Protests at Wal-Mart

This made my day.

Geoff got me on to this and man I've been smiling since I read it. I'm not sure what it will amount to but Wal-Mart employees are walking out across the U.S.A on Black Friday in an effort to protest low wages, strange hours and lack of health care.

I worked at Wal-Mart as a kid and it is the only employer I have had who I would not speak highly of, or at least respectfully of. To this day I will not shop at Wal-Mart (I have not since I left the company after Christmas in early 2002). Low wages are the norm, 'Wal-Mart" full time in 28 hours a week in countries where they can get away with it, they have a multi-million dollar union busting team and even shut down a store in Quebec when they did unionize and they are, well, dicks.

I did other retail in my day, working at Future Shop (a Canadian Best Buy) while going through university. While it wasn't always fun and I certainly had a few questionable managers the overwhelming majority of staff and management were good and I actually keep in touch with people there who I worked with. It's not a career place for me but if I had an interest in selling electronics and could make a killing off of commission or wanted a retail management career I'd think about it. Not so with Wal-Mart. I remember one of our managers, he was 28 and had just gotten married. Upon his return from his honeymoon it was, "Congratulations, now you're off to Whitehorse." Always wondered how long that marriage lasted.

It's also not like these employees are asking for 12 weeks paid vacation and $50/h to run a till. They are asking for healthcare and a pension. I've looked at jobs in Bangkok (admittedly as a university) that offer healthcare and a pension. If it can be provided in a developing country it can be provided in California.

Anyway if you want you can make a donation to help striking workers. They're pushing $90,000 in just a few days so obviously people outside the company care.

As to Black Friday, or in Canada on Boxing Day. I have a crazy idea. Stay home, eat leftovers, talk to your family and friends. You have more shit than you need anyway. Believe it or not the acquisition of things is not that fulfilling. You want to spend your excess income on these days might I recommend this instead.