Workers at Colorado Walmart to Unionize?

[Sava]

walmart

unions

OzzyKP

Ted Striker

[chequita guevara]

Re: Workers at Colorado Walmart to Unionize?

Originally posted by David Floyd
Good luck to Walmart in fighting the unions!

You're a bad libertarian.

[MrFun]

Any libertarian who would do away with human rights just to 105% consistent in the principle of their ideology is scary.

Actually, you could replace the word "libertarian" with any other ideology, and it would be just as scary.

[Ramo]

Ozzy

Another anarchist convert?

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi Floyd's objection to Unions is, I believe, based upon the government's actions. The government in the USA requires companies to recognize workers who want to unionize whether or not they want to, are not allowed to fire pro-union workers, and I believe may not shut down stores specifically because it decided to go union.

Of course, if Floyd did have his way here, it would mean to a large scale degradation of living standards for a lot of people..

If that's the basis of his objections, then I could agree. But he seemed rather to be siding with Walmart in their union breaking activity.

Agreeing that Walmart should have a right to fight unions is different from supporting that fight.

Hmmm... maybe I should unionize the autoparts store I work at. That'd be fun. We get paid crap, they don't give out overtime, and management often adjusts people's hours down so they don't go over their 40. Even though they work more than 40, they are only paid for 40. Plus the store is totally understaffed, so if we threatened a walk out they couldn't just bring in a bunch of scabs. They'd be screwed.

Damn, that'd be freaken awesome. Low-level retail workers of the world unite!

[Imran Siddiqui]

But he seemed rather to be siding with Walmart in their union breaking activity.

I wouldn't be suprised if he was.

[chequita guevara]

if you have any proof of the overtime, you could call the appropriate agency and have them investigate. You could get your back wages.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Ramo
Ozzy

Another anarchist convert?

Ha, not a chance. I'm far from an anarcho-capitalist, and farther yet from an anarcho-communist.

But I don't see how a libertarian can oppose unions. In a world without the huge government bureacracy looking out for labor rights then the people have to do it themselves. That manifests itself through institutions such as unions. They are essential, and imho even more essential with a scaled back government.

I want more unions. Every industry should be unionized. There should be "consumers unions" to get consumers to coordinate buying behavior to control company's actions/inactions.

Its a practical problem that I see a lot with libertarians. They rightfully oppose government overstepping its bounds by intervening in x, y and z, but don't recognize that often x, y, and z are still important things that must be done and should be done instead by a non-governmental entity. If we don't have welfare and social security, then we as private individuals, associations and corporations have to step up to help out those in need. Kicking the poor to the curb is NOT a solution. They need just as much help as now, just in a different form. If libertarians aren't stepping up to create/fund/provide those alternatives, they are hypocrites.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
if you have any proof of the overtime, you could call the appropriate agency and have them investigate. You could get your back wages.

That would be the Wage and Hour Division of the US Department of Labor. 1-866-4US-WAGE is the number, IIRC.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
if you have any proof of the overtime, you could call the appropriate agency and have them investigate. You could get your back wages.

Yea I know. And I could totally get proof. But that'd just be going off and tattling, and would be entirely un-libertarian. Not that I'm some extremist about it, but I wouldn't go on welfare if I had the choice, or unemployment, so this isn't different. Plus unionizing would be a more lasting solution, and a helluva lot more fun. I need more leftist credentials, I'll fit in better in my solid blue state environs.

Of course its all talk now. But I am going to look into what would be involved.

[Ramo]

Ha, not a chance. I'm far from an anarcho-capitalist, and farther yet from an anarcho-communist.

But I don't see how a libertarian can oppose unions. In a world without the huge government bureacracy looking out for labor rights then the people have to do it themselves. That manifests itself through institutions such as unions. They are essential, and imho even more essential with a scaled back government.

I want more unions. Every industry should be unionized. There should be "consumers unions" to get consumers to coordinate buying behavior to control company's actions/inactions.

Just as good. Once every industry gets unionized, it becomes rediculously easy for workers to take over their businesses.

[Shi Huangdi]

" I need more leftist credentials, I'll fit in better in my solid blue state environs. "

You're in Montgomery County, MD. That's not the blue-collar type of blue area, that's the white collar latte drinking lawyer/lobbyist type area.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
" I need more leftist credentials, I'll fit in better in my solid blue state environs. "

You're in Montgomery County, MD. That's not the blue-collar type of blue area, that's the white collar latte drinking lawyer/lobbyist type area.

The blue-collar type of blue areas are all red now....

White collar latte drinkers need some hard working blue-collared proletariate to praise while they sip their latte and drive their gas guzzling SUVs.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Ramo

Ha, not a chance. I'm far from an anarcho-capitalist, and farther yet from an anarcho-communist.

But I don't see how a libertarian can oppose unions. In a world without the huge government bureacracy looking out for labor rights then the people have to do it themselves. That manifests itself through institutions such as unions. They are essential, and imho even more essential with a scaled back government.

I want more unions. Every industry should be unionized. There should be "consumers unions" to get consumers to coordinate buying behavior to control company's actions/inactions.

Just as good. Once every industry gets unionized, it becomes rediculously easy for workers to take over their businesses.

Whether worker run businesses can run it well enough to compete in a free market or not is another question. But I'm all for giving it a go.

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


The blue-collar type of blue areas are all red now....

White collar latte drinkers need some hard working blue-collared proletariate to praise while they sip their latte and drive their gas guzzling SUVs.

More likely, they'd sneer at you for raising their prices by increasing labor costs. You're living in the county where a family kept an African immigrant as a slave to do domestic work in their suburban home.