Circuit City Firings: We Won’t Forget

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/08/26/circuit-city-firings-we-wont-forget/

by Mike Hall, Aug 26, 2007

blogthumb_circuitcity.jpg

Remember Circuit City’s callous firing of 3,400 workers last March because—and this is Circuit City’s explanation—the company was paying those workers too much, not that they weren’t doing their jobs or were being rude to customers or sleeping in the stockroom? The workers’ extravagant salaries, an average of about $12 an hour, broke the bank, according to Circuit City.



No doubt the electronic giant’s top executives—including CEO Philip Schoonover, who the Rocky Mountain News reported was forced to get by on just $8.52 million in 2006—hoped they’d take a little media hit and be done with it.

The Oregon AFL-CIO says wait a minute. Earlier this month, the state federation’s executive board said a little bad publicity wasn’t sufficient punishment for such an act of first degree corporate greed. The board voted to put the chain’s state stories on the Oregon AFL-CIO’s Unfair/Do Not Patronize List.

Before taking the action, Robert Westerman, president of the Southwestern Oregon Central Labor Council, wrote to Schoonover and invited him or a Circuit City representative to sit down and discuss the issue. But a letter from a Circuit City vice president—who is presumably not overpaid or he would be out of work, according to company policy—slammed the door shut, telling Westerman:

It does not warrant any further discussion or meeting.

So the Oregon AFL-CIO is asking working families to stay away from Circuit City until it begins treating its workers with a bit of respect.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

1. A bit irritating

That DU's webpage is showing me a banner ad for Circuit City on this page.

Don't really shop there myself, but I'll certainly pass the word along.

[PDJane]

2. Circuit City

is another one of those places I don't patronize. It's been there since the above mentioned debacle, and will stay there.

[aquart]

3. I used to shop there. Not since the firings.

[LittleOne]

5. Ditto

[elfin]

4. So where do I buy a new TV?

Do I have to go to Best Buy? Need a new one due to an electrical fire (ligtning strike) fritzing out the old one.

Want to go to flat screen HD as long as the insurance company is buying for most of it to replace the old one.

[driver8]

15. How about trying a "local retailer"? n/t

[satya]

16. Costco pays their employees a good wage and treats them well. nt

[cascadiance]

20. I've had great experiences buying stuff from Costco...

I got a great deal on a 47" HD set a few months back.

I also a few months back brought back an old HP laser printer that had a problem with one of the ink cartridges "blew up" inside the printer and made it nonfunctional. It was over a year old and they gave me my money back. I bought a newer HP laser printer that was on sale at that time, that actually had networking functionality built in this time around and basically got a few cents back from what I'd paid for the earlier printer. I don't think I'd have been able to do that sort of "exchange" any place else. Other places, even though you had a bum product would look at you after a year and say "Tough beans! You need to fork out $400 for another".

And to know that you are supporting a store that takes good care of its workers makes it all that much more rewarding to shop there too!

[cullen2382]

18. Bought a 42 inch plasma HD at HH Gregg

Also checked out Best Buy. Will not shop at Circuit City anymore.

[DCKit]

23. Or, online from Amazon.com from a smaller vendor?

I realize shopping online is terrifying for some people, but I've had very good experiences.

[Purveyor]

6. Thanks for the reminder. K&R #5... n/t

[KT2000]

7. We should all go there

to "shop" as in find out what we need to know about the products, how they work, compare to other brands etc. Then go buy the products elsewhere.

[slipslidingaway]

14. Great idea and then tell the manager why you are not buying

from CC.

[patrice]

8. Will do.

Or, actually, "will (not) do (any shopping at Circuit City)".

[barbtries]

9. i never heard the original story

but i can boycott circuit city here in CA, and again in NC when i get there. to hell with this company. i am so tired of greed's deleterious impact on people who don't practice it.

[TalkingDog]

24. Howdy Soon to Be Neighbor!

If you have any questions about the tarheel state, just ask. Lotta reds, but some good folks/blue folks too.

Where ya movin to?


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[barbtries]

28. cool!!!!!!!!! a DUer in my new home!!!

thank you!

Raleigh. South? Raleigh - place called sailboat bay, on Lake Lynn?

getting excited and i'm scared, too: plus, i need a job still. I can do anything in an office, have an AA degree and a professional certificate in PC Operations, bookkeeping, customer service, writer, know of any jobs? :)

[TalkingDog]

29. Nope, I'm more toward Charlotte. But no worries.

Raleigh and surrounding area...lots of tech industry and research. You should have no issues with a job. And bonus, that area is a lot more blue.

And get to Chapel Hill the first chance you get. It's a nice town with a great music scene.

You'll find a wide variety of people there, a lot of transplants like yourself. But the natives can be friendly too. (obviously)

Have fun, good luck and if you get over toward Winston-Salem, I work there once in a while...throw me a wave.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[Spiffarino]

10. I bought something there last month.

Guilty. I was walking through the store comparing products and prices against what Best Buy and other stores had so I could bring it up if they tried to overcharge me.

I bought a 99 cent bottle of spring water. It was very hot and dry. I was weak.

However, that is the ONLY thing I have purchased there since the 3,400 workers were unfairly let go. Since then, I occasionally walk through, take notes, and walk out. That's it. No more TVs, computers, cameras , etc., until they learn how to treat working people.

[RadiDem]

11. Thanks - Just added them to my 'Boycott List'

[AikidoSoul]

12. Circuit City has terrible policies

and it doesn't honor it's customer service agreements that go with equipment. We had nightmares trying to get
our newly purchased AC fixed a month after we bought it (that was about 8 years ago). Then after that we
had many of our own customers complain about the same thing only with equipment they had purchased.

Circuit City is not fair to employees, or to its customers.

[Coexist]

13. knr

[satya]

17. Have not set foot in our local store since the firings and recycle their Sunday ad w/o looking at it

[cascadiance]

19. I've not set foot in their stores since either!

[mopinko]

21. they were pulling this same shit a long time before it hit the news

i know someone who worked for them for a while, and they pulled the same shit with their store closings. i think a couple of store around here closed, then opened back up. dumped all their employees in the process.
called people into the office, said, we are closing this store. if you want to work at another store, we will be cutting your pay to $9/hr. take it or leave it, you have 30 minutes.
been on my no go list since then.

[progressoid]

22. Circuit City blows

[byronius]

25. I haven't walked in one since.

Assholes.

[Stephanie]

26. I am already boycotting them

And I bought my last two computers from them, plus a lot of other stuff. I shopped there because the staff was so knowledgeable. No more.

[needledriver]

27. Thanks for the Heads Up!

Circuit City is OFF my shopping list!