I was going to comment on the "What we're all reading thread" but thought it was too far off topic already.
The thing is that I've seen the Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price and looked quite closely into their labour practices, which have included closing two entire stores in Canada as the workers became unionised. It's brilliant to see that the unions have scored a victory in the UK. There's a huge Asda / Walmarts near us, and personally I tend to avoid the place.
However, I can also see the Adlerian's point:
In the movie, we see the pathos of the family-owned hardware store being boarded up, but we don't get to hear any details such as was there a union there, how did the pay compare to Walmart, etc, we just have to assume it was better.
It's similar with booksellers - ok Amazon are union-busting bastards, but does organised labour really stand any more of a chance in a thousand tiny bookshops? The small-business sector is notorious for exploiting workers and tends to be paternalistic at best. Maybe we're just looking at the past through rose-tinted spectacles?
However, the "low road" Walmart employment practices act as a black hole in the economy, dragging standards down in its competitors (Safeway, for example, had to drop its employee health scheme because of competition from Walmart, which doesn't provide one). There's some truth in the statement "Shop in Walmart and you'll end up working there".
The other sinister element is the corruption of democracy and the way that companies like Walmart can blackmail local authorities to get their own way, and ultimately give nothing back. All this is illustrated in the movie.
I say strap them down and control them with regulations and unions. Not the "anglo-american" way, of course, but essential if we are to have any control over our lives, our communities and our culture.
The thing is that I've seen the Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price and looked quite closely into their labour practices, which have included closing two entire stores in Canada as the workers became unionised. It's brilliant to see that the unions have scored a victory in the UK. There's a huge Asda / Walmarts near us, and personally I tend to avoid the place.
However, I can also see the Adlerian's point:
Also, places like local hardware stores, as I recall, were famous for being rip-off joints, because the owner could charge whatever they wanted to. So, Walmart was a gift to the poor people in the area.
It's similar with booksellers - ok Amazon are union-busting bastards, but does organised labour really stand any more of a chance in a thousand tiny bookshops? The small-business sector is notorious for exploiting workers and tends to be paternalistic at best. Maybe we're just looking at the past through rose-tinted spectacles?
However, the "low road" Walmart employment practices act as a black hole in the economy, dragging standards down in its competitors (Safeway, for example, had to drop its employee health scheme because of competition from Walmart, which doesn't provide one). There's some truth in the statement "Shop in Walmart and you'll end up working there".
The other sinister element is the corruption of democracy and the way that companies like Walmart can blackmail local authorities to get their own way, and ultimately give nothing back. All this is illustrated in the movie.
I say strap them down and control them with regulations and unions. Not the "anglo-american" way, of course, but essential if we are to have any control over our lives, our communities and our culture.
Comment