You Will Not Believe What Wal-Mart is Doing

[Omaha Steve]

http://nhlabornews.com/2015/02/you-will-not-believe-what-wal-mart-is-doing/

You have got to be kidding me.

Wal-Mart is rewarding associates who donate money to the Wal-Mart PAC, which works to elect candidates like Speaker John Boehner and Senator Ted Cruz who vehemently oppose raising the minimum wage.

In this excellent article (Wal-Mart’s Unusual Rewards for Employees Who Give to Its PAC) by Josh Eidelson, he reports:

“Liberal groups and a union-backed Walmart worker group are asking the Federal Election Commission to investigate Wal-Mart Stores’ (WMT) policy of rewarding contributions to its political action committee with donations to charity. Under the policy, every $1 an employee donates to Wal-Mart’s PAC, which supports such probusiness candidates as Ohio Republican House Speaker John Boehner, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, and Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor, triggers a $2 donation to a charity for Wal-Mart employees in need.”

Using charitable contributions to reward PAC donations has become a widespread practice among U.S. corporations, which are restricted by law from donating directly to their PACs. At least seven times over the past two decades, FEC commissioners have been divided over whether to restrict companies from matching the political donations with philanthropic cash.

While such companies as Coca-Cola (KO) and Boeing (BA) also match PAC dollars with charity dollars, Wal-Mart’s policy is unusual. Rather than just a 1-to-1 match, it offers 2 to 1. And instead of giving employees a choice of charities to support, it sends all the matching money to its Associates in Critical Need Trust, which benefit employees facing “extreme economic hardship due to situations outside of their control, including natural disasters.”

FULL story at link.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Seize Walmart, tonight. Let the employees own it.

I know, cant have justice in this country, but that is justice.

[Fred Sanders]

5. Venezuela did just that yesterday.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110837170

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

8. THe poster says stopping rightwing terrorists who own the food chain from continuing to terrorize

the people is stupid.


It may not be the full answer, given the other problems they face there, but Walmart is economic terrorism, period.

We will never see justice in this country as long as middle class and poor Americans defend the right of corps to starve them to death.

[fasttense]

35. So True

Let's put Democracy into our economic system and let We the People determine how to run our markets instead of letting the uber rich run us into the ground.

[guillaumeb]

52. see the whole picture

All these poor white, mainly southern Americans who vote for the Republicans just know that someday they will win the Lotto and they will be rich too. That is why they do not want to raise taxes on the rich.
Plus the Walton family are good southern Christians who deserve the billions they have made by underpaying their workers and stealing tax dollars from the rest of us in the form of direct subsidies to open their stores s well as the billions in state and federal benefits their employees receive because the Waltons do not pay enough to live on.

I agree they are economic terrorists. Put them in the empty cells at Guantamamo. Right next to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Woo, Bybee, Powell, Rice and the rest of the Iraqi War criminals. Make them listen to endless reruns of Pat Robertson speeches and Sarah Palin speeches.
Maybe some Taylor Swift songs too.

Or would that be torture?

[closeupready]

2. It's alarming to think that Hillary was on Walmart's Board of Directors for SIX years.

While her husband was governor of Arkansas.

How she could associate herself with them, and continue for such a lengthy time is inexplicable to me.

[treestar]

6. What was Walmart doing at that time?

And what's wrong with a liberal being on the board? At least that's one liberal on the board. If you own the stock, why not influence the company?

[sabrina 1]

9. Didn't Hillary know what they were doing? If you don't, then maybe a quick search on their

recent history might help you to understand why her participation in such an enterprise is very troubling indeed.

Btw, did she try to change their ways while there for six years? I'd like to see how she used her 'liberal status' to try to do some good while she had the chance.

I doubt it, or she would not have been there for six years. But I could be wrong.

[treestar]

10. Of course Hillary knew what they were doing

And there were other people on the board, too.

If liberals can't be on BODs, then no corporations will behave well. Are you honestly saying it is morally wrong to own stock or serve on a corporate board? Does that include corporations with two stockholders who are a husband and wife and own a business? How much success are they allowed? Talk about handing the right wingers ammunition to use to make us look absurd.

[sabrina 1]

13. Yes, it is morally wrong to participate in wrong doing and/or to profit from it.

I, eg, would not sit on the board of Walmart, but then they wouldn't allow me as I would spend most of my time there trying to stop their nasty, anti-worker, predatory practices. And there is no way any moral person would invest in such a despicable operation.

I hope that answers your question.

Yes, I know, the 'new' thinking is 'pragmatic'. If you can't lick 'em, joine 'em!

No thanks, I like to sleep well at night.

[treestar]

16. I would think it much harder to sleep

believing Walmart is out to get you.

If you are on the board, you don't get kicked off for an opinion. You're on the board because you own stock.

Still didn't answer about just how large is a company allowed to get before it is not allowed to take part in it?

Are the Walmart employees guilty too? How high up in the organization do you have to be to be morally wrong?

[tkmorris]

14. Of course Liberals can be on BODs

But we're talking about Hillary...

Seriously though, it's about who you associate with and what influence you attempt to have in so doing. I don't think Hillary's presence on Walmart's BOD had any measurable positive effect so I have to wonder just what she was doing there.

[treestar]

17. Who you associate with?

Shades of Obama and the Reverend Wright or Bill Ayers.

[NBachers]

22. Jesus Christ, another I Hate Hillary thread hijack

Single-minded drones patrolling every thread and seeing where they can squat and drop their seething Hillary hate.

[daleanime]

55. Hate Hillary?

I don't hate her, how could I? I don't know her, but that doesn't mean I want to vote for her. I do know the policies she supports and that's enough.

[closeupready]

56. She's fighting for the nomination, ain't she?

Last edited Sun Feb 8, 2015, 11:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Or what, we're supposed to be good little toadies and just sit back?

[closeupready]

25. If she was ineffective @ liberalizing Walmart after 6 years, she'll be an impotent president.

At least, if you want a more liberal and progressive president. If you want a more conservative, Republican president, then there you go.

[treestar]

46. that's a stretch

What a hilarious litmus test. By that token, Bernie who has failed to be on any board is cut off as he never liberalized any company.

[tosh]

15. Here's a good Mother Jones story that

covers the pros & cons: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/hillary-clinton-costco-walmart

[Egnever]

41. Wow that was a good link

Thanks!

[Enthusiast]

24. Very troubling indeed.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. "recent history" being the operative word here....

Hillary left before Sam died!

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. that was before Sam died....

sorry Epic Fail

[closeupready]

28. "Sam"?? LOL - a "good friend" of yours?

Look. We get it, honey. Hillary's your girl. You've passed the point of diminishing returns, and your efforts here are WAY past their sell-by date. Give it a rest.

[VanillaRhapsody]

34. Everyone called him Sam....

Sam Walton...duh!

[cstanleytech]

45. Even wiki uses the name "Sam"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Walton

[SheilaT]

39. Walmart simply wasn't as awful back then.

In that era most of what they sold was made in this country, and they proudly advertized that. I suspect the overall working conditions in the stores may have been somewhat better, but I don't know.

It does matter to understand that the WalMart of 2015 is a long cry from the WalMart of the 1980's.

[Egnever]

42. +1

[Fred Sanders]

3. Seizing control of democracy by hidden enslavement and hidden labor laws and election laws , or lack of.

[GReedDiamond]

4. ...which benefit employees facing “extreme economic hardship...

...due to situations outside of their control, including natural disasters being an employee of WalMart."

Edited for accuracy.

[erronis]

49. good catch!

[daredtowork]

7. When I worked for BofA

They encouraged us to "adopt an ATM" on our own time, and go out and polish it with our own cleaning supplies.

[ND-Dem]

20. oh man, that takes the cake. "my little atm! hey honey, let me wipe up that drool!"

[Major Nikon]

11. Here's the really sneaky part about this

Most large corporations have some sort of employee assistance program. For employers it's more of an investment than any sort of benevolent offering because it helps productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Such programs are far from impartial. The people employed by them serve the company more than the employees.

So Wal-Mart uses dollars that it would be spending on its assistance program anyway to encourage their own employees to fund a PAC that works directly against their own interests.

[RiverLover]

36. ..."employees to fund a PAC that works directly against their own interests."

Truly rapacious.

Do you think we'll see this on the evening news?

[cloudbase]

47. The employee cannot deduct a PAC contribution,

but the company can deduct their "charitable" contribution.

Double fucked.

[handmade34]

48. good catch

[Atman]

12. I would believe ANYTHING that Walmart is doing...

...unless it had to do with actually treating employees fairly.

[marble falls]

18. How do they sleep at night?

[valerief]

19. I guess if they just paid them a fair wage and gave fair benefits, they'd have to pay more

in FICA taxes and benes. Tossing a few coins to the half-dead is cheaper and makes them look so much more Jesusy.

[packman]

21. Only makes sense

After all, the Wally family only has so much money to dole out - not like they are the Koch brothers and can reach into their own pocket. Scum of the earth dragging their employees into their pit and making them feel guilty that they are screwing with their fellow workers if they don't "contribute" to that PAC. You can damn well bet they are keeping track of who is contributing and how much when it comes to promotion time.

[Brigid]

23. Isn't this illegal?

Because you *know* it isn't really voluntary.

[rurallib]

29. it has to be on the edge if it isn't illegal

and it sure as hell should be illegal.
Get the goddamned money out of politics.

BTW love your sig line. I have daughters who are known to speak up.

[madinmaryland]

44. I'm sure the SCOTUS will rule that it should be completely legal.

[nakocal]

30. Republicans are NOT pro business

Republicans are not pro-business. Not now or ever. They are pro business owner. None of there policies does a damn thing to help a business grow or increase sales. All that there policies do is allow businesses to avoid paying for the cost of there business - labor, material, waste disposal, etc.

[Egnever]

43. Well said

I think I may steal that.

Welcome to DU

[guillaumeb]

53. Reaganomics in action

many of these employees cannot afford to shop anywhere else. Like the old coal towns where the miners could only spend the scrip at the company store. Endless wage slavery is a perfect closed loop for the 1%

[alp227]

33. Geez. If this is not an apt parallel to chickens voting for Col. Sanders, what is?

...every $1 an employee donates to Wal-Mart’s PAC, which supports such probusiness candidates as Ohio Republican House Speaker John Boehner, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, and Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor, triggers a $2 donation to a charity for Wal-Mart employees in need.

[louis-t]

37. What is WRONG with these people?

[Rose Siding]

38. The 2 to 1 match sounds a little extortion-y

like, Sure we'll help your pals in who are in really bad shape if you help us appear less astroturf-y.

[stuffmatters]

57. Yes, plus clearly tax evasion, money laundering-y

Love your -y converter. Thanks, so witty. It's going to be my favorite add on from now on!

[BlueJazz]

40. “extreme economic hardship due to situations outside of their control, including natural disasters.”

Yeah, like working at Walmart.

[Yo_Mama]

50. This should not be allowed at any corporation. n/t

[Cha]

51. They treat employees like shite but give money to those like Boner.. who will take away their SNAP

bennies.

[mackerel]

54. Actually I find it very believable

[blkmusclmachine]

58. From bad to worse.

[Gary 50]

59. If you start out saying "you won't believe what Walmart is doing"

and it turns out they are doing something sleazy, deceptive, illegal and or immoral, not only will we believe it, we expect it. If Wal-mart did something benevolent (for anybody whose name isn't Walton) that would be something we would have a hard time believing.

[marym625]

60. Jesus Christ on a cheese sandwich!

So sick of the Waltons and the 1%. Lazy, egomaniacal, slave driving, pieces of shit.

[madokie]

61. I believe anything that walmart does

Walmart is not a good company, period.

My home town just allowed a walmart grocery store and its already hurting the local store that has been there for years. Undercutting prices by a few cents here and there until they get the other business's out of the way then they will do as they do every time they come to a location. Yup, you got it, they raise prices and with no competition they get by with it.

30 years ago in this area we had a ton of business who offered about anything you wanted or needed and now they're all gone. Business who were here for years, Otasco, Western Auto, for a couple and both gone and many aren't old enough to even remember them being the place you went to get a lot of the stuff they go to walmart to get today. All these business that are gone paid a livable wage too. In the big store up the road a ways I feel safe in saying out of the 100 or so employees that maybe a handful are paid a livable wage if that.


fuck walmart