Thursday December 27, 2012, 11:32 am
Betsy, just copy and paste link I sent you and send out in message! Excellent post!

Thursday December 27, 2012, 1:13 pm
Thanks, Betsy, what a great action there by the ILA and I hope there'll be more of it on Dec 30!
Will it make an impression or even impact on Walmart? I doubt it, that would take more agressive actions, however this one is an excellent step and might serve as a warning.

Thursday December 27, 2012, 1:20 pm
Thanks Betsy for the post and the link to the article by Kerry Taylor. Kudos to Locals 1771 and 1422 of the International Longshoremen’s Association and others who honored the picket line. I haven't shop at Wally World since 1993 when I found out how they treated their workers (and still do) here in the US. Read and noted. Oh and thanks Betsy for sending me the notification for this post.

Thursday December 27, 2012, 1:48 pm
Excellent Betsy*BEE, Thank You.
" Local 1422 member Leonard Riley told the protestors that the ILA was "standing up for what's morally right and what's legally right." He described their brief strike as "a responsibility that organized labor has to these kinds of struggles" and suggested that it was "a dry run" for a possible coast-wide strike on Dec. 30".

Thursday December 27, 2012, 1:50 pm
Noted. Thanks Betsy! Great post!

Thursday December 27, 2012, 2:33 pm
What a great way to shed light on an otherwise obscure problem. Thanks Betsy,

Thursday December 27, 2012, 3:06 pm
noted, thanks !

Thursday December 27, 2012, 3:56 pm
Noted!! Thanks!!

Thursday December 27, 2012, 4:37 pm
You go, Longshoremen! There Is Power In A Union

Thursday December 27, 2012, 6:21 pm
Good for them! Thanks Betsy.

Thursday December 27, 2012, 6:55 pm
The heart of this issue is not with labor... it is with consumers. Until people are willing to give up the "cheap" goods they want to buy to have more and more in favor of paying the honest cost for goods and services that support fellow human beings both at home and abroad nothing will change.

Thursday December 27, 2012, 7:03 pm
And this is another reason I have boycotted nike for eons now. I buy made in USA or I don't buy.
Thank you Betsy

Thursday December 27, 2012, 7:50 pm
Noted. Thanks for the post, Betsy. All workers need fair wages, regardless which country they work in.

Thursday December 27, 2012, 8:20 pm
Good!

Thursday December 27, 2012, 10:20 pm
Noted, thanks Betsy, and a well done to my Union Brothers!!!!

Thursday December 27, 2012, 10:45 pm
Good for the Longshoremen! They brought more publicity to the issue of unsafe working conditions for our suppliers' workers, and publicity closer to home.

Retailers should show responsibility for the source of their products, from the sustainability of the raw materials used to working conditions for the labor; and we, as consumers, should be asking them about it.

Friday December 28, 2012, 12:33 am
Well done ILA for raising the profile of these formally invisible workers. I agree with most people here that all workers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions but Robert Hardy hit the nail on the head with his comment. At the end of the day it is all down to our selfish demand as consumers for the cheapest possible products.

Friday December 28, 2012, 12:59 am
Thank you for the Longshoremen for caring about these poor workers. I think the "public" has already forgotten about these workers who sacrificed their life to make clothes for Walmart.

Friday December 28, 2012, 4:31 am
Thanks so much for publishing this - I wouldn't have known - good for the Longshoremen, I don't shop at Walmart even on a ffixed income (I'm probably making more than most W workers) - it's a dirty company - this action is one that makes the unions in this country more valuable, and it's what makes the greedy amoral governors in so many states try to bust them!

Friday December 28, 2012, 5:44 am
This is so important an issue - thanks Betsy. Ultimately we are the ones one can make things right. Just don't purchase the damned products. Exactly right Lee - Unions do count. Lets all support this excellent cause folks.

Friday December 28, 2012, 6:10 am
Noted thank you Betsy.

Friday December 28, 2012, 7:05 am
An interesting wrinkle. I've never shopped at Walmart let alone set foot in one of their stores.

Friday December 28, 2012, 7:41 am
TY

Friday December 28, 2012, 8:00 am
sharing thanks Betsy

Friday December 28, 2012, 8:12 am
I equate working at walmart or shopping at walmart with being in a death camp and hiding so your fellow prisoners die in your place. Cheap stuff isn't always cheap. The price might be someone else's life or standard of living.

Friday December 28, 2012, 8:13 am
Thank you Betsy.

Friday December 28, 2012, 8:48 am
Gloria said it best, you pay a high price for buying cheap!
And watch out for more action to come, perhaps as soon as Sunday! The East Coast dockworkers strike is threatening to close ports.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/business/dockworkers-strike-threatens-to-close-east-coast-ports.html?_r=0) Power to the ILA!

Friday December 28, 2012, 11:56 am
I commend the individual workers for standing with the Wal-Mart strikers but I question the overall motives of the union controllers. Their aims may not be so idealistic if you get my drift. It's like the local Ontario politician who bluntly stated that there was no Mafia or organized crime in the province. Really; considering that Ontario is the money laundering and investment capital center for most of the Euro crime lords. ROFLMAO

Friday December 28, 2012, 2:51 pm
noted

Friday December 28, 2012, 4:36 pm
Thank you everyone for the comments and show of support for the South Carolina ILA. Great comments. Yes, Angelika, I am looking forward with you to the very possible shutdown of East Coast ports. It is time for Union power to become evident in this country again, especially when the Unions are realizing the international brotherhood of workers in situations such as this.

Friday December 28, 2012, 6:08 pm

Buy cheap and others pay the price. Where have all the jobs gone? To cheap labor sweat shops like this one, a tragedy reinforced each time you shop in Wal mart or buy goods made in a sweat shop. You each have the power to end this with your patronage or lack of patronage.

Saturday December 29, 2012, 4:13 am
Noted

Saturday December 29, 2012, 9:28 am
Horrible!! What a shame that the companies can't produce their products in an ethical way!!!
Thanks Betsy for posting

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 5:00 am
Betsy, 1000 thanks to you for having launched this issue to Care2!
It's the same nauseous stinginess that caused this disaster as it is in the case of animal abuse in factory farming - just for not being bent on paying an adequate price for products.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 11:40 am
This action in S.C. is very good news. Workers can be so powerful if they unionize, and I'll bet Wal Mart hated this! Low prices are indeed costly, and I avoid shopping there.

Thursday January 3, 2013, 5:22 am
Thanks Betsy, great to read about people taking action in this.

Tuesday January 8, 2013, 11:14 am
Noted, tweeted, tweeted, read and shared. Workers are beginning to understand they better support each other if they want to stay in the middle class. Wal-mart has driven many "Mom and Pop" stores out of business. They also depend upon the US government to insure their workers, and they don't allow unions. Put all this together, and you are back to the days of the "Company Store."


w

Tuesday January 8, 2013, 12:14 pm
Considering the number of Longshoremen, I think if more of them were to get involved inthese actions (as opposed to having their better halves do it ;-)) much could be accomplished...
Unfortunately here in WA. the ports themselves are causing rifts between the different locals by trying to undercut the cost to shippers, thereby alienating what should be abrotherhood
And new ports supposed to expand in your neck of the woods are only going to make matters worse unfortunately.
Rock on ILWU!

Tuesday January 8, 2013, 1:13 pm
Good post Betsy.

Tuesday January 8, 2013, 2:56 pm
Terrible news, Ellen about ports causing rifts between unions.

Thank you all who made recent comments.

Sunday January 13, 2013, 4:35 pm
Thanks, Betsy.

Monday January 14, 2013, 6:08 pm
Dismantling the unions is one goal of the greedy bastards in business. Thank goodness there are still some who fight for the ethical side. Workers unite! It's a shame that Wall Street and company have impoverished so many of us that we can't afford to boycott all the big box stores which treat their employees unethically. As far as I'm concerned, there is very little sense of honor among the thieves who are in power in America anyway, so it may not matter whether we pay high or low prices, the heads of most companies are screwing someone along the line, we can be sure! But we can spread the word that we're on to them. Thanks, Betsy!