Labor Laws and Unions Essay

Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue (approximately four hundred and eighty billion dollars) and the largest private employer in the world with two point three million employees. Walmart is also one of the world's most valuable companies by market value, and is also the largest grocery retailer in the U.S. “One Nation Under Walmart” is a case about how Walmart has taken over the retail business and the effects of their market domination. The case also shows statistics of how much percentage Walmart is of many suppliers’ sales. According to the case Walmart has a 30% market share of all household items. Twenty-eight percent of Dial’s business and twenty-four percent of Del Monte’s business go through Walmart stores. It is also worth noting that Walmart imports ten percent of all United States imports from China. The case states that Walmart is able to offer cheaper prices because they put so much pressure on their suppliers to lower their prices. The case, “One Nation Under Walmart”, explains the problems that some people have with the massive retailer. One of these problems is how Walmart has forced numerous local businesses to close their doors through their extremely competitive pricing. They are able to purchase bulk goods at such low prices and thus pass the savings onto customers. As a result of these lew costs, rivals are driven out of business which results in a loss of jobs. Jobs are vital to the success of a community and with Walmart causing job

n the article "From the Unites States of WalMart" Written by John Dicker the narrator explains the power of the Walmart stores.

Hundreds of thousands of people who work full-time at Walmart live below the poverty line. Many people wonder how workers of such an internationally known company receive so little compensation for their hard work. This might be due to the poor working conditions inhibited on the employees. As time does its course, Walmart 's image worsens as a result of this dilemma. First of all, one of the bigger faults in the treatment of Walmart employees is the absence of the 401K plan. By definition, this plan allows employees to contribute a fixed amount of income to a retirement account to defer until tax withdrawal. The company 's refusal to aggregate the 401K plans as a way to benefit their workers in the future has created a tense working environment between corporation and labor advocates who would like to see some sort of responsibility on the part of Wal-Mart.

Unionism is the concept that traditionally business, especially big businesses are inherently going to exploit their employees. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, the workers form organizations called unions, in which all laborers who work at a certain craft, or in a certain industry band together. By this process of “joining forces”, the unions gain power in numbers. Unions traditionally try to protect employee interests by negotiating with employers for wages and benefits, working hours, and better working conditions.

Walmart has grown from humble beginnings since Sam Walton first established his store in Bentonville, Arkansas. Over the last 50 years, that one store has become huge in the retail world with more than 11,000 locations, over 2 million employees and revenues in excess of $480 billion (Sharf, 2015). While impressive, the company has also courted considerable controversy of the years due to the way it operates. In fact, this paper will argue that Walmart has failed to adequately address employee concerns over wages, failed to stop hiring undocumented citizens, discriminate against women. As a result, Walmart has failed as a corporation because its employees are treated badly.

Wal-Mart’s sheer size gives it unrestrained economic power which allows it to drive down costs in the retail and manufacturing sectors and to enact its own standards with regards to its work force.

You can stir up the pot when there is something going wrong. Union workers cannot be easily fired. As a union worker you have the ability to speak up about how you feel on a situation if it is unjust and not fair. Union employees make an average of 30% more than nonunion workers. Unions help employees

This theory comes from the question what makes people satisfied and what do they value. Wal-Mart’s employees express their dissatisfied with their pay and benefits package. Most employees can’t afford or aren’t eligible to receive their healthcare package. Wal-Mart continues to feel the effects and consequences by having a high turnover rate with employees. Most of Wal-Mart’s turnovers are voluntary, leaving the cost to be substantial to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s turnover rate is absolutely appalling. Approximately 70% of Wal-Mart employees quit outright within the first 12 months. This could be that Wal-Mart is openly against any kind of labor union within their organization and will stop at nothing to keep collective bargaining away. (Keil, 2005)

Every successful business have a bad side to it, such is Walmart, one of the top topic these days for cheating hours off their workers, low wages, and using public’s money (subsidies) for their business. There have been many reports against walmart, but we have rarely seen anything about it on the news or on any other popular site, and there have been too little thing done about it. Walmart have to be more in-check with the Union or the government, because walmart have done many things that hurt their employees and the community just for some profit, and get away with it. Some people might not see walmart as a threat of any kind, but walmart is a big trouble for our community, to small businesses, and our country’s economy.

Being a part of a working union comes with a lot of benefits, for example, most workers that belong to a union have a better set wage than those who do not. Also, “Some 93% of unionized workers were entitled to medical benefits compared to 69% of their nonunion peers” (The pros of Joining a Labor Union). Union workers are not easily fired, they have a lot

Wal-Mart had been criticized for its record in employee relations. Wal-Mart had no unions, despite

Wal-Mart is arguably the most dynamic corporation in the last 50 years in the United States, if not the world. Arising from its beginnings in Bentonville, Arkansas, it has grown to over 4,400 discount stores, super centers and corner markets worldwide. Wal-Mart continues to expand despite public criticism of its labor practices as well as complaints about their treatment of competitors. The many strengths of Wal-Mart, like their low cost production and marketing practices, will aid Wal-Mart as it continues to grow in the retail

As stated on the corporate website (2017), “Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, where 2.3 million associates meet the needs of more than 260 million customers every week.” These numbers are huge, and with so many locations around the globe, they have had allegations been made by employees regarding their dissatisfaction about poor work conditions, gender discrimination, low wages, poor benefits, and inadequate health care. Walmart has been criticized for its policies against labor unions and this issue has prompted public outrage, (Johansson, 2005) which is of great concern for the market. The company has also faced criticism for being anti-union, but it has claimed that it is rather pro-associate, whereby employees

Wal-Mart's stance on not allowing unions can also be accredited to their cost leadership approach. When I outline Wal-Mart's business policy at the start of this essay, I suggest that they were a central-control based organisation that tried to ensure it controlled all aspects of the firm. This is linked to cost leadership, by having tight control they know exactly where money is going and where it is coming from which allows for better development of efficiency.

Walmart serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 9,826 retail units under 60 different banners in 28 countries. With their fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, with the opening of the first Walmart discount store in Rogers, Ark. The company incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., on Oct. 31, 1969. The company's shares began trading on OTC markets in 1970 and were listed on the New York Stock Exchange two years later. In this term paper I will be discussing the different ethical questions that arise about Walmart and some of the ethical concerns that people have about