the rapture, Wal-Mart may become frontier outpost forts.

Circle the RV's, ma, we got bandits in aisle 12!

[SemperEadem]

37. Last week's Frontline addressed Walmart in China

from the way I see it, Walmart is supporting a communist government in China by placing itself there to avail themselves of the cheap labor provided by the workers who earn roughly $1.25/hr. The immense trade deficit that has occurred because of the agreement the US made with China is because the US erroneously believed that if they were able to get to the cheap source of labor over in China, they would be able to buy US made goods. What they didn't factor in was that, on the whole, the Chinese can't afford products made in the US. What we do is ship them the raw materials and they manufacture the goods and ship it back to the US. It's unfair, unequal and completely irresposible--and Walmart is profitting off of it.

Tonight's Frontline has to do with the credit card companies. Fortunately, I don't have any credit card debt, so it doesn't really affect me, but I'll watch anyway.

[Zorra]

14. Please, boycott Wal-Mart, they are a major contributor to republicans. n/t

[rust1d]

17. Pay scale

Wonder if the employees in China will make more than the ones in the US!

http://www.notthistimegeorge.org">Not This Time George!

[Left in IL]

22. Low Wages in China

My company is looking at opening a plant in China (to serve the China Market) and labor is around $0.50 per Hr. you can get a Engineer with a 4 yr degree for around 13,000 USD.

[99Pancakes]

25. That's $4.00 for an 8 hour day

It must be cheap to live there. They also have universal health coverage (right?), so no medical or dental.

Or are they living in mud huts with 3 bowls of rice a day, 365 days a year?

[Hobarticus]

27. Factories can provide housing and meals for employees as part of pay...

Usually they're dorm-style apartments.

That helps ease the cost of living.

[99Pancakes]

30. If it's free housing

then..let's see....free medical/dental/visual...free housing and free meals....and then a little "chump change" from Wal-Mart.

But I imagine they give them the very bare minimum in everything, right? Or are they happier than I assume?

[Hobarticus]

33. Not 'free', part of their wages...

It's part of a compensation package.

It's the difference between getting paid $4 and day and getting a dorm, or getting paid $7 a day and having to dig up your own housing and food, for example. The dorms are on the factory property in our case, so they don't even need transportation.

Free dental? Most likely, but I don't know for sure. If so, then it's pretty lousy free dental.

I guess they're happy in the sense that they believe that they're better off than if they'd stayed back home in rural areas. Most factory cities rely on a steady stream of educated young people from the countryside. Our translator says she gets home once a year, during Chinese New Year. It's not an easy life in a Western sense, but they're making money for themselves and for their families, and the economy's growing like gangbusters. Plenty of work, and if they don't like their job, they can find another pretty quickly.

I can't speak for Wal-Mart's facilities and vendors, but it's gotten much better. Simply put, when factories aren't using up-to-date technology and falling apart, they can't get the best clients and make money, and with plenty of jobs to be had, workers have choices. So it's in the best interests of vendors to run the best factory possible, so to speak.

[99Pancakes]

34. Thanks!

That was very helpful.

[sandnsea]

35. Company towns

Going further backwards every day.

[mulethree]

31. maybe it depends

When they're making clothes, shoes and toys they are working 14 hour days for $3-4, 7 days a week and living on rice and 10+ to a room.

Health care is - You Sick? you fired!.

But that's China, if you want REALLY cheap then look Indonesia

[TO Kid]

21. Guess who runs unions in China?

Of course Wal-Mart would welcome a union there. Unions in that part of the world are just an arm of the state.

[msgadget]

29. Yes,

and the article spoke to them needing to strengthen their presence. Unless I missed it the two times I read it, I didn't see anything about this being advantageous to the workers, like maybe they'd be paid more. This obviously earns them the right to pay union dues but what that gets them isn't clear.

[Canuckistanian]

23. That's mighty white of them.

Ah, the white man's burden.

[Union Thug]

24. And where the hell does Walmart get off thinking it can give permission...

to allow workers to organize? Fuck you walmart, if the workers organize efficiently, you can't do a goddamned thing about it, so take your corporate authoritarian bullshit and bury it firmly up your collective asses.

[Vidar]

26. Good for China. Walmart had it coming. Hope it spreads.

[VegasWolf]

28. China flexes its economic muscle and american corporations

grovel, yes sir, Mr. China, anything you want.

[MAlibdem]

32. WhoooHoooo

Globalization at work. Wouldn't that be wild if, at least in this case, it was China that helped us be more open and democratic and less exploitative. If this set a precedent so that unionization could spread to the US? Maybe I'm over optimistic, but that would be way cool.

[MisterP]

36. reminds me of an "Our Dumb Century" headline:

"General Motors Approves 11 Percent Tax Hike"

[Keirsey]

38. boycott the bastards

[phgnome]

39. Rant about unions

Speaking about union presence in China does not justify the power of unionized labor in developed countries.

Unions have left a bad taste in my mouth lately...they're contributing to the economic decline of developed countries because they keep asking for wage increases.

I live in Ontario and we're having major problems with unions. Anytime there is any mention of a surplus, they start their "negotiations" about increasing wages. The worse culprits are the teachers unions, who use some sappy-a$$ PR tactics involving children. Then they hold taxpayers hostage because they're always saying how we "must invest more" in education -- but it never seems like the "more" is ever enough. They already have a killer pension plan and 2 months off every summer and a year-long sabbatical leave every 5 years. That's bullsh-t!

I won't even get into the CAW and CUPE...outrageous. They're adding to inflation and making the shelf price of goods and services more expensive in the global market. If you ask me, they're the ones contributing to the jobs being shipped overseas and adding to unemployment.