Good and bad...

Check out this article about a lawsuit against Walmart for substandard working conditions:

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=consumerProducts&storyID=nN13385472

Interesting points to note. Of course Walmart is responsible if it directly results in substandard working conditions. I'm all for enforcement of laws involving pay, anti-discrimination and treatment of workers. But here's something to take a look at:

"The plaintiffs allege Wal-Mart's "vast economic power" allows it to impose price and time requirements on supplier factories that result in sweatshop conditions.

The retailer "knew or reasonably should have known that its suppliers would violate" worker's rights, but continues to do business with those factories, the lawsuit said."

Interesting, so Walmart contracts with another company to produce goods, and Walmart is responsible for making sure that company follows the law? Why is it Walmart's job to watch over that company? If the workers are suing anyone, they should sue the factories they work at, but of course, as noted later in the article, the governments of those countries are corrupt.

Lawyers for the workers said their clients could not seek redress in their home countries because of corruption, the lack of independent judiciaries and for fear of reprisals.

So essentially you're saying it's that government's fault for not protecting its citizens. Why do you try to put the blame on Walmart? When did it become their job to solve another country's problems?

And one last thing:

The lawsuit also lists four California plaintiffs, including two unionized workers at Kroger Co. (KR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) unit Ralph's and Safeway Inc. (SWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) grocery stores, who claim Wal-Mart's entry into Southern California forced their employers to reduce pay and benefits.

Let's look at this, shall we? First of all, those unions are not even involved in the issue of labor practices. Second of all, WHEN DID IT BECOME A CRIME TO ENTER A MARKET?! Ever hear of competition? It's not walmart's problem that your own salaries were so overinflated that they had to be reduced, and it's not walmart's problem that your union representatives settled on lower pay. If you don't like competition, then why are you even working in America?

I suspect that those union employees claims will be dismissed right away, since any idiot can tell it's just some jerk socialists trying to get a piece of the big guy.