There are many controversies in my life. Though the media would have me believe that Walmart is among them, it’s not.
Controversy requires two opposing points of view on a topic that both have legitimacy. Examples of legitimate controversies in my life include how long is “too long” for a dish to soak in the sink and which way the toilet paper roll should unfurl. As a primary care physician I ponder the appropriate level of involvement I take in helping my patients make medical decisions; how to balance disempowering paternalism with the need for guidance. I read articles that debate the optimal duration of anticoagulation after peri-surgical atrial fibrillation. These are controversies because there are no clear answers.
Walmart’s labor practices are not controversial. They are simply abusive. It’s offensive that it’s even labeled as something worth debating.
Yesterday marked the third annual Black Friday protests and strikes at Walmart, the largest private employer in this country. The Walton family, controlling owners of the company, is America’s richest family, with holdings valued at almost $150 billion dollars. For decades, Walmart has remained an employer powerhouse based upon a business model of low wages, poor benefits and union busting.
Controversy requires two opposing points of view on a topic that both have legitimacy. Examples of legitimate controversies in my life include how long is “too long” for a dish to soak in the sink and which way the toilet paper roll should unfurl. As a primary care physician I ponder the appropriate level of involvement I take in helping my patients make medical decisions; how to balance disempowering paternalism with the need for guidance. I read articles that debate the optimal duration of anticoagulation after peri-surgical atrial fibrillation. These are controversies because there are no clear answers.
Walmart’s labor practices are not controversial. They are simply abusive. It’s offensive that it’s even labeled as something worth debating.
Yesterday marked the third annual Black Friday protests and strikes at Walmart, the largest private employer in this country. The Walton family, controlling owners of the company, is America’s richest family, with holdings valued at almost $150 billion dollars. For decades, Walmart has remained an employer powerhouse based upon a business model of low wages, poor benefits and union busting.
Black Friday protestors at the Walmart in Bellevue, WA.
Walmart officials categorically deny any efforts to squelch workers’ organizing. At the protest at Bellevue, WA, yesterday, officials are quick to argue that the small percentage of employee participation in the strikes proves that the vast majority of workers are happy. When I asked their public relations representative to comment on the counter interpretation that limited employee participation could be due to an intimidating environment that scares would-be strikers into silence, she had no comment.
And though the spin-doctors of Walmart would have you believe that these protests and strikes are simply exaggerated demonstrations from a very vocal minority, the growing number of petitions, strikes, and studies say otherwise.
And though the spin-doctors of Walmart would have you believe that these protests and strikes are simply exaggerated demonstrations from a very vocal minority, the growing number of petitions, strikes, and studies say otherwise.
