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

[Tom Hansen]

You may be on to something, Arnold.

 

Perhaps what Moscow needs is another minimum-wage, no-career, sub-standard
health insurance program, part-time unemployment sump like Wal-Mart.

 

Maybe when you finally complete your studies (if you ever do) at UI, you can
hustle grocery carts at Wal-Mart.  If not, remind me to buy a pencil from
you, ok?

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

 

"If you are interested in keeping working conditions poor and inhuman in
China, Honduras, Mexico, and Bangladesh, you should buy as many American
products as possible.  If foreigners do not get our money, they cannot
improve working conditions for the poor in those countries."

- Donovan J. Arnold (November 22, 2005) 

  _____  

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 2:57 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] The CO-OP Sells Stuff From China/Wal-Mart Salary

 

 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 th! e 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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