Wal-Mart and Labor Unions

Since inception, Wal-Mart has been strongly opposed to unionization of its workers in its operations internationally. This has been linked to the trials to cover vast malpractices that happen undercover and which can easily be exposed by unionization of the employees. The company views unionization of workers as a direct erasure for the current coterminous system and replacement with immediate plethora of demands and considerations ‘unnecessary’ for effective business operation.

Though majority of the employees consider it to be a minor misdemeanor, it is clear that human ethical considerations in human rights management must articulate the people’s demands for higher and sustained intrinsic and external returns. A brief history Wal-Mart was established in 1969 in Rogers, Arkansas where it operated steadily and rapidly grew to increase stores outlet to 24 through in different stated by 1968. During the same year, it had reached a total sale of $ 12. 6 million. In 1972, it was listed in the New York stock Exchange and spread to five more states by the following year.

With strong and constant growth, the company continued to grow attaining a total sale of $ 15. 9 billion and 200, 000 associates in the year 2001. By the years 2002 the company had established major stores in majority of the American States and outside making it to be ranked the largest public corporation in American and the world in the year 2005 with revenues totaling to $ 219. 8 billion and profit of $ 6. 7 billion in the same year. To add to that, it is the largest private employer and the third largest commercial employer after British Health Care Services and The Indian Railways (Richard, 2008).

Over the last decade, the corporation has been strongly criticized by the labor unions regarding its refusal to allow the employees to be unionized and low rates of health insurance enrollment in the country. Its business policies are oppressive to the employees and other workers both physically and psychologically. Wal-Mart Inc anti union policy Closing down stores and departments that unionize Employees form the most important part of a business entity essential for ensuring that the immediate policies are properly articulated in its establishment.

Their consideration therefore, anchors businesses and guarantees its sustainability. Wal-Mart Inc closed its store in Jonquierre, Quebec in April 2005 after its employees were issued with their union certificate for the region. Previously in the year 2000, it announced the phase out of its in-store meat cutting company after a small department in the section organized a union in Texas. Unionization of workers acts as a major guideline for addressing the workers rights effectively and collectively negotiating for the workers on the major problems facing their members (Food and commercial workers union, 2008).

Though mostly misunderstood, it acts as a major item that can be used as a direct indicators and a strong framework in the management of the business enterprises. In December 2005, the Quebec Labor Board ruled in favor of the employees and demanded their compensation as the store had closed in response to workers being unionized. Management demands for anti union activities The manager’s tool boxes issued to them by the organization leadership contained a list of warning signs that the managers should look for as direct indicators of workers planning to unionize.

These signs included frequent meetings at associate’s homes and other new informal meetings by the employees. The tool box has been indicated to have hot line numbers upon which specialists are reached to terminate the union initiatives. Besides, indications of strong anti-union policies are evident by the vast cases regarding the employees in different courts of law. In the last several years, over 100 cases relating to unfair labor practices of the employees in their work places have been filed with 43 cases being in the year 2002.

Since the year 1995, Wal-Mart Inc has received over 60 complains by the government against on the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the National Labor Unions Laws violation (Kimberly, 2003). Violations have been vast ranging from illegal firing of the employees from their work places at the slightest indication of involvement with unions to gender discrimination. To add to that, massive threats and strong intimidation of the employees has been a common practice meant to silence them and navigate their minds from immediate union demands through instilling fear in the name of loyalty for their work.