Three days before unions protest at Walmarts across the country, Diana Furchtgott-Roth makes an interesting observation:The odds of getting into one of the top American universities are about 1 in 10. American workers view Walmart in the same way as high school seniors view American colleges: last year 5 million Americans applied to Walmart for 500,000 jobs. These are highly valued positions.But unions think that Walmart employment policies are flawed. For the second year in row, on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, unions are organizing 1,500 protests against Walmart. Protests will be held at stores as far north as Ellsworth, Maine, and Fargo, North Dakota, and as far south as Chula Vista, California, and Houston, Texas. [Emphasis added.]
Unions have long hated Walmart–not necessarily for its policies, but more for the fact that Walmart associates do not pay union dues and the company’s business model puts unionized grocers at a competitive disadvantage.
With one million associates, if the unions were to unionize Walmart (at $40 per month), not counting initiation fees to join, union bosses would stand to rake in nearly half a billion dollars in union dues from Walmart associates every year.
No wonder the unions are upset.
