Well that was eye-opening! Last Sunday we screened the film Walmart: The High Price of Low Cost in Portland and had a very interesting panel conversation afterwards about why it’s important to have good jobs in our community, not just jobs.
A few messages from the film really resonated with us, and we wanted to share them with you. Maybe you agree?
- It’s easy to believe (or be sold) that in “this economy” we have to take whatever jobs we’re offered, but the truth is we’re actually collectively worse off if we do. Good jobs are worth fighting for.
- Buying power is linked to wages, not cheap stuff. When we argue that low-wage workers need low prices, we should be arguing that they actually need higher wages.
- Walmart hurts small, local businesses that contribute more to the community – in part by keeping owners’ capital in the community. This is especially apparent in small towns without the shoppers to sustain a Walmart and vibrant Main Street.
- There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If your shirt/toaster/shoes/fan costs $4.99, someone else is paying for it: like the cashier, the stocker, the factory worker, or the environment.
- Walmart fails at the workplace policies we value: they don’t pay living wages, they routinely underhire and overwork, they don’t let employees earn paid sick days, they offer unaffordable health care and encourage their employees to utilize public welfare programs, they require overtime work – but no overtime pay, they prevent union organizing, and they discriminate against women. All of which lowers work standards across the community.
- Where we shop matters. When our approach to shopping is driven solely by cost, we get what we pay for. Instead, let’s seek out the often affordable alternatives that do better by their employees and the communities where they do business. They’re out there, and it’s our job as community members – who tend to rise and fall together – to find them.
Screen the film at home – with friends!
If you couldn’t join us on Sunday, you can still see the film! And invite some friends to watch it with you. It’s easy to host a home screening – just click here to order the DVD and use our discussion questions to guide the conversation.
Making Change with Walmart
Because Walmart’s impact on communities, people, and the environment is so great, there is an active campaign to change it for the better. Check out the Making Change at Walmart campaign, which is now working locally in Oregon.