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WalMart's Leaked Anti-Union Training Video
Last month, we asked: “Why Is WalMart Mysteriously Shuttering Stores Nationwide For Plumbing Issues?” The story, which has since gone viral, goes like this. WalMart inexplicably closed five geographically distinct locations across the US, citing persistent plumbing issues. These pesky “clogs and leaks” are apparently so endemic at the shuttered stores that they will need to remain closed for at least six months.
Needless to say, the 2,200 or so employees whose jobs ‘went down the drain’ so to speak were skeptical given that no one had seen any evidence that the plumbing was indeed bad and considering the fact that WalMart gave them virtually no notice whatsoever before closing the stores. Local media quickly picked up on the issue and discovered that no plumbing permits had been filed in any of the cities where the stores were closed and the LA Times subsequently discovered that at one location, the Pico Rivera WalMart in California, $500,000 in renovations had been completed in the previous year including plumbing repairs.
As it turns out, the Pico Rivera location isn’t just any old WalMart. In fact, as we documented in “Did WalMart Close A California Store To Punish Employees Who Protested Labor And Working Conditions?”, the store’s employees have been at the forefront of pickets, walkouts, sit-ins, protests, and various and sundry other demonstrations aimed at raising awareness about working conditions and management’s retaliatory tendencies when it comes to workers who escalate concerns. These demonstrators have enjoyed the support of The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union who last year prevailed in a Canadian Supreme Court case stemming from a 2004 incident in which the company closed a Quebec store after employees voted for representation by the union. Now, the UFCW is seeking a labor board injunction in connection with the plumbing incident.
Now, a “New Associate Orientation” video has surfaced. In the nine minute clip (entitled “Protect Your Signature”) WalMart patiently explains to new hires why unions are bad.
Regardless of your stance on organized labor, it’s difficult to describe the video as anything other than a hilariously transparent (and poorly acted) piece of propaganda. The video is below (along with the Spanish version for our bilingual audience), but here are some highlights.
The clip begins with an attractive female associate who assures new employees that “the people in this store are a second family to me” before claiming that “there’s no retailer who offers more job security than WalMart” (until the ‘plumbing’ breaks that is).
Fast forward to the 3:00 mark and a friendly-looking male associate tells you that despite any misgivings you may be having about what was invariably a necessity-driven decision to work at WalMart, “you made a great choice and the company is glad you’re here.”
The associate then issues a dire warning: “But the reality is, you’re not the only one looking to get your foot in the door. Labor unions are really interested in WalMart.”
What follows are five straight minutes of brazen anti-union rhetoric including the following highly amusing soundbites:
From the male associate:
“Our company is the first to have open and direct communication with our associates.”
“We don’t think a labor union is necessary here and because our associates have said time after time that they don’t want a union, we usually don’t spend a lot of time talking about it.”
From a second female associate:
“I don’t get it, how would it make any sense for our associates to join a union that wants to damage our reputation?”
“The truth is, unions are businesses that make their money by convincing people like you and me to give them a part of our paychecks.”
“At WalMart, employees are used to having their voice heard — for free.”
From a supposedly semi-retired part-time associate who apparently works in the stock room:
“Believe me, joining a union isn’t something I EVER want to do again.”
Then it’s back to the first associate who talks with union members "all the time":
“Union members shop at our stores. I talk to them all the time and I hear them complain about their jobs.”
And summing things up is associate number two again who doesn’t understand why, with “all he’s got at WalMart” he would ever want organized labor:
“With everything I’ve got here, I’m not willing to trade it for a union.”
Without further ado we present "Protect Your Signature", a WalMart production:
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unions, when held accountable by their membership, are an absolute necessity! they provide the force necessary to maintain enough friction with owners, to promote reason and accountability, across both sides.
bad unions, like bad management, are destructive. we've 40 + years of the destruction and demonization of unions, and management has run amok.
management and labor are people. people will turn selfish and corrupt, when they can. friction promotes accountability.
oh well.
P < P + I
There is nothing more heartwarming in a FREE NON communist country than to see a woman get upt at 6 AM and throw their baby in the day care center so she can fulfill her mission to achieve the American Dream.
Those commies in Europe with women staying home and even getting maternity leave, is disgusting.
No wonder those countries rank right at the bottom here
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/21...
That's because the USSA and the UK don't actually make anything any more.
A message to all Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Porsche owners: All made by proud union members. Think about it, when you drive it next time.
Those are Commie cars, doncha know?
not so fast - all of those companies have non-union plants in North America that assemble cars and SUVs and use parts from non-union factories all over the world.
The German gubmint subsidizes many of it's industries, and their auto industry is one of them. Without those subsidies, either the unions would go bye-bye, or the companies would.
Fuck Unions! They're for assholes that can't cut it. LA just passed a $15 minimum wage law. Some of these fucks aren't worth a dollar an hour. And special fuck you to public sector unions. If you're a teacher, cop, fireman, that doesn't mean you can suck on the taxpayer's teat. Go stock shelves at Walmart you fucks.
Yeah , most are spics, niggers and white trash. not worth a plug nickel and actually shoujld be euthanized for the good of the country.
LIGHT INTRODUCTIONS PRESENTS:
A Fly On The Wall Production:
Looking over the shoulder of the poor Labor Union President as he crafts the necessary retorts to Walmart’s aggressive Anti-Labor Union campaign on his Apple iPad.
PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO WORK
“But the reality is, you’re not the only one Walmart wants to stop talking about daily work complaints.
The Attorney’s Lobby is really interested in helping WalMart silence your Labor Voice!”
From a male Unionized associate:
“Our only real, honest opportunity to dialogue with WalMart is by organizing ourselves into a powerful and vital block of concerned WalMart employees.”
“We need a labor union because our associates have grievances that are not being addressed by WalMart in a timely, honest and upfront way. They don’t want a union. We need to spend a lot of time talking about it.”
From a second Unionized female associate:
“I don’t get it, how would it make any sense for our associates to NOT join a union that wants to protect our reputation?”
“The truth is, WalMart is a business that makes their money by convincing people like you and me to not speak up as One Voice together, in harmony.”
“At WalMart, employees are used to not honestly having their voice heard. WalMart wants to stop you from being heard, But that freedom comes at a price.”
From a supposedly semi-retired part-time Unionized associate who apparently works in the stock room:
“Believe me, joining a union was the best move I EVER MADE. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Then it’s back to the first Unionized associate who talks with non-union members "all the time":
“Non-Union members shop at our stores. I talk to them all the time and I hear them complain about their jobs.”
And summing things up is Unionized associate number two again who doesn’t understand why he has to put up with Walmart’s War On Labor, and can’t think of a good reason why he shouldn’t Unionize Immediately.
“With everything I have to put up with here, I think a union makes perfect sense.”
Difference between a CEO in the USA and Commie Europe
In the USA a CEO can only afford to have 3 luxury homes, 10 luxury cars, and 5 yachts. while their employees can barely afford a Ford.
IN Commie Europe., a CEO can only afford 2 luxury homes., 2 luxury cars and ONE yacht. while their employees drive BMW. Audis and Merceedes.
See how bad Communism is??
But...GLOBAL WARMING! Don't cross your propaganda streams, Egon, it won't be good.
Difference between a CEO in the USA and Commie Europe
In the USA a CEO can only afford to have 3 luxury homes, 10 luxury cars, and 5 yachts. while their employees can barely afford a Ford.
IN Commie Europe., a CEO can only afford 2 luxury homes., 2 luxury cars and ONE yacht. while their employees drive BMW. Audis and Merceedes.
See how bad Communism is??
So how's that Greece thing working for you guys? Just pay them the money you don't owe them, already. It's the right thing to do.
Looking at a large company and comparing the pay of one person (usually the CEO) to the lowest paid employee is lowest form of mindless thinking. Classic leftism to focus on emotion and temper tantrums rather than any real potential outcome. What is the solution? Massively reducing one individual's pay has no impact on the lower paid employees pay at these companies. Makes for good poster slogans though. Grow up
I see only one attribution of race... and I find it grotesque.
are you pro union, then you are a commie as per all these genius commenters here.
WallyFart is a classic case of Herd mentality.
Is it possible for an employee ( soon machines will pack shelves and they've already replaced Sharon at POS with self-service ) to wake up with a spring in their step on a zero hour contract?
An unmemorable Experience for ALL concerned bar the owners licking their lips counting up dem Food Stamps.
How is Walmart any different than all the other businesses which hire low skilled help at a low wage? Should jobs for low skilled labor simply be abolished because giving jobs to those with few skills is bad?
Pathetic! Poopaganda. When you loose your job or are replaced with the next lowest cost producer, you may think again about what strength of unions can mean. Fucking idots. Now go watch TV.
I think they should ask Jimmy Hoffa how he likes labor unions.
Jimmy Hoffa used to be the most powerful man in America because the Teamsters could shut down the country if they wanted to.
Thats why he had to go.
Jimmy Hoffa used to be the most powerful man in America because the Teamsters could shut down the country if they wanted to.
So Hoffa is a hero in your opinion because he could threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people while Walmart is evil for closing a few problem stores? Yeah, that makes sense.
If you think the union had Hoffa offed you are a fucking idiot.
The same people who offed JFK were behind Hoffa ''disappearing'
Leave Woa-Mart alone!!!!
Shop at MegaLo-Mart instead - it works in the cartoons......and you get to hear Chuck Mangione for free, too....
This video is about the only thing I like about Walmart.
When you're pontificating commie/fascist, rightist/centrist/leftist, blue/red, dem/repub, you should realise they've got you where they want you.
You're the patsy at the poker table.
unions are like cops.
no one likes 'em til they need 'em.
The unions don't really want to organize Walmart .... there's not enough money in it .... they just want Walmart as a whipping boy .... they only want to unionize overpaid burocrats .... who can afford high dues !
As long as Unions are cock sockets of the Democratic Party they are useless idiots
unions are like cops.
no one likes 'em til they need 'em.
Cops and unions both rely on the power of government compulsion to force their services upon you. I don't need either. If I need a service I will seek out a provider whom I trust.
Detroit car companies have great unions. (do I need to say /sarc on)
Dutch boy is having a real melt down ? LOL
He's discovered that sticking his finger in a dyke is unsatisfying but he can't figure out why.
California has already mandated that companies require to pay sick leave and vacation for their employees. $15 minimum wage is unfortunately gaining traction. Health insurance has been mandated on a nationwide scale. Part of your paycheck goes to union dues if you're in one.
So tell me, why do we need a union anymore?
I'm a CEO/MD of my own small firm.
I meet a lot of CEO's of large companies and the truth is they're glorified salesmen ( not that there's anything wrong with salesmen ) who for some reason can earn 50/100 times the salary of a skilled craftsman.
In the Financial Services world that can be 400 times.
Therefore something's wrong in la la land that's got us here as i'd be embarrassed to look the employees in the face at such pay differentials.
Last but not least those parasitic non-executive directors on boards of companies who do zero fucking oversight and just collect their salary and free shares/pensions to look the other way, sicken me.
Well said. +100
A friend of mine is actually undergoing a crisis of confidence right now, because of her pay differential. She can't find a way to justify in her mind why she makes so much more than other people, and its kind of haunting her, seems like. Weird world.
This confirms what a co worker whose wife got a second job at Walmart thanks to theObama Recovery said
Anti Union video was longer than the safety video
Wonder what Hillary (D-Wal Mart) thinks of that?
Having been a member (and it's life long inactive so technically still am) of the united food and commerical workers union (the union that is trying to unionize walmart, the union that covered the grocery store I worked at as a teenager) I will say if Walmart employees are satisified with the benefits Walmart supplies all a UFCW will do is drop their take home pay. Last I heard about Walmart's benefits they were better or at least more accessible than I remember the UFCW having all those years ago.
If Walmart employees really want a union they probably couldn't do worse than the UFCW. One of those comedy news programs did a report on the UFCW protesting Walmart. It's hilarious. The union was paying people for the picket lines... minimum wage. No benefits. The lowest amount they possibly could. Gives an indication of the convictions of union leaders. They want the membership dues.
All I have to say is be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
If you have a shit union vote them out. Or join a union with balls, IWW.
The only collective bargaining allowed is by the corporations on behalf of the Kleptocracy, the TPP, NAFTA and the many other "free trade" agreements are examples. Workers have never been poorer or more disadvantaged when dealing with the man. As a society and a nation was our standard of living better when we have had (1950 -1975) large numbers of workers in unions? YES we were better off. Did a trade union in Poland hand the communists (who were/are anti-union) their ass? Yes they did. Support unions and break the stereotype you have been sold by the relentless anti-union propaganda. Yes, some corporations embrace unions and collective bargaining by the worker and they get great results and build great products, just ask the folks at Volkswagen.
Those videos aren't new. I saw one 15 years ago during my short stint there. All people who work/worked for Wally world have seen it.
If your company has training videos, odds are it's a shitty place to draw a paycheck from.
Unions are fantastic for union bosses, who do not labor, but live large off your dues, paid for by YOUR LABOR.
Unions inevitably bring about higher unemployment, disinvestment and higher prices passed along to the user/consumer for the same and often less quality products. They are wrong for many reasons, but not the least of which is: THEY MAKE PROMISES THEY CAN'T KEEP. Not to mention the rampant corruption in union leadership, which is legendary. They lead to a situation that is not sustainable: employees of unionized industry eventually outpace their customers in wages and compensation. Then it gets to the point where their customers can no longer afford to foot the bill for those lavish contracts and COL adjustments, especially when they aren't getting them. UNIONS FAIL FOR THE SAME REASONS SOCIALISM FAILS.
Real life example: After watching the price of a product I use on a regular basis continually go higher and higher, I scaled back my purchases from a couple a month, to one a month. Then, after awhile, cit back to ever other month. It eventually came down to either abandoning this past-time, or seeking out other alternatives. I went with a competitors product for slightly more than half the price, and it works just as good. No way is it union made either {Czech Republic made}. Plus I fantasize some super hot Czech chic put it together, unlike the obese black woman who works at the union shop here in the USA.
This article describes the videos as "transparent" and "propoganda" as if Walmart needs to hide their views on having unions in their stores and operate under some form of govt-style talking misinformation. Walmsrt has no obligation to be unbaised. They don't want unions destroying their business. Seems pretty clear and they have a right to want that.