Wallmart: we not only destory small business, we do it will illegal aliens

[ShaneGR]

I read this story twice. I still cannot believe that Wallmart is actually this cheap. I realize they're pretty much killing off every mom and pop hardware store in America, and I always knew they paid their American workers crap. I didn't realize, in some circumstances, they weren't even bothering to hire Americans.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031023/D7UC6AIO0.html

(snip)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Federal agents raided Wal-Mart's headquarters and 60 of its stores across the country Thursday, arresting more than 300 illegal workers in an immigration crackdown at the world's biggest retailer.

The workers were members of cleaning crews hired by outside contractors, but federal law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Wal-Mart had direct knowledge of the immigration violations. They cited recordings of meetings and conversations among Wal-Mart executives, managers and contractors.

[kalian]

1. This is why I have been boycotting them for over 2 years....

Wal-Mart has got to go...now!

[ShaneGR]

2. Somehow I don't think this is going to be good for business

lol

[brainshrub]

3. To be fair

they were sub-contracting the cheap labor. Bastards.

[demsrule4life]

5. I never shop there

I support the mom and pop stores, what America is supposed to be about.

[Submariner]

4. Isn't this the business

that moves into communities, destroys the mom and pop businesses by discounting all goods, thus unemploying the local population?

And this is supposed to be good for the economy....

[jonoboy]

6. why surprise ?

this is happening all over the world. If corporations could get away with slave labour they would do it. Preferably nil staff. Don't know how they expect people to buy their products in the end but doubt they care. These are the real traitors in every country and it's getting out of hand with Presidents like Bush and his ilk.

The only thing that surprises me about this is that they were actually caught.

[greendog]

7. Walmart has a history of doing things like this

Last year there was a story about them presuring employees to work overtime without pay. The year before they were busted for violating child labor laws. And of course they recently fired some employees who were sucsessfull in organizing a union.

Walmart just doesn't think our laws should apply to them.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Walmart is like a lot of big business in Arkansas

Tyson has been busted for hiring illegals for their processing plants. Think they got a slap on the wrist. The Waltons have a lot of clout here, and if it were up to Gov. Huckabee (a Republican, btw), nothing would be done. Our Congressman, John Boozman, lists WalMart as his greatest political contributor. Small business around here can just cry in their milk (dry counties, no beer).

If you ever have the misfortune to enter a WalMart, you can FEEL the unhappiness therein.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Let's not forget their practice of taking peasant policies out on workers

while stacking their products up to the ceiling so that in the unfortunate event of an on the job work related death (in states where they can get away with it) they profit from it.

[Tansy_Gold]

10. dead peasant policies not related to on the job deaths

They are paid on death, period.

Wal-Mart had a program of taking out insurance policies on new hires, but not telling them about it. Wal-Mart paid the premiums and Wal-Mart was the beneficiary. Even when people left the Wal-Mart employ, the insurance remained in force. Then Wal-Mart had clerical employees who routinely scoured obituaries around the country to find out who they could collect on.

the explanation was that this was a way to fund employee benefit programs. Of course, it was not Wal-Mart who was paying for these programs, but the insurance companies and, you guessed it, other policy holders.

At one time this practice was illegal. Companies could only take out policies on people in whom they had a financial interest, i.e. an executive whose sudden loss would plunge the company into turmoil. The insurance money would allow them to hire replacements, etc. But they could not take out policies on someone in whom they had no legitimate financial interest, such as "peasants" pulled in off the street to do unskilled or semi-skilled labor and who were easily replaced at little expense to the company.

That was overturned, except in some states. One of those states was Texas, and the surviving widow of a former Wal-Mart employee found out they benefited from her husband's death, but she didn't. It was reported in the Houston Chronicle a couple years ago.

I believe the practice was stopped. . . but I wouldn't bet on it.

I loathe Wal-Mart. Haven't set foot in one for over four years, and did my time for 13 mos. as an "ass-ociate."

[Hippo_Tron]

11. Wal-Mart is about to open up closer to me...

Even though there is one 15 minutes way. I'm still not sold on the wal-mart puts small stores out of business effect and so I'll be interested to see the results of this new one.