I Work In Retail

I work in retail. Do you know how difficult it is?

I work in retail. My job has no “set” days. The Monday through Friday, 9-5 thing disappeared long ago.

There is no routine except getting up and going to work. A calendar is my best friend. Without it, I’d never remember when I have to work. Holiday – what’s a holiday?  Holidays are only for banks, federal institutions or those who work for companies that still give any kind of benefits. Christmas and Thanksgiving used to be a given, even in retail, but now that’s slowly being taken away by greedy corporations eager to cater to the almighty dollar. To make sure customers are in no way inconvenienced, stores are now open on Christmas.

I work when people are asleep; sometimes overnight, in the wee hours of the morning or late in the evening or while the rest of the country is enjoying a weekend with friends and family. When you’re getting the kids off to school, I’ve been at work for hours already. If you’re at home eating dinner or watching TV, I might be having my lunch, or just getting to work! When you’re getting ready for bed, I’m stocking shelves or unloading trucks to make sure you can get when you need tomorrow…, on Saturday, Sunday or on a holiday.

When the weather is bad I still have to show up for work. There are no “snow days” in retail.

Sometimes I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. Because of management decisions, I might have to work a week or more straight without a day off. My record is 13 days without a day off.

There are times when I’m scheduled till closing time, 11pm, and have to be back for opening at 5:30am.  Some days I run on very little sleep or literally no sleep at all. I do not have any kind of routine like you do at your 9-5 job.

This job is hard on my body. Because there are no set days and times like in your 9-5 job, this creates stress on my internal clock and hormonal system. I am more prone to depression, heart attacks, cancer and other illnesses. Sometimes I can’t sleep when I must or I have a hard time waking up because there is no routine. It’s like having jet lag! It seems I am always tired.

Physically it is very demanding and painful. I stand and walk on concrete every day, 8-10 hours a day, sometimes more. My feet hurt all the time, my knees ache, my back and shoulders are always sore. I lift, sometimes more than I should, bend, stretch, push and pull pallets of freight. If I fall, I hit the concrete floor.  It hurts – a lot. After so many years my body is starting to tell me it’s too much. I go home at night and wonder how I am going to get up tomorrow to do this all over again. My body begs me not to, but jobs are so hard to find that I can’t quit.

Because I’m in “customer service,” it is my job to be nice to you, the customer — all the time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to tell you to go fuck yourself because you’re being an unreasonable asshole or demanding something that’s just impossible!  It doesn’t matter if you’re nasty to me, or if you treat me like a servant or an imbecile. I have to take it.

The phrase, “The customer is always right” is bullshit because you are not always right.

You are not “right” when you try to return something you’ve stolen from the store or purchased elsewhere. When you insist you’ve previously purchased a product that doesn’t even exist in our inventory, you are not “right!” You are wrong when you intentionally damage a product to get a discount on it! You are not “right” when you let your kids run wild in the store, damage merchandise or don’t insist that they speak with respect to me or my co-workers. When you talk on your cell phone or text while I’m trying to help you, either at a register or on the sales floor, you are not being courteous to me. To snap impatiently at me because you have to wait too long on line or if there are not enough registers open does not make you “right.” It’s not my fault that you didn’t leave yourself enough time to shop!  You are inconsiderate when you show up 5 minutes to closing time and leisurely browse the aisles. We’ve been there all day, have much to do to close the store and prep it for opening in the morning. We’re bone-tired and really want to go home!

If you read a sign incorrectly and insist that you get a lower price for something that is not on sale, this is STEALING! Your arrogance does not make you right!  Your hissy fits at the customer service desk, laden with threats to “call corporate,” even though you are 100% wrong, are not amusing. It’s downright pathetic and a sad testament to the “me, me, ME” mindset so prevalent in society today.

Your lack of manners is appalling!  Sometimes I am treated as if I were stupid. I’m not. Addressing me as “Hey, you!” shows a lack of manners and common courtesy.  Above all – I am a human being just like you.

In “serving” you, I’d appreciate some courtesy. I have to clean up after you. You are lazy and inconsiderate. When you decide you don’t want an item, you put it back on any shelf or just drop it on the floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s a frozen food item and you’re in the cereal aisle, a can of paint and you’re in the garden center, or light bulbs, paper towels or a package of meat when you’re in the canned food section. You don’t care. You know it’s my job to clean up after you.

My store does not have separate employee restrooms and I have to use the same bathroom that you do. My question is: WHY, if you wouldn’t do something like this in your own home, do you do it in mine? Some of you are total slobs with absolutely no consideration for others. Again, YOU don’t have to clean it up, so why should it matter? The toilets are clogged up because customers use 50 feet of toilet paper to wipe themselves then attempt to flush it. Instead of using the provided seat protectors, customers use toilet paper and try to flush huge wads! I’ve seen feces and urine on the floor; even footprints on the toilet seat! If you’ve dropped a paper towel on the floor you leave it there. Is this how you live at home?

I get asked one of the most idiotic questions all the time: “Do you work here?” I am wearing the company uniform, be it a red, blue or bright orange vest or apron, or a solid colored polo shirt with a name tag! DUH!! I don’t understand! How can one assume I don’t work “here” when it’s blatantly obvious that I do?

I work in retail. I get to see the bad and the good side of customers. Sometimes it’s frustrating, other times it’s fun. MOST of the people we come in contact are good customers, but for others, we in retail all agree: it should be mandatory that everyone work in retail just once! Then you, the ever “polite” American consumer, a.k.a. the demanding, lazy, inconsiderate, impatient, spoiled rotten brat, will get to see the other side of the coin. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll treat others with consideration and respect -and- be a better customer and make our jobs easier and more enjoyable!

Workplace Hell: Being Punished For Something You Have No Control Over

All of us have had workdays that start or end with unexpected events. There are a myriad of things that can make you late for work, or force you to leave early.

That traffic jam you’re stuck in on the way to work with no way around it, so you’re forced to sit impatiently, drumming your fingers on the steering wheel. During winter months your commute might be unpredictably affected severe weather. Then there’s the off chance, God forbid, you’re involved in an accident. Flat tire?  I’ve had them.  Perhaps one of the kids has hurt themselves and has to be taken to the ER. Maybe even you’ve had a veterinary emergency as I have.  You just can’t help it. Your kid gets sick at school and has to be sent home. A family member is rushed to the hospital.  Someone in your family is close to death or dies.  There are many things that we have absolutely no control over.

For 6 months I worked for Garden Ridge as a Front End Manager. In all my 40+ years of working I had NEVER worked for a company that had an attendance policy as unbending, inhumane and intolerant.

Put simply:  There was absolutely no excuse to arrive late for work or to leave early.

None.

Garden Ridge had a demerit system for being late or leaving early. If you got 7 points in a year you were out the door.

The following events happened while I worked there:

I had a vet emergency with one of my older cats.  She was falling over while trying to walk.  I tried calling the store: no answer. Attempted to call my supervisors, again no answer.  I had to take the cat to the vet as I feared she’d had a stroke.  Off I went and made sure I left the vet’s with a documented receipt showing where I was.  I dropped her off at home and went directly to work.

Even though I had the printed page showing Chloe’s treatments and a credit card receipt to prove where I was, I was still written up for being late. I wasn’t given the chance to make up the 2 hours, either.

Another employee thought she may be having a heart attack while at work.  911 was called.  The ambulance took her to the hospital.

She was written up for “leaving early.”

An employee who was injured on the job by a shelving support beam dropped on his head was driven to the hospital by one of the managers. He was x-rayed and it was determined that he had a mild concussion. After being told to go home by the hospital staff – and put on medical leave pending reexamination by a physician – he too, was written up for leaving early.

Another woman’s daughter went into premature labor.  She was not allowed to leave early and written up when she did.

My favorite aunt was finally succumbing to cancer after a 5-year battle. Her body was shutting down.  She was dying.  This woman who had been like a mother to me was given 1-2 days at most.  I knew I had to make the trip to California.

Our district manager happened to be in the store that week.  First, I’d gone to my store manager, Aaron, who was familiar with my aunt’s story. I asked if I could leave an hour early the next day to fly to California.  He said it would be fine with him, but since Bruce was in the store I had to ask him.

Bruce told me no.  “If I do it for you, I have to do it for everybody,” he stated.  I reiterated the situation again – that there wasn’t much time.  He refused again.  “Oh, sorry about your aunt.” he said as I walked away.

I returned to Aaron.  I was crying.  I said, “Bruce said no. I’m not coming in tomorrow.  I’m getting on a flight to California.”

A few hours after I’d arrived at my aunt’s home she died. I’d made it just in time to say good-bye.

I was out west 3 days.  On my way home in a layover in Atlanta I checked my cell phone messages.  One was from Bruce which said, “If you still want your job, you’d better be at the store at 7 tomorrow.”

I got in at about 11 that night and had an hour and a half drive to get home.  I got no sleep and was at work to open the store the following morning.

During the day I was called into Aaron’s office. No surprise here.  I knew I’d get written up for not showing up on Friday.

First he told me that, yes, I had been written up for not showing up on Friday.  Then he said that I would be paid  3 days of bereavement pay -but- that I would be written up for those 3 days because I didn’t give them 2 weeks notice!

HOW could I have possibly given them 2 weeks notice that my aunt was going to die?  What kind of twisted logic is that?

I suspect that part of this policy was to prevent employees from ever getting to the 6 month point where they’d be eligible for benefits.  Those who were chronically late because they overslept were the first to go. People such as myself who had legitimate reasons soon realized what a heartless company this was.

In 6 months I’d accumulated 5 out of 7 points, all for events I could not control.

That was the final straw!  I decided that I was going to look for another job.  I found one, albeit part-time, and quit a few weeks later.

Why Trump Shouldn’t Win In 2016

The 2016 election scares me because the Republicans scare me.

Looking at the lineup, from front-runner Donald Trump on down, it’s horrifically clear that the GOP has lost its mind.

Never mind – taking into consideration the voting records of the Republicans, along with the utterly ridiculous legislation they introduce, it should be painfully clear that they are not acting in the best interests of this country.

There’s something very wrong when those in government lose their sense of connection to the people they represent.  Tragically, that seems to be the case in our government – not just with the Republicans.

Even before passage of Citizen’s United, corporate America has had a death grip on U.S. politics.  We have not seen the likes of this since Boss Tweed and his cronies 100 years ago.  We need to do something about this – get the money out of politics and overturn Citizen’s United.

The GOP has leaned too far to the right, embracing the whims of the Tea Party, but forgetting at the same time that they represent the citizens of this country – HUMAN BEINGS.

The current crop of Republican lawmakers and candidates also come dangerously close to slamming the door on separation of church and state, liberties and rights of (horrors!) the LGBT community. There’s the battle over women’s healthcare and the right of women to make their own decisions regarding an abortion. It’s nobody’s business whether or not a woman chooses to have an abortion, is lost on the Conservative Christians and the Republican party.

Then there’s blatant racism. The GOP has traditionally been the “old, white man’s party,” and with the likes of Donald Trump leading the polls, you’d have to be totally oblivious not to notice the  thinly veiled hatred he espouses.  Racists unite!  The Republican party is yours!

Those with such leanings are buying into his rant of collecting 11 million illegal immigrants – which, hey – by the way, folks – aren’t all Hispanics, and shipping them back home.  Trump is like Hitler with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Never mind — assuming it was even legal to do so, how in the hell is the government going to find these 11 million illegals and how is this roundup going to be paid for?

For more, read the Forbes article: “Trump’s Deportation Plan Prohibitively Expensive.” 

A presidential candidate should act with integrity and in defense of every ethnic and religious group in America.  Trump had a chance to do this but he blew it.  “We have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims,” stated a racist supporter at a recent rally. The man went on to reiterate that tired old “birther” theory about President Obama, something that Trump has vocally embraced in the past. What bothered me was that the Donald didn’t utter one word in the defense of Muslims in this country.  That in itself tells volumes about him.

The whole lineup of GOP presidential hopefuls are pushing for more war.   Trump is no exception.  In regard to the Middle East Trump said:

“Iran is taking over Iraq 100%, just like I predicted years ago,” he said. “I say this, I didn’t want to go there in the first place. Now we take the oil.”

“We should have kept the oil,” Trump continued. “Now we go in, we knock the hell out of them, take the oil, we thereby take their wealth. They have so much money.”

“They have better internet connections than we do in the United States,” he complained. “They’re training our kids through the internet. We have to knock out their wealth.”

“We go in, we knock the hell out of them, take the oil.”  No, Donald, you just can’t go “take the oil.”  That’s an act of war.

Dangerous, very dangerous things come out of the mouth of this man running for President Of The United States.

On Trump’s website there’s an article taken from conservative right-wing Breitbart News. It states — “20 Reasons Why It Should Be Donald Trump In 2016.”  

I can think of many reasons why he shouldn’t win:

He is not your ordinary politician: No, he’s not a politician and really has no clue about the political process. He’s a bully, an egotistical, spoiled-brat businessman who is used to getting what he wants and under the impression that he can just “do” things.  That’s not how government works.

He’s also very vague on how he’s going to get things done as POTUS. On his website “Positions” page, he lists only 3 areas:  Tax reform, immigration reform and 2nd amendment rights. If you do any research at all – and have followed anything but Fox News – you’ll find that his tax reform won’t truly impact the rich (like himself) and his immigration reform including of building a wall which he says that Mexico is going to pay for. Gee, has anybody asked Mexico about this?

What about foreign policy, Donald? Are you ready to hold American companies who’ve outsourced millions of jobs overseas accountable? How will you go about bringing jobs back to America?  What about making corporate America and the rich pay their share of taxes – not just hedge fund managers as you recently suggested, but all the 1%? Why aren’t you commenting on environmental issues, climate change and renewable energy? Any ideas on how to reign in Wall Street?  How about healthcare, overhauling the prison system? Student debt? Have you thought about the rights of workers and labor laws?  What about raising the minimum wage?  What are you going to do about rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure?

I could keep going but you see my point. He hasn’t touched on a lot of issues, only saying, “It will be great,” It will be the best,” “You’re gonna love it,” “It’s just good management and I’m a good manager,” and endless reiterating of “I, I, I, Me, me, me!”

Trump is not reliant on donors: That means he can do and say what he wants.  See below about a “filter.”

Yes, he doesn’t have much of a filter. Bravo. He says what he wants and doesn’t care who he offends.  The POTUS needs restraint along with careful wording in response to world situations, and can’t go blurting out statements just because he’s pissed off.  There can be no verbal wars on Twitter. The President needs tact and diplomacy. Donald has none of these.  We can’t have the leader of the most powerful country in the world hurling insults at the likes of the Middle East, Korea, Russia or China. He’s dangerous. He’s too reactive.

He speaks for us little people. Got news for ya — so does someone like Bernie Sanders.  Dating back to the 60’s, he began fighting in the Civil Rights Movement.  His political stance reflects his determination to serve the people and has not changed since even before he was first elected to public office in 1981.  Unlike Trump, Bernie Sanders IS giving concrete suggestions on how to carry out what he proposes.

Trump on the other hand, comes from money.  He had a privileged childhood and today is worth billions.  HOW can he possibly know what it’s like to be one of the “little people?”  He doesn’t have a clue what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, to work 2, 3 or 4 jobs and barely get by, or to be one hospital stay away from bankruptcy.  He’s just pandering to the desperateness of the ordinary citizen with no substance to back it up.  He’s built his empire on the backs of “We the people.”

Diplomacy:  See above on “he doesn’t have a filter.”  Point taken.

His business accomplishments:  Yeah, that’s nice that he’s head of a big mega-bucks corporation – but – being the President Of The United States isn’t the same as running a company.  You can’t dictate the rules; there is a process involved.  You can’t fire someone because you don’t like them. You also can’t declare bankruptcy.

Heck, Americans idolize him:  God, I hope not!  Unfortunately there are many conservative Republicans who think he’s the best thing since sliced bread.  He’s tapped into the anger as well as the fear that Fox News has brainwashed them with.

Trump panders to Conservative Christians that his 2nd favorite book is the Bible – yet he can’t quote one verse.

He seems to have wrapped up many factions of the Republican party: the gun nuts, racists and he’s even courted the Conservative Christians. Claiming that the Bible is his second favorite book (after The Art Of The Deal which is, of course, about himself) he started toting a Bible with him to events.  Most Christians I know who fervently believe in the Bible can also quote scripture ad nauseam. Trump can’t even relate one single line. He defends this with the suggestion that “It’s personal.” Yeah, Donald – you’re full of shit! Methinks it’s more sucking up to get the vote, don’t you?

Donald, in reality you are just like those politicians you are railing against.

What amazes me about Trump and the entire Republican party is:

  HOW CAN ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND VOTE FOR THESE PEOPLE?

You are voting against yourself!

Republicans consistently vote against any programs to help the struggling citizens of this country.  They’ve tried to overturn the Affordable Care Act how many times? (I’ve lost count) and have voted against benefits and treatment for veterans.  Their witch hunt on abortion led by Conservative Christians is relentless.  There’s the Planned Parenthood debacle which is still going on.  Name a program – any program – and they’ve voted against it!  Their mantra of slashing taxes comes only at the expense of the average American citizen. They want to defund Social Security because they view it as an “entitlement.”  It’s NOT the federal government’s money – it’s ours! Our infrastructure is crumbling, people are out of work and desperate, they’ve lost their homes due to Wall Street’s recklessness but all the Republicans want to do is see that corporate America and the rich keep getting richer! What boggles my mind is HOW can anyone who has half a brain who knows the trouble we’re in can continue to support their plans.

What the hell is wrong with you people?

 Donald Trump is not the answer.

As far as I’m concerned, Bernie Sanders is leading the true revolution that this country desperately needs.

An Activist Is Something You Are

I guess because I’m an old hippie, part of the 60’s generation which cut our teeth on the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. We tried to raise the red flag on the environment and other causes. Perhaps, too, it’s because I’m a Libra:  the sign of justice and peace.

There is strength in numbers. Speak out, stand up for your rights and the rights of our fellow human beings!

One of the search terms that appears on my site here is the word “activism” and “how to be an activist.”

Activism is not so much something to “be” but more of a sense of what one is. Complacency about social issues does not make for good activism. Self-centered or wearing blinders isn’t conducive either.

Passion and love are also about activism. Compassion, too, is a large part of activism and so is anger! What moves you for the good of all? What enrages your soul about conditions, be they societal,  environmental, political or other?

Activism is many words: love, hate, compassion, sympathy, anger, hope, dreams, vision and direction.

It feels.

It is the fighter, the  Muhammad Ali in us but also the compassion of Mother Teresa. It is the determination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the peace of  Gandhi. It is the rage of every protest and a desire for accomplishment.

It is not for one but for all.

Whether you take on Wal-Mart, the NRA, civil rights, human rights, the environment,  our food system, animal rights, protection of children, the elderly, the greed of corporate America or politics – the list is endless – as are the emotions.

Activism is not a flat-line of spirit.  It is up and down, a heartbeat and alive. It is consciousness and moving forward.  Its direction is always for the good of all; never for the greed of one.

Activism is getting out there, connecting with those of like minds no matter what the cause.

It is writing, reading, researching and getting facts straight for your cause. Information is key to any battle, something that every four star general will tell you.  Know your “enemy,” your subject because for every fact that is hurled from you there will one hundred that are flung back in your face.

Like molasses, activism can be slow going.  One step at a time.  Like a sculptor, pieces fall but they also come together in the final piece.  This is why the minds of many are helpful. Activism is patience and also give and take. It is focus and determination.

So, activism is not something that you can BE – it is something that you are from your soul because it encompasses so much of you.

Are you ready?

GOP: Grover Norquist Was Not Elected President, Nor Does He Own You!

Grover Norquist does not own your soul, Republican Party!  Photo: CNN

Grover Norquist was NOT elected president, nor does he run the Republican party!

Sadly, members of our government are cowering because of a 20-something year old pledge which one man, Grover Norquist, keeps under lock and key.  ONE MAN!    Something’s very wrong when an individual has such a grip on those who make our laws, influencing them to go against the will of the people and common sense.

The only thing they should concern themselves with is what has transpired in the recent election. The American people have spoken LOUD & CLEAR in 2012.  They do not want continued tax relief for the upper 2% of  the population. They do not want more protection for corporate America and rewards when they ship jobs overseas.  They do not want massive cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare which would plunge millions more into poverty.   They want our government to realize we are still struggling with the effects of the recession. The last thing the people want is to go backwards.

It is heartening to hear that many Republicans are choosing to go against this pledge.  They realize that it is their constituents they must listen to, not the fanatical ravings of one man and his anti-compromise stance.

Republicans who are choosing to jump ship on Norquist are rising every day:  Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Peter King, Steve LaTourette and Scott Rigell.  Peter King of New York commented on Meet The Press,   “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress. For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed, and the economic situation is different.”

Jenna McGregor in an article on the Washington Post said that those who choose to stand up,  … [are] “having the courage to go right when others go left, and being willing to open oneself up to criticism to do the right thing for the greater good.”   Jeff Sessions of Alabama stated: “Oh I signed it, but we’ve got to deal with the crisis we face.   We’ve got to deal with the political reality of the president’s victory.”

Yes,  there is that reality of the president’s victory. The other reality is that our government is not run soley by some overblown clown who seems to have a mystical, supernatural grip on our elected officials, especially those in the Republican party. Get with it, GOP!  Norquist does not own you!

Even former President Bill Clinton weighed in last year reiterating an account of   Norquist’s raves against a bipartisan push to eliminate subsidies for ethanol producers. He (Norquist) perceived this to be a sneak attack tax hike.  Clinton stated that it was like any changes in the GOP platform should be “approved in advance by Grover Norquist.”  Clinton went on to say,  “You’re laughing,  but he was quoted in the paper the other day saying he gave Republican senators permission” to scrap the subsidies. “I thought, ‘My God, what has this country come to when one person has to give you permission to do what’s best for the country?’ It was chilling.”

Chilling, indeed.  The United States of America  is not a monarchy of which Norquist is king & supreme ruler. He is not God.  His faithful Republicans need to realize that or come the next round of voting, they could find themselves out of a job like their buddy, Mitt Romney.  There is no surety in politics.

Maybe all the Republicans still on the side of Norquist need to read the quote at the top of this page from that brave NYPD cop, Frank Serpico:

“Sometimes you have to go up against the odds to do the right thing.”

Fiscal Cliff = Economic Extortion By GOP

GOP and GREED: Don’t push U.S. Economy & the 99% off the fiscal cliff!

The so-called “fiscal cliff” that we’re going off in January is what some call economic extortion.

It sounds about right.

The President is attempting to do the least amount of damage to the middle and lower class and the economy.  On the other hand, we have John Boehner & his GOP cronies,  corporate CEOs & the Tea Party trying to preserve the entitlements of the top 1%.

From an economic standpoint, many  say that GOP demands will stomp on the economy, flattening whatever progress has already been made.

Significantly changing Social Security will hurt those presently in the system, those about to enter (read younger “Boomers”) and have little effect on solving the fiscal cliff problem.  Gutting Medicare & Medicaid without addressing the real problem  will only hurt its recipients and not rein in the abuses which are its cause.  Corruption, billing fraud, corporate lobbying, exorbitant hospital charges, insurance & drug company abuses: these need microscopic scrutiny and a good dose of revision!    In other words, without total reform of the existing system, it will still be business as usual for the crooks in the system.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  To the corporate CEOs, millionaires, billionaires, Wall Street élite, as well as our politicians in both parties: stop whining about  the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts. You can afford to pay your share! Shame on you corporate executives  for your greed in sending jobs overseas to avoid paying taxes in America, skirt  environmental safeguards and bypassing U.S. wage and labor laws by creating jobs in China and  3rd world  countries ~instead~ of right here at home!   Because of you our manufacturing industry has been decimated in favor of cheap junk made in China!

Economic extortion, the threat of the “fiscal cliff” is just another smokescreen that the Republican party and corporate America can only benefit from.  Instead of closing tax loopholes for the nation’s wealthy, GOP and the mega-rich have it in mind to create secret loopholes included in the Fix the Debt initiative. Part of this is allowing exemptions of taxes for profits declared abroad.  Can we say:  “Global tax haven?” The ghost of Mitt Romney is alive and well in corporate boardrooms!

The Republican party lost the election because WE THE PEOPLE spoke out.  Thankfully there were enough of us who read, watched and researched Mitt Romney during the campaign. We saw through his veneer; his ties to corporate America.  He may be a brilliant business person,  but to run this country his way, as the GOP is currently attempting to do, will surely push us off that fiscal cliff.

GOP:  get real and serious about helping the 99% instead of corporate America. We are human beings struggling to keep our heads above water in this fragile economy. We’ve lost jobs, homes and our retirement money has been spent. Barack Obama still has more work to do to undo the Bush legacy that brought this country to its knees.  Realize, too, that you work for the American people and not corporate America.  Know that as we voted you into office, you can be voted out just as well.  Work with the President.  Make some concessions for the good of the American people.

GOP:  Help get us back on our feet instead of throwing us off the fiscal cliff!

Striking Black Friday Wal-Mart Workers Face Lies, Bribes & Intimidation

Josh, has become one of the poster boys for the Our Wal-Mart strikers!

Wal-Mart Black Friday strikers are facing a number of ploys designed to convince them not to join the nationwide walkout.

In one store the posted Employee Rights notice has been covered up to omit the section of worker’s right to concerted action.  The company has offered a 10% additional discount for those working Black Friday; in other words, bribery!  Wal-Mart has even called Black Friday “Associate Appreciation Day” to further placate the Black Friday strikers. Some associates report that Walmart has even threatened some Black Friday strikers.

Our Wal-Mart, the group founded by employees is leading the strike.  Wal-Mart asserts it is the UCFW, United Food and Commercial workers union which is involved in assisting workers.  Wal-mart also claims that the strike is an attempt to unionize, but the Our Wal-Mart group only wants attention brought to their issues of low pay, retaliation against workers who speak out,  unsafe conditions, among others.

Walmart asserts that is indeed does have clout in this walkout and has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board insisting the Black Friday strike violates labor laws which prohibit strikes over 30 days, which must have a petition filed to join a union.    But the company might find itself in hot water because as the striking employees are NOT trying to unionize, as Wal-Mart claims, but want to bring attention to the company’s abusive tactics.

Corporate America — beware and take notice.  YOUR company could be next!

Wal-Mart Black Friday Strike: They Strike For ALL OF US!

This strike at the country’s largest employer, Wal-Mart, could cause a ripple effect regarding labor laws across the United States. GO WAL-MART STRIKERS!!!

I side totally with the striking Wal-Mart workers who plan to walk out tomorrow, Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Allow me to blabber on for a few minutes about this Wal-Mart action and why we all need to support it.

Now I realize that some of you love Walmart. Their cheap stuff and mantra, “Save money, Live better” sounds like they care about you.  They don’t.  All the Walton family cares about is their wallets – period.  As their wealth is vast, any potential unrest in the company will be squashed.

Of COURSE they deny any wrongdoing.   They’re lying through their teeth! It’s their word, or the word of their PR people against HOW MANY WORKERS? Unrest in the company has been swept under the rug for many years;  I think the broom has just been yanked out of their hands, broken  in two.  There’s a big lump under the carpet; the dirt is spilling out.

The internet is rife with information about Wal-Mart’s employment practices, but I hardly think that they are the only corporation which uses subterfuge and illegal tactics against their employees.

What IS behind the Black Friday Strike?  Wal-Mart has, in a sense, trampled workers’ rights. They do not want their workers to be able to unionize because that will give workers something Wal-Mart fears:  power! Hence the harassment and dirty tricks involving their employees and the baldfaced lies to the public that they are a company that cares!  Bullshit!

While some complain about the unions, remember that in those early days the unions stood up against employees’ mistreatment. They championed worker’s rights,  rallied against child labor, wanted to make sure that employees had safer working conditions and helped get the right of workers to be aided in the case of injury.  READ MORE at the History Channel.

Now we’ve come forward over 100 years.  Not being a union member I will state the two points:  labor unions were good and sometimes ultimately bad.  Good, in that they helped to bring about drastic change and protection to all employees.  Bad, because their high wages and benefits during the heyday 40-50 years ago, probably helped in the shift to manufacturing overseas (see Bureau of Labor Stastics link below) as corporate America’s 1% got greedier. ll in all, though, standing up for workers outweighs the bad.

This Wal-Mart Black Friday strike is certainly drawing attention to the current situation of employment.  As our economy increasingly shifts to a service sector, corporations might want to take some serious notice.  In the following link from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  scroll down the page through each category and the trend will become clear.  More service area jobs, outside of the booming healthcare industry, like retail trade, is 4th on the list of the projected growth sector.  Wal-Mart — are you listening?

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/About/Projections-Overview.htm

What is my hope for this strike?  Employers in every sector need to pay attention to the Wal-Mart Black Friday walkout, and not just in retail.  My wish is that this opens up the closet of dirty little secrets for every large company who mistreats its workers with threats of retaliation,  unfair and unrealistic company policies that hearken back to the early days of the last century.  This Black Friday walkout is the can opener on the can of worms, and my wish is that employees of every company help to turn the crank.

It is TIME that the workers of this country unite again. We are fast losing our right of respect as human beings in the workplace.  Increasingly employers hiring only part-time employees who aren’t given enough hours to qualify for any benefits, even on a limited scale.  Individual corporate mandates  forbid employees to work another job.

We are human beings, not machines.  Unlike a car, where one gets in, turns the key and goes off at 100 mph, stops, then gets back in and does it again: the human body is not designed to do that.  Corporate America has forgotten that.  Nothing matters but the bottom line.  We are all expendable; when one falls, someone else will take their place. The economy being what it is we’re so desperate for work that we’ll take anything, even if it borders on modern-day slavery; even if it demeans us, reducing us to just another number on a payroll.

Wal-Mart’s Black Friday strike is the line in the sand.  These employees are drawing that line for themselves, but also for every other worker in this country! This is our line in the sand, too! We want respect restored to the workplace, recognition of our humanity, encouragement and praise for what we do for our company instead of threats, intimidation and harassment. What happens here, at the nation’s largest employer, will hopefully produce a ripple effect in labor laws. Others will come forward from different companies to stand up for their rights and for your rights, too.  We are all one collective workforce family and every single one of us working today, should THANK the Wal-Mart employees who are brave enough to Stand Up and Live Better!

Wal-Mart strikers:  I’M WITH YOU, 100%!

TO FIND A STRIKE at a Wal-Mart near you, click HERE!

Wal-Mart Could Revitalize U.S. Economy

America’s largest employer could revitalize the U.S. economy by purchasing more “Made In U.S.A.” goods

Wal-Mart, the country’s largest employer and the world’s biggest retailer – buying more made in the U.S.A. goods! It’s got the potential to put millions of people back to work in American businesses, revitalize the economy and make the United States revisit its past as a world-class manufacturer.

Admittedly, it is a far-fetched dream, one that may have some of you asking, “What kind of drugs is she on?”

According to the 2011 Forbes 500 statistics, Wal-Mart is ranked #1.  Wal-Mart is the country’s largest employer.  1.5 million are employed here in the United States, another 1 million or so worldwide.

Some history first:  Wal-Mart’s buying power is the stuff of legend in retail. Popular belief has it that Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton insisted on purchasing U.S. goods. At first he was willing to buy from American manufacturers, but they had to tow the line. In the 1980s when the company went through its largest expansion, the “Buy American” strategy lost its shine. Walton was not interested in investing long-term in America because costs were too high. Being the shrewd businessman that he was, it was all about the bottom line.

In his autobiography, Made In America  he stated, “We’re not interested in charity here; we don’t believe in subsidizing substandard work or inefficiency, so our primary goal became to work with American manufacturers, and see if our formidable buying power could help them deliver the goods, and in the process, save some American manufacturing jobs.”   This didn’t last long.  The hunt for cheaply produced merchandise from overseas began in earnest for Wal-Mart in 1981 in Asia, where his competitors had laid groundwork.  If they floundered, Wal-Mart stepped in and took over.

Outwardly, Wal-Mart continued to defend “Made in America” but secretly increased its importing from overseas.  In the early 1980s, Wal-Mart stated that its imports were around 6%. Not so, says Bob Ortega, author of In Sam We Trust, the history of Wal-Mart. In reality they were about 40%.  Wal-Mart set up PREL (Pacific Resources Export Ltd.) to disguise its involvement in the east.  This would allow Wal-Mart to purchase products without being directly involved, on paper, that is.

Fast forward to today.   Our economy is in the tank.  The exodus from American-based manufacturing is the greed factor running in high gear.  Where once this country was a proud land and our economy strong, corporate America has sold out; sold us all out, you, me and millions of others.  It is sad that so many companies which were founded here have outsourced jobs.  The voice you hear on an 800 customer service help line, once had an American accent, now sounds decidedly Indian or Middle Eastern or Asian. Often their limited command of English is barely understandable, names they’ve taken to “sound more American,” laughable:   “Hi, my name is Joe,” but you know it has to be something unpronounceable.  Right here at home, today, Verizon, the nation’s largest phone carrier, is looking to outsource more of its customer service jobs.  My friend Pat, who is a 30+ year veteran, could lose her job.  My sister who works for J.P. Morgan Chase says there is a chance that her job will be sent to the Philippines. This leaves me to wonder:  are there going to be ANY jobs left or are we all going to have to flip burgers?

We’ve seen the gluttonous rise of Wal-Mart across this country, and now they’ve gone overseas.  Many other retailers have done the same, gleaning most of their products from China, Taiwan, India and other countries where wages are low.  Many of these well-known retailers have set up dealings like PREL.  Lowe’s has LG Sourcing  where is gets all of its store merchandise from China.  The next time you visit a store, look at the bottom of what you are buying.  Chances are it will say, Made In China or, to be politically correct and have a two language labeling system, Hecho en China.

Back to my dream:  what IF Wal-Mart alone invested more in America?   Just Wal-Mart!  What would happen if they bought more from U.S. companies right here at home?  Imagine what it would do to the economy, employment and manufacturing statistics in this country!  WOW!  An American company like Wal-Mart buying from U.S. based manufacturers would put employment numbers back on track again!

Imagine if that furniture you bought for your kid’s college dorm room was made in the U.S.A., or that set of tools you bought Dad for his birthday was made here, too.  How about the new flat screen TV, DVD player or the set of sheets you gave Grandma for Christmas?  The new winter blankets, socks, the baby shower gifts, new clothes for your kids for school and their school supplies – all made here in America. That new bicycle for your little sister or a pair of new shoes for yourself – MADE IN THE U.S.A!   The list is endless!  Everyday things that we all use or buy for others; there are so many things that could be made right here in the USA and put lots of people back to work! Keep rolling on this in your own mind!  It could have very profound effects, snowballing into a considerable amount of job growth for the United States.

Of course this IS a dream, though.  For as long as greed rules or the bottom line is king – unless there is some sort of legislation mandating the percent of purchases must be from U.S. companies, this will never happen.  As long as the pull of China is strong, Wal-Mart and other U.S. companies and manufacturers will not return to the American shores.  China has taken over the United States without firing a single shot.  They’ve got us all by the wallet and Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and others are leading the charge.  Shame on you all!

Wal-Mart’s image has suffered greatly in the last few years.  This would be a great way for them to redeem themselves and help this country in the time of need; a fantastic way to spur economic growth and raise employment.  Creating more jobs here in the U.S. would help Wal-Mart’s PR campaign as well as millions of Americans!