Friday, September 01, 2006

What people in Luzerne County pay for always low prices

This one is for Patricia. I spotted a LTE in the TL about the employment practices of People Republic of China-Retail Division.

Looking from the inside out, having worked for Wal-Mart for the last 15 years, it seems quite noble of Wal-Mart to increase the starting pay rate. But, there is where the nobility ends and the question of loyalty lies.

With their starting rate increase, there enters a salary cap. I, along with many, many other longtime employees, now face a stagnant wage. We will see the cost of living skyrocket but not the long-term employee pay rates. No yearly raise (which was the norm), no incentive raise, nothing. Premiums we pay for insurance will increase as they have in the past, in which our raises did not even cover them, but our salaries will not. Maybe I sound like I am whining, but we are not bringing $50,000-to-$60,000-a-year jobs here. We are making a modest living, nothing more.

You work for the biggest company in the world for over 15 years (others more) and you are told no more raises. What could trigger this move? The answer’s not very hard. They said the line is long to get a job at Wal-Mart. That may be true, and so is this -- the new Exodus is coming. And that’s what they want. Move on, employees who might actually be making a decent wage. Go find another Promised Land.

Is this the vision Sam Walton had?

Robert James Wilkes-Barre

3 comments:

Bernie O'Hare said...

Gort, I could be wrong, but that dude does not sound like he wants to wear one of those Walmart smiley faces.

Gort said...

Bernie, I've heard this story about many companies not just Sprawlmart. It's all about cutting labor costs by forcing out long time higher paid employees in favor of less costly new ones. In my view it's very short sighted. There is nothing like experience.

Bernie O'Hare said...

That's what I tell the ladies, but they're not buying it either.