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Law to make Wal-Mart raise benefits
Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 3/8/6 | REBECCA FERRAR

Posted on 03/08/2006 7:14:48 PM PST by SmithL

State Sen. Tim Burchett has introduced legislation to ensure that Wal-Mart provides health insurance to its employees.

"It requires folks that have over 10,000 employees to provide some health insurance for their employees," the Knoxville Republican said Wednesday.

The 10,000 benchmark makes the bill apply primarily to Wal-Mart. While some other companies may have that many employees, they do provide health insurance, Burchett said.

He said Wal-Mart has used TennCare, the state’s health insurance program for the poor and uninsured, as a source to provide insurance to its employees.

"Wal-Mart has used the state’s TennCare health insurance program as a dumping ground," Burchett said. "All we want is for them to pay their fair share. That’s not a lot to ask."

The bill calls for a new Fair Share Health Care Fund to be set up. Employers that qualify under this bill — companies that do not spend at least 8 percent of their total payroll on health insurance costs — would pay to the state an amount equal to the difference between 8 percent of their total pay roll in Tennessee and the actual amount spent in the previous year for health insurance costs for employees in Tennessee.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: rino; socislism; walmart
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To: SmithL
STUPID DEMOCRATS! Always wanting to punish the most successful ... oh, wait a minute. This guy's a "Republican".

Sorry. My bad.

21 posted on 03/08/2006 7:34:50 PM PST by manwiththehands
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To: xrp
Other than national defense, there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.

Also taxes. One party wants to raise them, the other wants to lower them.

We won't talk about spending...

22 posted on 03/08/2006 7:35:15 PM PST by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
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To: SmithL
"All we want is for them to pay their fair share. That’s not a lot to ask."

Funny, I don't hear a lot of voices among politicians demanding that illegal aliens pay THEIR fair share of health costs. Idiot.

23 posted on 03/08/2006 7:37:25 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: SmithL
I thought Walmart had their own HMO type of thing.

If I were them, I would just tell these guys to stick it, and we'll SELL health insurance.

This populism approach is as old as politics.

No matter if the perp is GOP or Dimm, his first duty is to get himself re-elected.

24 posted on 03/08/2006 7:43:16 PM PST by lawnguy (Give me some of your tots!!!)
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To: SmithL

Did you expect anything less? There is all kinds of support for Congress to ban the sale of one foreign company to another, this is the natural progression.


25 posted on 03/08/2006 7:44:57 PM PST by SouthTexas (Support Hillary, just say no to the UAE!)
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To: xrp

Another easy method - fire as many employees as needed to get down to 9500 (to allow slop for day-to-day staffing attrition), and make *sure* they know why they're being fired.

And then work everyone else mandatory overtime.


26 posted on 03/08/2006 7:47:09 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: SmithL

He's got a B-S in Education. Guess it doesn't require any economics courses.

Of course, it probably has a ton of social engineering courses.


27 posted on 03/08/2006 7:49:16 PM PST by VeniVidiVici (What? Me worry?)
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To: okie01
Also taxes. One party wants to raise them, the other wants to lower them.

Lowering taxes without reducing spending creates no illusions with me. The bill will come due one day and any amount that is borrowed today will cost more tomorrow. I'm just hoping I can save enough money before the fiscal collapse starts, stick it in Cayman Islands bank accounts and move to Belize.

28 posted on 03/08/2006 7:49:35 PM PST by xrp (Fox News Channel: MISSING WHITE GIRL NETWORK)
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To: Spktyr
And then work everyone else mandatory overtime.

That would cost them more money. Walmart likes to keep everyone a few hours short of the 40 hour week, just to make sure they don't have to pay the higher overtime rates. I don't know why they don't just put all the employees on salary, then they could squeeze more hours out of them without worrying about paying overtime.

29 posted on 03/08/2006 7:51:52 PM PST by JavaTheHutt ( Gun Control - The difference between Lexington Green and Tienanmen Square.)
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To: Spktyr

It takes somewhere around 300-500 employees to run a Wal*Mart store (assume Super Center, which is about all they build anymore). Even if they only had 300 per store, they'd only be able to operate 31 stores in Tennessee. There's probably that many Wal*Marts in the metro areas of Knoxville and Nashville alone.


30 posted on 03/08/2006 7:52:31 PM PST by xrp (Fox News Channel: MISSING WHITE GIRL NETWORK)
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To: xrp

I suspect that they'll only have 31 stores in TN, if that bill passes.


31 posted on 03/08/2006 7:53:45 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: JavaTheHutt
I don't know why they don't just put all the employees on salary, then they could squeeze more hours out of them without worrying about paying overtime.

It is less expensive to keep manual labor/retail labor at an hourly pay rate. As you stated yourself, Wal*Mart keeps everyone a few hours short of 40 each week to avoid OT. Well, in times of low volume/sales/customers, they send workers home, which removes them from the timeclock and them being paid. With salaried workers, you can't remove them from being paid during low volume periods.

32 posted on 03/08/2006 7:55:04 PM PST by xrp (Fox News Channel: MISSING WHITE GIRL NETWORK)
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To: Bobalu
Speaking of jobs where did these people work before Wal-Mart? Who made them work there? Obviously they were forced to take this job. If Wal-Mart weren't there would they all be on welfare . Who would pay the "fair share " then?A Wal-Mart recently opened in my area and there was no end of applicants. And they (Wal-Mart) didn't put anyone out of business. On the contrary , about 20 satellite companies opened too.
33 posted on 03/08/2006 7:58:03 PM PST by loneroofer (love life)
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To: VeniVidiVici
He's got a B-S in Education. Guess it doesn't require any economics courses.

Education degrees are usually the bottom of the barrel. People who couldn't hack a degree in the sciences or math. They carry their poor performance into the classroom to provide a poor education to the next generation. The one's who can't hack it in the classroom run for public office.

34 posted on 03/08/2006 7:58:38 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Lancey Howard

Nah, I've never voted for a Democrat in my life. Pretty soon I won't be voting Republican for the rest of my life.


35 posted on 03/08/2006 8:00:20 PM PST by xrp (Fox News Channel: MISSING WHITE GIRL NETWORK)
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To: xrp
t takes somewhere around 300-500 employees to run a Wal*Mart store (assume Super Center, which is about all they build anymore). Even if they only had 300 per store, they'd only be able to operate 31 stores in Tennessee. There's probably that many Wal*Marts in the metro areas of Knoxville and Nashville alone.

Form a bunch of small corporations named "Walmart of XXX County". Each one is a separate company. It's unlikely any of the single county corporate businesses would have more than 9,999 employees.

36 posted on 03/08/2006 8:01:54 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Flavius
And here is another sponsored by the government for families and children with no insurance.

Click Me
37 posted on 03/08/2006 8:03:08 PM PST by TheForceOfOne (Memogate - Dan Rathers Little Big Horn.)
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To: SmithL
Has got to be unconstitutional!
38 posted on 03/08/2006 8:05:12 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: xrp

It's not my district...


39 posted on 03/08/2006 8:07:18 PM PST by scrabblehack
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To: xrp

My Congressman for about ten years was Jim Greenwood, and after the first election I never voted for him again. Now another scared-bunny liberal Republican, Mike Fitzpatrick, has taken his place and I won't ever be voting for him again, either.


40 posted on 03/08/2006 8:07:30 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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