Wal-Mart Costs CA Taxpayers $86 Million Per Year In Public Assistance

[hatrack]

Employment practices at Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer with relatively lower labor costs in the retail sector, cost California taxpayers about $86 million annually in public assistance to company workers, according to a study released Monday by a UC Berkeley research institute.

The study estimates that low wages force employees to accept $32 million annually in health-related services and $54 million per year in other assistance, such as subsidized school lunches, food stamps and subsidized housing.

Wal-Mart questioned the validity of the report, saying the authors undervalued the wages and benefits the chain's employees receive. The UC report comes from the Berkeley Labor Center, an institute that is openly supportive of union causes. Although its researchers have in the past accepted funding from the grocery workers' union to conduct studies, this report was not funded by labor, its authors said.

Wal-Mart, and its possible expansion in California, is a major topic in labor circles as negotiators for 45,000 union grocery clerks in the Bay Area begin contract talks with Safeway, Albertson's and other major employers. The current contract expires Sept. 11. The union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and management are also working on a separate pact covering 15,000 Sacramento Valley union workers."

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[aquart]

1. A corporation that declares a profit while debiting the nation

is a parasite which will, if unchecked, suck the nation dry and kill it.

Any corporation has this potential, which is why they must be severely regulated.

[wicket]

2. amen to that

[jpgray]

3. You cut these costs for corporations, they will laugh and ask for more

There is no 'enough' when a corporation like Wal-Mart will start giving back--they will NEVER give up trying to cut costs and raise profits until they are forced to. I wish we would stop pretending otherwise.

[Union Thug]

6. but this is the poster child for the new american corporation..

Wal-mart is the future of American employment - low wage, no benefit jobs - so that our glorious, revered corporations can compete and do business with slave labor in third world markets.

[Bandit]

8. a parasite which will, if unchecked, suck the nation dry and kill it.

Sounds just like the Bush* Cabal

[Hawkeye-X]

4. They should petition the CA voters

to cut off Wal-Mart's greed by rejecting any initiatives to benefit Wal-Fuck, and instead TAX Wal-Fuck to the death to pay off the debts.

Why the states aren't doing this, is BEYOND me.

I wish to see Wal-Fuck empire crumble at its own weight.

Hawkeye-X

[Yogi]

5. Another reason I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart:puke:

[fairfaxvadem]

7. they say 90% of their employees have health insurance???

WTF???? And at $11/hour, I'd like to see how many sign up.

[sangh0]

12. They also said that 90% of their managers are women

According to Wal-Mart's spokesperson, 90% of Wal-Mart is perfect

[Wapsie B]

9. It just amazes me

as to how cities across the country are giving these economic development $$$ to RETAIL stores, not just factories. Around here KMart got over a quarter mil to build a new store. A Fareway grocery got all sorts of goodies to move across the street. And the local Wally World got most of all. What is up with this mentality? These stores NEED these locations. Let private enterprise be just that. Privately run companies paying their own way. Oh and I almost forgot. One of the movers and shakers in town wants to move the fairgrounds and hockey arena to make way for a Loew's.

[lapfog_1]

10. What is the endgame

This is the question.

After the ownership class (people that own sufficient shares of
the major corporations to live from dividends provided) has
enslaved the rest of us to a poverty class (working poor or worse),
outsourced what jobs they can to even cheaper overseas labor pool,
all in the name of max corp. profit... what then?

Do they not realize that they are killing the golden goose. Sure
the crap in Wallmart costs less... but the people that work there
cannot even afford to shop AT WALLMART. If this model is adopted
by even a significant amount of retail... and burger flipping is
what passes for a manufacturing job... the result will be a disaster
(eventually) for the ownership class itself!

We are a consumer driven economy. They will eliminate consumers.
Without consumers, what will happen to the very corporate profits
that they themselves derive their income? While a rising tide
floats all boats, they are busy sucking all of the water out of
harbor.

[aquart]

11. The endgame is the death of the nation.

Not sure they know they're playing it, though.

These people don't really reason from a to b.