Dear Walmart: No Thank You

I live in Mount Pleasant within minutes of approximatly 10 grocery stores. We have many choices about what to purchase for our family of four each week. Even though there is an abundance of these markets in my area, I was not shocked to learn of a newly proposed Walmart facility near the intersection of Highways 20 and 31.

It should be of no surprise to those familiar with my politics and sensibilities that I would be against such a seemingly absurd venture. This is simply one more symptom of our failing conception of what is right, logical and responsible. Many pride themselves in being of a nation devoted to capitalism and a free market economy. But if what I am about to share with you is what it means to be a capitalist country, then I truly do not share in that pride.

There is no question that Walmart is nearing monopoly status. And because of this, they set the standard for the treatment of workers in this field; a standard I am embarrassed to see is accepted in the eyes of our communities.

Insurance and Subsidies

In 2004, Capital Times reported that 3,765 Wisconsin Walmart employees received aid from Badgercare. The cost to taxpayers was said to be $4.75 million. The insurance this multi-billion dollar big box company offers its employees is often far too expensive with the wages they make. Many employees who do opt for coverage feel as though the majority of their paycheck goes right back into Walmart's pocket in the form of premiums and products. After all, with wages such as $7 an hour, Walmart is all they can afford.

Further, employees are often kept part time so they don't qualify for benefits. Store management has been known to doctor time sheets in order to keep anyone from accruing overtime (and lawsuits have arisen due to this). They refuse to hire an adequate number of employees and instead make the ones they have pick up the slack without compensation.

Just like Big Oil, Walmart receives billions in subsidies. Small businesses do not. How are they to compete? We hear how competition benefits everyone – customers, employers, employees.

I call B.S. When a the most successful retailer in the country gets handouts while its competitors have to scrape bottom just to make it through the next month, that is not fair business. That is, in essence, tyranny.

Let's Talk Jobs

Sentry – a store across the road from Walmart's new proposed location – employs about 60 people at an . The average hourly wage for a Walmart associate is $8.81. One woman I spoke with makes $11 an hour after 7 years. She feels nervous that her wage will soon be capped as many of her coworkers have already had that happen following many years of service.

I hear the argument ranting "How dare we oppose anything that will bring jobs to our city?" I hear that a job is a job and it's better than nothing, and perhaps that is true.

But ya know what? Walmart jobs are NOT the jobs we need. Those are NOT the jobs which can support a family. Those are NOT the jobs which will improve our suffering economy. Cashier jobs at Walmart are not creating anything except an alternative when there is no other choice. And what happens to those jobs at Sentry when Walmart drives that store out of business? That really isn't job creation, is it?

Don't get me wrong. Customer service postions are fine as long as those employees are not being manipulated, over worked and underpaid. But we are not talking about 16 year-olds who need extra money for the weekends. We are talking about people who need to feed their families to keep them off the streets.

Building a Walmart on every corner in America will not improve our financial stability. In fact, it will do quite the opposite. Walmart has proven itself to be nothing more than a corporate machine eating away at the fabric of what made this country great. It comes down to profits above all else. And everything in my consciousness tells me that is dreadfully wrong.

So, Walmart choosing to build a store on one of the most dangerous intersections in our state does not surprise me. It is dangerous because it is one of the busiest. And even if the store causes a few extra accidents, even if they cause job loss to those around them, even if they hire those with no other choices at indecent wages – it doesn't matter because it is all about the almighty dollar. If that is capitalism, I say, 'no thank you'.

I would really like to encourage everyone to watch a 90 minute documentary called Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices. You can watch it free HERE.