Wal-Mart uses new tactic to dodge town law

[MSgt213]

Get twice the people working for nothing for free.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is employing a new tactic to get around a Maryland town ordinance that limits store sizes — build two outlets right next to each other.

Signaling what could be a new approach to getting around such restrictions, Wal-Mart will build adjacent stores in Dunkirk, Md. with one outlet being constructed so that it will be just under the 75,000 square-foot limit that is allowed by a Calvert County ordinance.

It is the first time Wal-Mart has considered such a measure, said Mia Masten, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman.

"As these big-box bills come up, all retailers will just have to be flexible," Masten said. "In this case, we developed a model that allowed us to reach our customers."

Masten said Wal-Mart could use the strategy in other locations.

Calvert County passed an ordinance in August limiting the size of commercial retail buildings to 75,000 square feet. Wal-Mart usually builds stores that range from at least 100,000 square feet to more than 200,000 square feet for Supercenters.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7161611/

[marmar]

1. Wal-Mart is evil...

It's so appropriate that they're the world's largest corporation during the Bush reign. They disguise themselves as this family-friendly, family values oriented company that loves its employees, when they're actually a horrid corporate beast driven by one motivation.
Cheney would make a perfect CEO for Walmart.

[w4rma]

2. Adhering to the letter of the law & circumventing the spirit of that law.

Walmart must be stopped.

[itzamirakul]

3. Stopping WalMart can only be done by

a national boycott for an extended period of time and the red voters will go there anyway even if they are financially raped everytime they walk in the door and some of the blue voters will claim they need to save money so they HAVE to shop at WalMart.

Only when enough Americans get sick and tired of this shit....

[MnFats]

4. has anyone posted re: the truckers' driving time bill backed by WM?

radio report yesterday indicates WalMart is strongly backing a bill that would change regulations to allow (read: force) drivers (semis, mostly) 16 hours a day instead of the current 12. Arkansas senators introduced it at WM request.
WM benefit: can work drivers to even greater extremes.
for us: more dead-tired truck drivers causing crashes on our highways; more exploitation of workers; further erosion of working conditions...

[KansDem]

5. Yeah, I saw that! And on overnight hauls, WalMart intends...

...to lock the truckers inside their cabs!







;)

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. There is absolutely NO WAY you can "Lock a driver inside his cab"

I am a commercial driver and this simply will not happen. Nor will any bill to extend the allowable hours pass.

[KansDem]

13. Please, I was joking...!

Sorry, I was only joking based on this story:

January 18, 2004

Workers Assail Night Lock-Ins by Wal-Mart

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Looking back to that night, Michael Rodriguez still has trouble believing the situation he faced when he was stocking shelves on the overnight shift at the Sam's Club in Corpus Christi, Tex.

It was 3 a.m., Mr. Rodriguez recalled, some heavy machinery had just smashed into his ankle, and he had no idea how he would get to the hospital.

The Sam's Club, a Wal-Mart subsidiary, had locked its overnight workers in, as it always did, to keep robbers out and, as some managers say, to prevent employee theft. As usual, there was no manager with a key to let Mr. Rodriguez out. The fire exit, he said, was hardly an option — management had drummed into the overnight workers that if they ever used that exit for anything but a fire, they would lose their jobs.

"My ankle was crushed," Mr. Rodriguez said, explaining he had been struck by an electronic cart driven by an employee moving stacks of merchandise. "I was yelling and running around like a hurt dog that had been hit by a car. Another worker made some phone calls to reach a manager, and it took an hour for someone to get there and unlock the door."
(more)

http://www.dsausa.org/lowwage/walmart/2004/Workers%20Assail%20Night%20Lock-Ins.html

Just some levity, didn't mean to mislead you. Just that if WalMart locks in its employees in the stores, would it expect to do the same for it truckers, given its record for worker rights? I thought the winking smiley face would show my intent, but I apologize, I should have used "/sarcasm"

Sorry, you drivers do a tough enough job without WalMart (or me) making it tougher on you.
:hi:

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. LOL! after i posted that i thought "That HAD to be tongue in cheek"!

yes...i remember that story......Asshole company if there ever was one.

"Live better, Work Union"

[jmowreader]

7. Yeah, I did last week

You forgot a few other benefits of this bill:

By being able to run the equipment for more hours per day, they can either cut down on the number of trucks they use or cut down on the number of distribution centers they have.

I would expect them to cut trucks before they cut DCs--cutting DCs entails building new ones and that's expensive, but cutting trucks saves them money. Which, of course, will NEVER show up on the price tags.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. Actually, the "Drivers Hours of Service Regulations" allow 11 hrs

driving time per day (Up from 10) and no more than a total of 15 hours on duty time (Combined total of driving time and other "On Duty-Not Driving" time) but limited to a total of no more than 70 hours in an 8 day period. The new regulations that took effect last year mandate a 10 hour rest period every 24 hours (Up from 8) but do not change the upper limit of 70 for every 8 days.

Wal-Mart might be trying to up the per day limit but they will have a tough fight on their hands. The 70 hour rule isn't going to change, i guarantee it. There are too many lobby's that will fight hard against it. If i am not mistaken, Wal-Mart uses almost exclusively single drivers in each truck. If they want to get more out of their trucks, they can run two drivers, thus doubling the effective time the truck can be rolling down the highway.

[TrustingDog]

6. yet there are so many Mal-Warts supporting this beast.

what the hell's wrong with people? The very few occassions I go there (mumbling and cursing under my breath most of the time just to see the belly of the beast and not any serious shopping) I see whole families with zombic expressions pushing around shitty useless Junk in their station wagon sized carts. It's now a family outing, it seems.

[u4ic]

8. Wal Mart is also building on a cemetary

A famous thoroughbred cemetary in Lexington will be relocating for a Super Wal Mart: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/11117412.htm

I hate Wal Mart with a passion. I've only been to it once, and never intend to again. (on a side note, that was about 7 years ago, and the sandals I bought are my fav pair, still intact and going strong)

[jmowreader]

9. I'm still trying to figure out why Dunkirk's letting them get away with it

They're still building one store, just that it's in two different buildings.

[wovenpaint]

11. 2 years "WalMart free" here

Haven't missed them at all. And, I encourage anyone who mentions shopping at that heinous place to join me in my boycott.
:mad: :grr: