[Vision2020] The CO-OP Sells Stuff From China/Wal-Mart Salary

[Donovan Arnold]

 As Tom Hansin's article points out, Wal-mart employees are making $7.50-$8.50 an hour.
  
  So my question is, how much should a worker that needs no experience in  life or work get paid at a job that has little or no responsibility?
  
  $9 or $10 an hour? $15, 20? Let us put this in perspective shall we?
  
  A senior at UI with 3 years of research experience can only make a  maximum of $8.15 an hour. A Certified Nurses Assistant at Gritman  Hospital makes $8 an hour. A Certified Nurse Assistant at Aspen, who  has the lives of other people in there hands makes $6.50 an hour  starting out. A student worker at the Student Union Building makes  $6.25 an hour. A person who cares for a person with server behavioral  disabilities makes $7 and hour. 
  
 So for an unskilled,  uneducated, inexperienced worker at Wal-Mart to be pulling $7.50+ an  hour, that is better than most people that have some skills and  training. And MOST the jobs I have worked in this area do not pay  medical unless you work full-time for at least 6 months. Which you  would imagine is less than 1/2 the workforce of most businesses.
  
  Wal-Mart pays the prevailing wage of an area. It is not going to pay a  stock boy $12 and hour in area where most unskilled jobs only pay $7 or  less, it isn't gonna happen. The minimum wage in this state is $5.15 an  hours, so $7.50 an hour is about 50% higher then state law. People  might think that many people do not make $5.15 or less than $6 an hour,  but they do, if you go into places like Southeastern Idaho, that is  what they pay, $6 an hour, and rent is about $350 a month.
  
  The Grocery store comparison is crock I am afraid. First of all, a  cashier to become unionized and get the pay of $10 or more has to have  years of experience before they qualify, many 1000s of hours working  for the same company doing boring, laborious work. Second, when they  get the $10+ an hour they cut your hours down to first about 15 a week  and slowly they get up to about 30 as other union members retire or  move to another union store. So $12 an hour is very little if you only  work 25 hours a week. Third, Wal-Mart is not a grocery store, it is a  retail store.
  
  If Wal-Mart did not pay prevailing wages they would not be able to keep their stores and factories full or employees.
  
  In terms of not being able to support a family of four people on a  Wal-Mart salary, that has got to be a joke. No, in this country, it is  not possible to raise three children on most salaries. If someone is  trying to have a family, they need to get an education and a skilled  job, or be willing to work 60 hours a week like many other people in  the country and world do. 
  
 Another question to ask yourself  is; Why is it OK for the CO-OP to sell stuff from China, Bolivia, and  other third world countries but just horrible and awful when Wal-Mart  does it? It just doesn't follow, I am hoping maybe Joan Opyr or Bill  London can explain this to us. I like both stores very much. However, I  think the rules should apply equally to everybody. 
  
  Take Care,
  
  Donovan J Arnold
  

		
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