Unions Hope Wal-Mart Bill Has Momentum

Washington Post ^ | 1/14/06 | Amy Joyce

[Dane]

Unions Hope Wal-Mart Bill Has Momentum Other States Consider Similar Measures

By Amy Joyce and Matthew Mosk Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, January 14, 2006; Page D01

Labor will take its major victory from Maryland's health care vote this week to 31 other states, hoping to capitalize on anti-Wal-Mart sentiment and to build momentum in state legislatures considering similar measures.

Washington and New Hampshire are among the states labor activists view as most likely to follow in Maryland's footsteps . Similar measures also have been introduced recently in states including Colorado, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

Organized labor has a lot riding on this campaign. Companies that provide higher pay and benefits under union contracts are battling lower-cost competitors here and abroad. The companies are attempting to level the playing field by cutting back on pay and benefits, sometimes by filing for bankruptcy. Labor is trying the opposite tack: making others pay more.

[Dane]

Entities(unions) that don't create wealth, trying to destroy entities that do.

[paul in cape]

Wal-Mart PR Dept. "In light of the Democratic Party's anti-business and pro-socialist policies, Wal-Mart has decided to close all of our locations in Maryland. We will, however, plan on opening 10 locations on bordering states."

WILTS

(what I'd like to see!)

[Gabz]

I whole heartedly agree with you. I like less than 10 miles from the Maryland line...the nearest WalMart to me is in Maryland. We sure could use one in this county :)

[conservative physics]

I really hope Walmart will close every store in Maryland and move them just accross the state line into neighboring states.

[willyd]

How about this: In response to increased costs associated with the illegal mandate by the State of Maryland, Walmart will be cutting its work force by 10% and raising prices by 2% to offset the cost. Also, new store development will be cut to zero for the State of Maryland going forward resulting in $100,000,000 net loss to Maryland area contractors and a $50,000,000 loss in tax revenue to the state over the next five years, or roughly 3 times what it would have cost to bear the additional burden of the Medicaid recipients during that same time period. That is all.

[Ostlandr]

Much as I despise Wal-Mart under it's current management, it's a free country (or should be.)
It's the right of an employer to say "I have lots of jobs at eight bucks an hour, and no jobs at ten bucks an hour."

The best way to deal with the current labor/trade issues is to repeal the income tax and replace it with a flat tarriff on all imports. That would level the playing field while having a zero net effect on workers' income. And the result would be an explosion in American manufacturing jobs, to the point where we'd have several job openings for every legal immigrant who wants to come here (and any American still willing to work for a living.)

[Mike Darancette]

Entities(unions) that don't create wealth, trying to destroy entities that do.

Unions and their Democrat allies are really learning how to make friends.

[DugwayDuke]

"The best way to deal with the current labor/trade issues is to repeal the income tax and replace it with a flat tarriff on all imports."

So the 'best way' to deal with the problems caused by domestic labor unions is to enact a system of tariffs that close off foreign imports forcing American consumers to pay the outrageous priced and low quality goods produced by the domestic labor unions? I fail to see the logic.

[Gabz]

Actually a rollback of onerous regulation on manufacturing would be a good start to revitalizing manufacturing in this country.

[Ostlandr]

In my experience, Wal-Mart does not have a positive effect on the local economy. When Wal-Mart came to our community, there were promises made of tax revenue and job creation.
As soon as the store was built, Wal-Mart grieved their tax assessment, with billions of dollars and teams of lawyers to back them up.
Employment gains have been zero, as Wal-Mart has not hired as many employees as promised, and other stores have been driven out of business or forced to cut back.
And the Wal-Mart and the mini crime wave it has spawned (robbery, assault, shoplifting, drugs- it's now the closest store to the "bad" neighborhoods and on a bus line) ties up the equivalent of one full-time police officer and a chunk of paramedic/ambulance resources.
But hey, they did pave over fifty acres of farmland and increase congestion on two major roads!

[Hoodat]

Once again, Democrats express their opposition to the 14th Amendment. So much for equal protection.

Democrats have opposed Amendment XIV since the day it was written.

[Mike Darancette]

Wal-Mart will handle this the American way, outsourcing.

Fire the employees of specific types and hire temps from some agency or other until your workforce falls below the required number.

Outsource truck drivers, warehousemen, maintenance, accounting staff, repeat until you drop the number below 10,000.

[Popman]

Wal-Mart needs to response like a good corporate citizens and adds a surcharge to their receipt that reflects the additional cost to the consumers of complying with the new law Maryland legislator passed.

Total: $125.25
Tax: $8.63
Compliance Fee: $.63

Total Due $134.51

Thank you for shopping Wal-Mart

[battlecry]

All that will do will be to leave the legislaters no choice but to have to raise taxes again on the residents. Hey, this is Maryland, after all...

[griswold3]

Another if I can't compete, I'll destroy.

"There's a joke about a Frenchman, an Englishman and a Russian who are told they have only one day until the end of the world. The Frenchman says he will spend his last day with a bottle of Bordeaux and a beautiful woman. The Englishman says he will take his favorite sheepdog for a walk across the moors. The Russian says he will burn down his neighbor's house."

[Ostlandr]

On the contrary- non-union businesses in the US, especially those with high quality and low cost of producton, will continue to eat the lunch of the dinosaur union shops.
Look at the success of the Japanese car makers who have brought their factories to the US.
Also, when combined with the elimination of the income tax, the net effect on purchasing power will be zero.
People who still want Italian suits, French wine, German cars, etc. will have to pay a premium, sure. And the tax on oil would make many alternate fuels competitive with oil, and boost the domestic oil industry.
While I agree that business here is overregulated, should American companies have to compete on a "level playing field" with companies in countries where there are NO environmental regulations or safety standards whatsoever?
Ah, but who cares if workers die and the environment is trashed someplace else, as long as we have our cheap toys.
Also, I believe that with the massive increase in manufacturing, wages would be driven up by the labor market, with a resultant increase in economic activity and tax revenue. This would allow the tarriff to be rolled back slightly once our economy was on a solid footing.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

They need to close shop in Maryland.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Careful there, you are citing hard realities and consequences for actions taken and not sticking to the liberal axiom of just doing what feeeels good. No question about it, the left has got to have the preponderance of idiots on the planet.

[Eagles Talon IV]

"...hoping to capitalize on anti-Wal-Mart sentiment"

What anti Walmart sentiment are they talking about? The polling I have seen shows about 70% off those polled like shopping at Walmart.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Good luck in Wisconsin. They'll show up in Madistan, a hot-bed of socialists and unionists, and get 40 people to show up "for the cause" out of a city of 200,000. LOL! Bring. It. On. Waste your money. Do it! Do it!