Walmart Workers Threaten to Strike on Black Friday

[Valmy]

I thought it was well-known that the US is way behind the European model when it came to workers' benefits/perks/rights due to our almost pathological view of the free market.

Yet perversely in some ways Euroland is freer.  We just cannot make up our mind over here.

[MadImmortalMan]

I think this is less about picking this battle here and now and more about a surprise about the state of affairs in the US, considering such battles have been picked and won decades ago in virtually every other Western country in the world.

If Saudi Arabia had some backward but relatively harmless law on the books right now, I'd tell the Saudi liberals to pick their battles and perhaps focus on something else - but I would be surprised to find such laws in force in, say, France.

I thought it was well-known that the US is way behind the European model when it came to workers' benefits/perks/rights due to our almost pathological view of the free market.

I'd love to have their model of unions to go along with it.

[Ideologue]

We have a somewhat middle-of-the-ground legislation in Poland when it comes to working on state holidays (which are about 10-15 in a year):

- emergency and "needed" public utility (e.g. hospitals and oil stations but not libraries) employees may be required to work,
- restaurant and cinema employees may be required to work,

Serious question: why the fuck are restaurants and cinemas special, but buying normal groceries is not?  Hierarchy of needs fail.

[Ideologue]

Why? I dislike legislation for the sake of legislation, especially when the market can sort this kind of thing out for itself. It's a factor right now because the economy is weak and jobs are scarce, but will it continue to be one once things turn around? They weren't so much before, so it seems odd to think that they will be later.

Even in a strong economy it is not exactly a great one for workers.  Even alot of services can be outsourced to India and China.  It will take awhile for globalization to run its course and the market to be a good one for working people again.  But passing laws to give American Workers benefits will only make the situation worse, not better.

I guess if you half-ass it, as American legislation tends to do, sure.  That's why you have separate legislation that introduces tariffs upon goods or services produced in countries that don't meet my American standards.  Especially low-end legal services.  Tariffed to hell.

[Iormlund]

It will take awhile for globalization to run its course ...

What makes you think it's going to?

[crazy canuck]

I think you have had a tough week there Ide