Walmart Holding Canned Food Drive For Its Own Underpaid Employees

[Primemuscle]

If you don't like Walmart or don't approve of their perfectly legal practices you see as being unethical or whatever, don't shop there or work there.

For a company that you say operates within the law, they certain do have a large number of lawsuits filed against them.


http://nypost.com/2013/11/18/labor-relations-board-considers-walmart-lawsuit/

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/leading-edge-legal-advice-everyday-matters/2013/jun/2/suing-wal-mart-suing-city-hall-its-almost-impossib/

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=87844&page=1

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/22/walmart-lawsuit-idUSL1E8LMCTE20121022

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/walmart-overtime-labor-department-settlement_n_1470543.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/wal-mart-bribe-probe-follows-decade-of-sex-bias-overtime-suits.html

[Primemuscle]

*EDIT: "Fox News SHEEP" is what you called me...


You told me I was a Fox mark for what I posted. I asked you specifically about what of each of those things make me such.

Now you're saying that anyone who believes in what the Founding Fathers believed is also a Fox mark. And you're also implying that if Fox agrees with it or promotes it, it's a negative thing, correct? The US WAS much the same country for 200+ years, but is certainly "changing" in recent years.


I'll ask you specifically what you disagree with that the Fouding Fathers put in place and why?

Before you further convolute my posts, I thought it best to put up the original post you seem to have taken personally.

The FOX New's sheep have spoken.

It is quite amusing to read some of the posts on Getbig which are pretty much verbatim what FOX News reports all day and all night long.

Keith Rupert Murdoch is the owner of FOX News.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch

Actually I did not tell you that you were a FOX mark at all. You took what I posted personally. I merely used some of what you'd posted as an example of things one frequently hears if they follow FOX news. You also assume that I disagree with what FOX News broadcasts, yet nowhere did I post that this was the case.

You will notice the first and second sentences refer to sheep and people in the plural and therefore were not directed at just one person as you imagined.

As for the Founding Father's spiel, I also did not say I disagreed with the principles upon which the U.S. founded. I stated that the U.S. is not the same place it was 200 years ago. 

[pedro01]

Tony, pedro1 is not a delusional idiot and neither are you.  You're just a little inexperienced compared to him.  You'd do well to listen a little more carefully to the things he's saying and, if what he's saying doesn't make sense to you, just ask him questions.  

The kind of system you argue for (somewhat idealistically), he SEES, firsthand, everyday in Thailand.  There's no welfare in Thailand.  You can starve in the street there and those without some kind of non-gov't help do just that.

Open your eyes a little, man.  You don't need to change your fundamental beliefs but I think you'd be smart to listen to this guy.  Basically, his life experience seems to be much, much, much more broad than yours and, even knowing what little I know about the both of you, I'll bet he knows a lot of shit that would be helpful to you.

Actually, I'm surprised you are arguing with him at all.  You and a couple others here, in response to folks complaining about pay for available work, are saying, "Well MOVE then!" and pedro1 is a guy who has successfully done just that.  

You know, it doesn't necessarily mean he's happier than you but I'll bet you a zillion dollars that pedro1's lifestyle in Thailand makes yours in Texas look, uh (and I'll try to be accurate without insult here), unsatisfying.

Tommy is quoting accounting terms and thinking that means business. I find that most bizarre.

Business is not accountancy. Business is about making money and of course, there's all sorts of factors involved in how you make money offshore.

Bottom line though is the accountants job is to represent business activity in a common format. There is a fair amount of leeway in how this is done and there's often a little 'juggling around' at the end of each month/quarter.  People like me are mostly involved at month/quarter end looking at the final numbers and making sure the accountants didn't put anything majorly in the wrong place. Similarly, running up to year end we want to see how the final numbers are shaping up so we can possibly bring stuff forward/push it back.

CFOs tend to be very savvy but their team of accountants aren't called 'bean counters' for nothing. They do play a vital role but they aren't business people and never will be. They are number savants that play a vital role but often can't see past their own noses.

So accountancy - naaaa - that's not business. Accountancy is what happens after business has been done. Funnily enough - we don't even do the bulk of our accounting in my organisation, we outsource the nuts & bolts stuff.

Partly because it's an easy task to outsource and partly because when you run a company for an MNC AND you are the person who is signatory on the bank accounts - it's good to keep arms length on the accounting side for transparency.

[pedro01]

People talk about education being the be all end all if you want to make a decent living. They say this because this is what they've been told. I have nothing against people becoming better educated, but a good education does not guarantee one will make better wages.  Ambition plays a much bigger role in success than anything else. Without ambition, education may not get you anywhere unless you just happen to hit the employment jackpot which is about as likely as winning the lottery.

I was lucky to have left school at 18 in 1988.

I have no degree but landed a graduates job. I was lucky in that this was not unusual at the time.

I think where you end up with is a little luck, a little bit of smarts and as you say drive and ambition.

I'm not sure how things would play out if I did it again and was 18 in 2013.

[tonymctones]

Tony, pedro1 is not a delusional idiot and neither are you.  You're just a little inexperienced compared to him.  You'd do well to listen a little more carefully to the things he's saying and, if what he's saying doesn't make sense to you, just ask him questions.  

The kind of system you argue for (somewhat idealistically), he SEES, firsthand, everyday in Thailand.  There's no welfare in Thailand.  You can starve in the street there and those without some kind of non-gov't help do just that.

Open your eyes a little, man.  You don't need to change your fundamental beliefs but I think you'd be smart to listen to this guy.  Basically, his life experience seems to be much, much, much more broad than yours and, even knowing what little I know about the both of you, I'll bet he knows a lot of shit that would be helpful to you.

Actually, I'm surprised you are arguing with him at all.  You and a couple others here, in response to folks complaining about pay for available work, are saying, "Well MOVE then!" and pedro1 is a guy who has successfully done just that.  

You know, it doesn't necessarily mean he's happier than you but I'll bet you a zillion dollars that pedro1's lifestyle in Thailand makes yours in Texas look, uh (and I'll try to be accurate without insult here), unsatisfying.

where am I arguing for a system like in thailand?

for fucks sake do you two not see that there are plenty of other opportunities in the US for people who want to make more money?

To even compare the two situations is just plain STUPID, there is no other way to describe it.

The people here in the US have the opportunity to go to school if they want, they have to ability to go down the street and get a better paying job, they have the ability to start a business of their own and make as much or as little as they can.

If pedro can better his life, why cant the people working at wal mart.

A satisfying lifestyle is subjective to the individual, personally you couldnt pay me enough to move to thailand but thats just me. I have a great life here in Texas and bright future so I would say I am just as satisfied if not more so than pedro.

[tonymctones]

Tommy is quoting accounting terms and thinking that means business. I find that most bizarre.

Business is not accountancy. Business is about making money and of course, there's all sorts of factors involved in how you make money offshore.

Bottom line though is the accountants job is to represent business activity in a common format. There is a fair amount of leeway in how this is done and there's often a little 'juggling around' at the end of each month/quarter.  People like me are mostly involved at month/quarter end looking at the final numbers and making sure the accountants didn't put anything majorly in the wrong place. Similarly, running up to year end we want to see how the final numbers are shaping up so we can possibly bring stuff forward/push it back.

CFOs tend to be very savvy but their team of accountants aren't called 'bean counters' for nothing. They do play a vital role but they aren't business people and never will be. They are number savants that play a vital role but often can't see past their own noses.

So accountancy - naaaa - that's not business. Accountancy is what happens after business has been done. Funnily enough - we don't even do the bulk of our accounting in my organisation, we outsource the nuts & bolts stuff.

Partly because it's an easy task to outsource and partly because when you run a company for an MNC AND you are the person who is signatory on the bank accounts - it's good to keep arms length on the accounting side for transparency.

hahahah again you speak like a line manager would.

no business sense

let me get this straight, you work for a MNC and outsource your accounting and finance?

[2Thick]

The "bean counters" have been roasted in the autobiographies of many greats of the business world. Many a great businessman have not been fans of the bean counters, who tell them to save more and cut corners when they want to spend or even borrow more on sales and marketing, expansions, R&D, etc. But they do realize the necessity of the bean counters at the end of the day.

[tonymctones]

The "bean counters" have been roasted in the autobiographies of many greats of the business world. Many a great businessman have not been fans of the bean counters, who tell them to save more and cut corners when they want to spend or even borrown more on sales and marketing, expansions, R&D, etc. But they do realize the necessity of the bean counters at the end of the day.

not to mention that most CEO's have a background or at least a very fine understanding of the language of business that is accounting.

[2Thick]

Direct quote:

The FOX New's sheep have spoken.

It is quite amusing to read some of the posts on Getbig which are pretty much verbatim what FOX News reports all day and all night long.

Keith Rupert Murdoch is the owner of FOX News.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch

You called me a "Fox News Sheep", which I would assume IS an insult - a weak and typical one, but a definite jab nonetheless.

As for the rest, I already am familiar with Murdoch, but thank you.

Before you further convolute my posts, I thought it best to put up the original post you seem to have taken personally.

Actually I did not tell you that you were a FOX mark at all. You took what I posted personally. I merely used some of what you'd posted as an example of things one frequently hears if they follow FOX news. You also assume that I disagree with what FOX News broadcasts, yet nowhere did I post that this was the case.

You will notice the first and second sentences refer to sheep and people in the plural and therefore were not directed at just one person as you imagined.

As for the Founding Father's spiel, I also did not say I disagreed with the principles upon which the U.S. founded. I stated that the U.S. is not the same place it was 200 years ago.  

And of course America has been "fundamentlly changed" in the last 5-6 years.  

[tonymctones]

I was lucky to have left school at 18 in 1988.

I have no degree but landed a graduates job. I was lucky in that this was not unusual at the time.

I think where you end up with is a little luck, a little bit of smarts and as you say drive and ambition.

I'm not sure how things would play out if I did it again and was 18 in 2013.

so you agree in most cases these individuals who are working at walmart could make more if they wanted to?

[pedro01]

hahahah again you speak like a line manager would.

no business sense

let me get this straight, you work for a MNC and outsource your accounting and finance?

Correct - I run an operation offshore for an MNC.

Our direct parent company do not outsource their accounting, it's something we do locally for our accounts. It's pretty common, been doing it this way for 12 years.  It's all down to how complex your financials are and how many transactions you process. We provide services, mostly on long term contracts and so actual number of transactions is quite low.

A full time accountant would be twiddling their thumbs a lot of the time. Then you get into the fact this is Thailand, the laws and paperwork are quite tricky. The firm we use are all ex-KPMG consultants who I can rely on to get it right and keep me out of jail.

As I mentioned - the other side of this is the fact that I report P&L but operationally, they leave me to it. I sign the checks, I decide which suppliers to use. By separating the accounting function, there's an extra layer of checks & balances there. This was my decision because I'd rather have that separated so that I can't get accused of anything irregular.

An accountant might not understand why this is the smart thing to do.

Accounts for an MNC subsidary are fairly easy to prepare too - it's just a matter of reporting in the format you get handed down from HQ but then also ensure in the process you aren't reporting in such a way that is looked down upon locally. So it's mostly only new types of product or types transactions you've never done before that really require any attention.

[pedro01]

The "bean counters" have been roasted in the autobiographies of many greats of the business world. Many a great businessman have not been fans of the bean counters, who tell them to save more and cut corners when they want to spend or even borrow more on sales and marketing, expansions, R&D, etc. But they do realize the necessity of the bean counters at the end of the day.

I do agree, they are absolutely necessary.

Same for the legal people - everything needs to go by them but as someone who is quite aggressive, it gets frustrating because they do seem to slow things down.

[tonymctones]

Correct - I run an operation offshore for an MNC.

Our direct parent company do not outsource their accounting, it's something we do locally for our accounts. It's pretty common, been doing it this way for 12 years.  It's all down to how complex your financials are and how many transactions you process. We provide services, mostly on long term contracts and so actual number of transactions is quite low.

A full time accountant would be twiddling their thumbs a lot of the time. Then you get into the fact this is Thailand, the laws and paperwork are quite tricky. The firm we use are all ex-KPMG consultants who I can rely on to get it right and keep me out of jail.

As I mentioned - the other side of this is the fact that I report P&L but operationally, they leave me to it. I sign the checks, I decide which suppliers to use. By separating the accounting function, there's an extra layer of checks & balances there. This was my decision because I'd rather have that separated so that I can't get accused of anything irregular.

An accountant might not understand why this is the smart thing to do.

Accounts for an MNC subsidary are fairly easy to prepare too - it's just a matter of reporting in the format you get handed down from HQ but then also ensure in the process you aren't reporting in such a way that is looked down upon locally. So it's mostly only new types of product or types transactions you've never done before that really require any attention.

hahaha the reason its fairly easy is b/c those bean counters you like to say dont understand business made it so. Accounting for a multi national company is anything but easy my friend. The fact you think its easy is a testament to the accounting and finance departments in your company.

You should thank them....

[Primemuscle]

I was lucky to have left school at 18 in 1988.

I have no degree but landed a graduates job. I was lucky in that this was not unusual at the time.

I think where you end up with is a little luck, a little bit of smarts and as you say drive and ambition.

I'm not sure how things would play out if I did it again and was 18 in 2013.

I suspect it would be a bit harder to achieve what you have with only a high school education, but not impossible. Unfortunately, a Bachelor's degree is about equivalent to what a high school diploma was a few decades back. Soon one will need a master's degree to pump gas! Snide remarks aside, many employers require college degrees when they serve no real purpose other than to narrow the pool of potential employees. The educational systems in the U.S. do a piss poor job of preparing folks for a viable career. A variety of technical training programs are lacking in high school and college. Fathers don't pass their skills and trades to their children as much as they once did.

As I mentioned, my stepdad's formal education ended at the 8th grade which was not at all uncommon in his time (before WWII). My mom came from a reasonably well off family. Her father was a Harvard Law graduate, licensed to practice law in all the states. My mom graduated high school and then went on to "finishing school" which was also pretty common for young women in those days. Although I come from a well educated family on both the paternal and maternal sides, I only dabbled in higher education myself....taking courses which interested me with no regard to achieving a degree. I have continued my education all of my adult life. My biological father was college educated in structural engineering. There is some disagreement as to whether he had a degree in structural engineering or not. Sadly, he was no were near as successful as was my stepdad if you measure success in terms of income and owning your own business.  

[Primemuscle]

Direct quote:

You called me a "Fox News Sheep", which I would assume IS an insult - a weak and typical one, but a definite jab nonetheless.

As for the rest, I already am familiar with Murdoch, but thank you.

And of course America has been "fundamentlly changed" in the last 5-6 years.  

So are you saying the U.S. didn't fundamentally change in the first 232 years following the end of the Revolutionary war? Hmm. That's pretty interesting. I am not sure you are going to fine a lot of intelligent people who will agree with you.

[pedro01]

hahaha the reason its fairly easy is b/c those bean counters you like to say dont understand business made it so. Accounting for a multi national company is anything but easy my friend. The fact you think its easy is a testament to the accounting and finance departments in your company.

You should thank them....

Actually, the financials for the subsidiary of an MNC are no more complex than a stand-alone company. All you have in effect is a pre-defined chart of accounts and set of reports to compile and send upstream at agreed intervals. The only headache if any is ensuring you also comply with local regulations but as most countries comply follow GAAP, it's mostly all figured out in year 1. Consolidating that upstream is the headache.

The problem now in this discussion, is that it has resorted to you attempting to 'score points' over me. Why that is, I'm not sure.  I imagine something I said earlier on got to you in some way. Now you are desperately trying to twist my replies to make yourself look clever.

You seem to be quite the big businessman/CPA. Surely such people are quite secure in their own skin, no?

[tonymctones]

Actually, the financials for the subsidiary of an MNC are no more complex than a stand-alone company. All you have in effect is a pre-defined chart of accounts and set of reports to compile and send upstream at agreed intervals. The only headache if any is ensuring you also comply with local regulations but as most countries comply follow GAAP, it's mostly all figured out in year 1. Consolidating that upstream is the headache.

The problem now in this discussion, is that it has resorted to you attempting to 'score points' over me. Why that is, I'm not sure.  I imagine something I said earlier on got to you in some way. Now you are desperately trying to twist my replies to make yourself look clever.

You seem to be quite the big businessman/CPA. Surely such people are quite secure in their own skin, no?

hhaha only trying to correct your ignorance and most MNC use IFRS not GAAP and more and more are transferring by the year.

You see you must report to every country you have operations that is more than simply rolling up the divisions into the parent company.

again not trying to score points only show that the ignorance you have and get you to try and fix it.

id be more than glad to continue displaying your ignorance on the topic of the thread though.

[tonymctones]

Ill just leave this here, I think this thinking is very prevelant in many of those liberals in this thread. Try not to let who said it cloud you to the very real truth of the statement

"the soft bigotry of low expectations. You’re talking about how liberals look at certain people and think they don’t have chance, for whatever reason. They’re minorities, skin color, they just don’t have a chance. Liberals don’t have faith in ‘em. Liberals need to help them. And then, when liberals help them, that means liberals are good people."

limbaugh

[RRKore]

Ill just leave this here, I think this thinking is very prevelant in many of those liberals in this thread. Try not to let who said it cloud you to the very real truth of the statement

"the soft bigotry of low expectations. You’re talking about how liberals look at certain people and think they don’t have chance, for whatever reason. They’re minorities, skin color, they just don’t have a chance. Liberals don’t have faith in ‘em. Liberals need to help them. And then, when liberals help them, that means liberals are good people."

limbaugh

Ninja, please.

I wonder how much belief and faith that hypocritical fat fuck had in the Dominican prostitutes he was banging over there (with the help of the viagra that he didn't have a prescription for)? 

Funny, though, normally I'd assume Rush is knowledgeable when it comes to bigotry.  Why did he have to resign from his Monday Night Football commentating gig again?

Anyway, forgetting that Rush was the author of that quote:
That all systems favor some and are slanted against others seems inarguable to me.  Liberals recognize this, it's true. 

As I understand it, though, the amount of help that many liberals are in favor of giving the least among us in an effort to level the playing field is redonkulous when compared to the "help" being unnecessarily given to the biggest financial and military/industrial companies. 

Getting so many to focus on scrutinizing the little help being given the poor while the rich make out like bandits is some sleight of hand bullshit that I'm not falling for.  No thanks.

[Primemuscle]

limbaugh

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words....in this case it is the name of a specific person.

Nothing else needs be said. You just said it all....Limbaugh. LOL!

[2Thick]

So are you saying the U.S. didn't fundamentally change in the first 232 years following the end of the Revolutionary war? Hmm. That's pretty interesting. I am not sure you are going to fine a lot of intelligent people who will agree with you.

"Fundamentally transforming the United States of America!"

Obama used those exact words in front of the whole world just before he was elected the first time.

Now we're seeing it become the thing among so many "progressives" (most obviously the president and his hacks like Holder) to go out of their way to walk all over the constitution, act unilaterally, show disregard or even contempt for the Founding Fathers and the core principals the country was founded on, etc...

Increased spending and entitlements. Socialized medicine. Chicago style crony capitalism and political thuggery - cooking the books on important financial data just before an election; using the attorney general and IRS to target political dissenters; wasting huge sums of tax dollars to bankroll doomed "green energy" companies of cronies while seemingly trying to destroy coal and oil industries, etc, etc.

They've even re-hired the obamacare failed website hacks to do MORE work for the government. You can't make this stuff up!

[Dos Equis]

Wal-mart receives subsidies and tax breaks to utilize there business. It's like saying there's no jobs, your argument would be, work hard, get an education, you act as if everything is fair and comes down to personal effort, that is so far removed from reality it's not funny. YOu have PHD's out of work while Wal-mart pays an effective tax rate of zero raping the taxpayers who pay for the roads and infrastructure they utilize.

Life's not fair, natural selection is obsolete for humans, we have bypassed it.

Walmart gives way more than it receives.  They paid $7.98 billion in taxes in 2012.  Fifth most of any company in the U.S. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/03/17/companies-paying-highest-income-taxes/1991313/

I've asked this question a few times in this thread, but what is your solution to what you think is a company that makes too much money for your liking?  Pass a law forcing them to surrender their profits? 

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

Walmart gives way more than it receives.  They paid $7.98 billion in taxes in 2012.  Fifth most of any company in the U.S. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/03/17/companies-paying-highest-income-taxes/1991313/

I've asked this question a few times in this thread, but what is your solution to what you think is a company that makes too much money for your liking?  Pass a law forcing them to surrender their profits? 

That 7 billion dollar is piss in a bucket compared to all of the benefits needed by workers with low pay...welfare, food stamps, reduced housing...etc.  Wal-Mart makes billions and saves billions by making their workers depend on the government with low pay and less hours

[Dos Equis]

That 7 billion dollar is piss in a bucket compared to all of the benefits needed by workers with low pay...welfare, food stamps, reduced housing...etc.  Wal-Mart makes billions and saves billions by making their workers depend on the government with low pay and less hours

"I've asked this question a few times in this thread, but what is your solution to what you think is a company that makes too much money for your liking?  Pass a law forcing them to surrender their profits?"

[2Thick]

We need MORE JOBS! And to have more jobs, we need an environment conducive to economic growth - competition, low corporate taxes, less govt regulations and red tape, not having burdens like Obamacare, etc. If there are more companies starting up, succeeding, and growing, we will have more jobs. If we have more companies with more jobs for workers, companies (including Walmart) will have to pay workers more to attract and retain them. And even if Walmart itself grows to the point where it needs more workers and its workforce demand starts to outpace the workforce supply, they will have to pay more to lure new hires away from elsewhere.

If there are fewer jobs available and workforce supply exceeds workforce demand, employers can generally get away with paying workers no more than they have to. And when government gets its hands in there too much, businesses have to cut and eventually may end up leaving and going elsewhere.