Allen Grayson pats himself on the back at DU.

[Freeper]

Alan Grayson (263 posts)

My Thanksgiving – A Turkey Sandwich at WalMart


 
I did not spend Thanksgiving evening with my wife and my five children. I spent it, instead, handing out turkey sandwiches to workers in WalMart. And showing my support for one brave soul who walked off the job in protest against exploitation.

WalMart “associates” make an average of just more than $10 an hour. That means that if they manage to get a full 40 hours a week – and many don’t – they get paid $1,700 a month, before taxes. Somehow, that is supposed to pay for their food, shelter, clothing and medical care, and that of their children. Quite a trick.

In state after state, the largest group of Medicaid recipients is WalMart employees. I’m sure that the same thing is true of food stamp recipients. Each WalMart “associate” costs the taxpayers an average of more than $1,000 in public assistance.

How underpaid are WalMart employees? This underpaid: if every one of them got a 30% raise, WalMart would still be profitable.

WalMart employees in the United States are not unionized. WalMart has used every trick in the book to prevent its employees from organizing. In 2005, in Canada, WalMart closed a store that had voted to go union. Recently, in Orlando, WalMart fired an employee who had just talked about unionizing. When he came back into the store, many days afterward, to say hello to his former colleagues, they handcuffed him.

It’s time to do something about this.

So on Thanksgiving, knowing that WalMart employees were missing dinner with their families, we walked into the local WalMart and handed out dinner to them. We gave them a paper bag that had three things in it: (a) a turkey sandwich, (b) a bag of chips, and (c) a letter explaining their right to organize.

There were two points to this. One was to inform the workers of their rights. And the other was to demonstrate to them, vividly, that they are not alone.

The WalMart manager had the police escort us out of the building. For handing out sandwiches. And for showing WalMart employees that they are not alone.

One brave “associate,” who had had enough of this mistreatment, walked out with us. Which is her right, under the law, to protest WalMart’s unfair labor practices. In fact, a while back, 200 employees walked out of a WalMart store, all at the same time. That really shook up the bosses.

By the way, she made sure that she finished serving her customer before she left. She’s that kind of person. WalMart actually could use a few more like her.

I showed my support. I gave her a hug.

And so it begins. WalMart accounts for more than ten percent of all of the retail sales in the United States. It is the largest private employer in the world, with more than two million employees. And even though those employees comprise barely ten percent of its cost of doing business, WalMart exploits them mercilessly. Now WalMart employees are starting to organize, starting to fight back.

Who will win? I don’t know. But I do know whose side I’m on. And I know that I’m not alone.

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251254348

I love how this sleazeball always puts courage at the end of his posts. What has he ever done that took any courage?
He goes out and panders to his moonbat base and claims that he is courageous for doing so.

Arctic Dave (10,943 posts)
2. I cannot thank you enough for your participation in this fight.

Having a Representative that walks the talk is a breath of fresh air.

 

CaliforniaPeggy (100,453 posts)
9. VERY well done, my dear Mr. Grayson!

You have courage. Not many do...

Again I ask what has he done that has shown courage of any kind?

[RobJohnson]

God Bless all those that work at Wal Mart and do what it takes to put food on the table and provide for their family during these tough economic times.

Since when do DUmmies care what anything costs that taxpayers? I thought only the rich should pay taxes? A single person working at Wal Mart is paying taxes, and they are not on public aid.

A single mother that needs a job after the father of the children is long gone needs her job at Wal Mart.

An older man or woman that lost a spouse and needs a job to keep busy and their mind off things also needs that job at Wal Mart. Let's not forget the reduction in social security income when that loved one passes away, they might even need a modest pay check to supplement their income.

The person working nights at Wal Mart to supplement his/her family's income and the earnings from their full time job, also needs that job at Wal Mart.

Stocking shelves is far from easy, last I remembered, those boxes are pretty heavy. Most people I see working at Wal Mart are working pretty hard. The night crew is running their asses off trying to get the merchandise to the floor and they only have so many hours in which to do so. In the 24 hour stores they also do this around people in the store shopping.

Standing in one spot all day long, dealing with the public as a cashier is not all fun and games either. Some shoppers haver DU names and have a certain odor to them!

It's about time DU shuts the **** up about Wal Mart. Get your own ****ing life

Even people on this board have said things out of line about Wal Mart employees. If you don't like the store, don't shop there, that is how free enterprise works. We already know 100% of the DUmmies that complain about WalMart continue to shop there....nothing like a protest while you slice your own neck....****ing idiots.

[ChuckJ]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251254348

I love how this sleazeball always puts courage at the end of his posts. What has he ever done that took any courage?
He goes out and panders to his moonbat base and claims that he is courageous for doing so.

 

Again I ask what has he done that has shown courage of any kind?

If we touches the moonbats without a hazmat suit that is kind of courageous, but I guess it could also be considered foolish.

[JohnnyReb]

Why doesn't he do something more worthwhile for the poor WAL-MART workers......like shoot himself.

[miskie]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Squawker Grayson is less interested in Walmart employees, and more interested in making Walmart pay for their medical, instead of letting them use Obamacare and other related programs.

Which makes no sense as Obamacare is gonna save us all like a bajillion dollars a year, or some junk, right ?

right ? Bueller ? Squaaak ? Squaaaak ?

[JohnnyReb]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Squawker Grayson is less interested in Walmart employees, and more interested in making Walmart pay for their medical, instead of letting them use Obamacare and other related programs.

Which makes no sense as Obamacare is gonna save us all like a bajillion dollars a year, or some junk, right ?

right ? Bueller ? Squaaak ? Squaaaak ?

Hey, Obama said it would drive down the cost 3,000%......so now it'll only cost pennies a year......right?......right?......right?

Even using DUmmie math, that doesn't compute.

[diesel driver]

In the first place, my dear Mr. Grayson, how Walmart runs its stores and sets it policies is NONE OF YOUR DAMNED BUSINESS!!!!  

I've worked at Walmart, done everything from cart pusher (I like to see your sorry ass last one shift in the summer heat doing this.  I lost 15 pounds the first week, working only 3 days!), to cashier, to night stocker, to the guy that gets drafted near the end of a shift to go around the store with a pallet jack and pick up all the empty pallets, mainly because I'm 6'2", 240+ pounds and built like a linebacker.

EVERY new hire to Walmart receives a packet, with all the important information needed to be a good Walmart employee.  Rules are explained, etc., etc., responsibilities discussed, etc., etc., dress code, etc., etc.

One of the first rules in that packet is NO UNIONS!!!!!  One of the first things discussed with HR when you are hired is NO UNIONS!!!!  (You also have to pass a drug screen.  SUCK IT, DUmmies!)

To the dipshits that were fired for trying to unionize Walmart, you knew the rules, you broke the rules, you got fired, SUCK IT!

In closing, my dear Mr. Grayson, if you spent your Thanksgiving, giving out turkey sandwiches, instead of enjoying turkey with your family, that's your choice.  At least, while handing out turkey sandwiches, you probably figured the people wouldn't mistake YOU for the turkey, but they would be wrong.

ESAD, MORON!