Reply #74: Disturbing but not true [View All]

[Statistical]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002417.html

43% of associates do NOT use Walmart health plan but the break down is like this

47% receive benefits from Walmart's health plan
22% receive benefits under spouses plan
5% receive benefits via Medicare (an earned benefit for those 65+)
4% receive benefits through parent, school, or college
2% receive benefits via Medicaid
1% receive benefits via another state program

10% have no insurance (either they opted out of Wallys plan, found it unafforable, are chancing it, or are a newhire not elligible yet)

So it is 3% nationally that receive benefits from Medicaid or alternate state program. 3% not 41%.

Wal-Mart offers competitive pay. Our average, full-time hourly wage is $10.86 and is even higher in some states. For example,
as of May 2008, the average full-time hourly wage is $12.06 in Massachusetts, $11.32 in Illinois, $11.22 in New York, $12.17 in New
Hampshire and $11.12 per hour in California.

http://www.walmartstores.com/download/2322.pdf

Now is $10 a hour a good job? No. Is it the slave labor that many on DU like to make it out to be? Not really.

People will tell you to shop somewhere else..... well prices paid don't always benefit the employees.

My younger brother was out of work and when he finally got some work he needed a part time job.
There are essentially 4 grocery stores in our area:
Food-Lion - non-union - low prices, dirty stores
Farm-Fresh - non-union - high prices, good quality food, nice looking stores
Harris Teeter - union? - insane prices, very nice stores. No way I can afford it.
Evil Wally

So my brother put in apps for all 3. Harris Teeter wasn't hiring. Food Lion offered him min wage and Farm Fresh offered him $7 which he took. Farm Fresh kept his hour at around 25 a week even when he asked for more after a month of trying, begging to get more hours we applied at Walmart. They started him at $7.70 with guaranteed raise to $8.40 in 6 months. He also got 28 hours a week. When he asked for more they told him he could get a guaranteed 35 hours a week IF we switched to night shift which he did.

Now the job sucked. The benefits sucked. The hours sucked. It got him through and kept him from being evicted. 8 months later he landed a nice job working for the transplant hotline.

Just because another store has higher prices doesn't mean it benefits the employees. It certain doesn't in the case of Farm Fresh.