Summary 10

Karen Olsson describes the typical working scene at Wal-Mart, underpaid employees cramming to finish all of their assigned work, in her article Up Against Wal-Mart. Employees complain that their job is too stressful, because there aren't enough people to get the job done. However, these are common situations with other retail businesses. The difference between Wal-Mart and other retail stores is that Wal-Mart pressures employees to work overtime without pay and Wal-Mart actively avoids union organizations. Both managers and workers have testified of Wal-Mart's anti-union tactics. At the first sign of union organization, employees start to feel that they are being watched, even on their breaks. Managers hold long meetings showing videos about aversive effects of unions. A former manager testified that supervisors, pressured by the company, would ask clocked-out employees to stay late, without pay, to get the job done. These workers feel that if they refuse to stay, they will lose their job. Yet, every time employees try to organize to protest, union busters, sent from the company, come to discourage the workers, from getting involved with the union. Managers are taught to take personal offense to employees trying to organize a union and are then pressured to “work over” unhappy workers, who might want to join a union effort. One employee, Jennifer McLaughlin, is actively working to organize a union for the store she works at, in order to get better healthcare for her son. She as well as many others recognize that it will be a long and difficult process to organize a union, but they think it will be worth it.