Wal-Mart boycott divides teachers

[pstokely]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-locvwalmart16071605jul16,0,533675.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-volusia
"Florida teacher unions are at odds about how deeply to get involved in a national campaign to persuade the public not to shop for back-to-school clothing and supplies at Wal-Mart.

Teacher representatives say they back the decision of their national union to support Wake-Up Wal-Mart, an "education program" and boycott initiated by the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

But some say it's unrealistic to ask teachers, aides, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other unionized school workers to boycott the behemoth retailer."

[Mythsaje]

1. It's rough

considering that the crappy economy is actually promoting Wal-Mart. People have to do what they must to survive.

[Cha]

2. I don't think walmart is that cheap..

only in their treatment of their employees.

Send 'em to K-mart.

[sam sarrha]

4. the quality of the crap they sell is cheap.. and getting worse

[Mythsaje]

7. For ME

K-mart is closer. For some it's not the case.

[FreedomAngel82]

10. I go to Target

They're a lot better and good prices. A lot cheaper then WalMart.

[AnnInLa]

25. In many communities, like mine, Wal Mart is the only

discount store available....we would have to drive 25 miles to get to a K-Mart or Target.....even there, there is no Costco, sigh.

So, even tho I hate WM just as much as anyone, I don't have much of an option.

[Carolab]

15. Or CostCo or Target. There ARE alternative choices, people.

On edit: I just looked up Target--it's SOLID RED on www.buyblue.org

CostCo, however, is SOLID BLUE.

[Mythsaje]

18. I was going to mention that about Target...n/t

[pstokely]

20. for many, Wal-mart is the only place within miles

[WLKjr]

24. The K-Mart I know of is sort of expensive compared to Wal-Mart

[NMMNG]

13. There are plenty of places to shop besides Walfart

Kmart, Target, Dollar stores, Value City (may be regional) various regional discount department stores. There is no need to support a behemouth that denigrates it's employees by paying them substandard wages and giving them inferior health care, censors its media and engages in moral grandstanding by refusing to sell hormonal contraception/morning after pills under the erroneous claim that they kill unborn fetuses (yet willingly sells guns and bullets which kill thousands of living people each year).

[HockeyMom]

3. PTA

How about organizing the PTA? School supplies can get expensive and many families might need the cheaper cost of a WalMart.

Maybe they could get lists from the teachers of the supplies needed, have the PTA contact the parents, and they could then go buy in bulk from COSCO? It actually might even work out cheaper for the parents that way. Or groups of parents in each class could get together and buy the supplies in quantity.

Something along those lines. Unfortunately, not too much time left before school starts.

[napi21]

6. WM is NOT the cheapest place in town!

Check the Wallgreens, Eckert, & CVS ads in your Sun papers for school supplies. They have coupons that you have to use, but they have flyers in the store if you don't get the Sun paper. They are every bit as cheap as WM, and a whole lot easier to shop in too.

Check other stores too for back to school clothes. WM might have the cheapest price on some clothes, but they don't last the entire first semster either!

[pstokely]

21. in some places, school starts the first week of August

in other places, school doesn't start until after Labor Day, they start pretty early in Florida

[rwheeler31]

5. Oh come on people, get a grip , you have

thrift stores and dollar stores and the net.

[Zorra]

8. Wal-Mart is the biggest Bu*h/republican supporter. Democrats should never

ever buy anything there, no matter how cheap it is.

Buying at Wal-Mart supports fascism.

Please join the boycott.

[sarahf]

9. boycott

I'd be happy to join a boycott to support better wages. I think, however, that education groups (teacher unions especially and the NEA particularly) should be less focused on Walmart and other political issues and more focused on education.

Maybe its that I don't pay attention, but the more seriously thought of professional associations (AMA, etc...) don't seem to get themselves bogged down in non-related issues.

[cynatnite]

19. It is about a good education

Kids should have what they need in order to learn. The schools are financially strapped and it takes both teachers and parents to do it. I personally know teachers who spend money out of their own pockets to make sure every kid gets what they need when the parents can't afford it.

We pay school fees and buy supplies for our kids. They raised all the fees this year.

It's a travesty that this country can't do better for its students.

[Tommymac]

12. I haven't set foot in a Wal-Mart in over 2 years.

[madeline_con]

11. "some say it's unrealistic "

Every other store has the same crap for back to school as Wally World. What's so unrealistic?

You can buy clothes supplies, backpacks, the whole 9 yards in any number of other places.

[Al-CIAda]

14. Pathetic Americans cannot sacrifice for principle or principal.

May their children then have a fine career at the place they cannot avoid.

[Carolab]

16. They should BUY BLUE instead.

www.buyblue.org

[madeline_con]

17. Being an employee of the school system...

I can assure you that a great number of those children will grow up to do just that, while a large number of their classmates will be unqualified even for that type of employment.

[tsuki]

22. I don't think it's unrealistic to ask the Union to support the boycott.

Teaching the boycott, or pushing the boycott here would just further divide the schools. Several of our schools here are split just like the country is being split into the wealthy and the working poor, very few middle class. The children whose parents buy at WalMart are belittled and frozen out. It is heart-breaking. To have the teachers involved in promoting a boycott would do further damage, IMHO.

But, they should support the Union boycott. Florida has been busy rolling back Union protections for its teachers. They need to take a stand personally.

[electron_blue]

23. they don't want to be hypocritical

i would wager that most teachers shop at Walmart in the first place. To support a boycott would mean, obviously, not shopping there as well as urging others to not shop there. Everyone who shops at Walmart has a solid justification (in their mind) for doing it. It usually has to do with putting their family's financial status first.