Thread: Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in

So Sad I just have to wonder if any of the shoppers at that store are feeling any guilt.

What is happening to America????? It is not the country I grew up in.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Wal-Marts are evil empires. They pay their clerks salaries that they can barely get by on, and they sell cheap foreign JUNK mostly from China. But, some people cant afford anything else and thats how Wal-Mart stays in business. Its tragic what happened to that clerk and the woman that lost her baby. My prayers go out to them and their families.

Yes, prayers for the victim and the disturbed individuals who trampled him to death.


As for WallyWorld:
Walmart pays better than most for cashiers. Walmart has 4,000 stores and employs hundreds of thousands of people in all capacities. Walmart is a business and as such their success supports their employees, their families, local and community projects including 20 million $'s worth for Katrina relief alone. No cashier is liable to be paid enough to support a mortgage and be the head of a household but that is not the fault of Walmart. We are becoming more aware of inferior (and dangerous) foreign products. Walmart has not invented the idea of cheap imports, they have just 'super-sized' them. BUT, we can find much of the same merchandise at Walmart as we do at Sears, JC Penney and our mall shops. In due time, we can eliminate junk by manufacturing our own goods. I don't believe in manmade global warming and Walmart is not our enemy. Could it be that the ones who want us to think Walmart is a villian may not have our best interests in mind? (no offense butterbean or anyone, I respect your comments but I see Walmart's success as a success for all of us).

"Any pictures of the crowd?
I bet it was all kids with drivers licences, filling their cars and heading to Malls."


No, I only saw adult 'savages' (at bottom link)....Disgusting and very sad for the victims.


BY JOE GOULD
DAILY NEWS WRITERUpdated Friday, November 28th 2008, 12:31 PM

A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too...I literally had to fight people off my back."The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.The cause of death wasn't immediately available pending results of an autopsy.A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said. Early witness accounts that the woman suffered a miscarriage were unfounded, police said.Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life."They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."Only a few stopped.

Pictures:
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/galler ... tures.html

Originally Posted by IndianaJones

Originally Posted by butterbean

Wal-Marts are evil empires. They pay their clerks salaries that they can barely get by on, and they sell cheap foreign JUNK mostly from China. But, some people cant afford anything else and thats how Wal-Mart stays in business. Its tragic what happened to that clerk and the woman that lost her baby. My prayers go out to them and their families.

Yes, prayers for the victim and the disturbed individuals who trampled him to death.


As for WallyWorld:
Walmart pays better than most for cashiers. Walmart has 4,000 stores and employs hundreds of thousands of people in all capacities. Walmart is a business and as such their success supports their employees, their families, local and community projects including 20 million $'s worth for Katrina relief alone. No cashier is liable to be paid enough to support a mortgage and be the head of a household but that is not the fault of Walmart. We are becoming more aware of inferior (and dangerous) foreign products. Walmart has not invented the idea of cheap imports, they have just 'super-sized' them. BUT, we can find much of the same merchandise at Walmart as we do at Sears, JC Penney and our mall shops. In due time, we can eliminate junk by manufacturing our own goods. I don't believe in manmade global warming and Walmart is not our enemy. Could it be that the ones who want us to think Walmart is a villian may not have our best interests in mind? (no offense butterbean or anyone, I respect your comments but I see Walmart's success as a success for all of us).

Read the following before you think Walmart is benefitting all of us. This is NOT the same Walmart from years ago. Here's just a few examples:

Wal-Mart & Undocumented Immigrants

* In 2003, federal authorities arrested 250 undocumented immigrants who were employed by janitor contracting services and hired by Wal-Mart in 21 states. Many of the janitors - from Mexico, Russia, Mongolia, Poland and a host of other nations - worked seven days or nights a week without overtime pay or injury compensation. Those who worked nights were often locked in the store until the morning. [Wall Street Journal, 11/5/05, CNN Money, "Wal-Mart pays $11m over illegal labor", 2005]

* In March 2005, Wal-Mart agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations it used undocumented immigrants to clean its stores. This was the largest immigration related fine ever levied. [CNN Money, "Wal-Mart pays $11m over illegal labor", 2005 and Wall Street Journal, 11/5/05]

* Federal immigration officers, in November 2005, arrested 125 undocumented workers in a raid at a Wal-Mart distribution center under construction north of Philadelphia. The workers from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were detained Thursday at the site. [Associated Press, 11/18/05]

IGNORING THIS THREAT, WAL-MART LOBBIES MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO RESIST TIGHTENING PORT SECURITY

* Even with the tragedy of 9/11 still fresh in our minds, Wal-Mart and its retail lobby group, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), are lobbying Members of Congress to oppose 100% scanning of port containers.

* The Wall Street Journal, in a "Washington Wire" blurb March 24, 2006 made it clear: "Wal-Mart resists efforts in Congress to dramatically tighten port security in wake of Dubai-ports furor. The company argues examining all containers or even a fixed percentage of them could impede shipping and boost costs." [Wall Street Journal, 3/24/06]


Wal-Mart executives did not act on warnings they were violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

* Wal-Mart has known for years of a massive companywide problem of fair labor standards violations but did not take sufficient steps to address the problem. An internal Wal-Mart audit of one week of time records in 2000 from 25,000 employees had alerted Wal-Mart officials to potential violations. The audit found 60,767 missed breaks and 15,705 lost meal times. It also alerted Wal-Mart executives to 1,371 instances of minors working too late, during school hours, or for too many hours in a day. [Steven Greenhouse, "Suits Say Wal-Mart Forces Workers to Toil Off the Clock," New York Times, A1, 6/25/02]


Wal-Mart's Spending Falls Below Industry Standards

* Wal-Mart's spending on health care for its employees falls well below industry and national employer averages. In 2002, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart spent an average of $3,500 per employee. By comparison, the average spending per employee in the wholesale/retailing sector was $4,800. For U.S. employers in general, the average was $5,600 per employee, Therefore, Wal-Mart's average spending on health benefits for each covered employee was 27% less than the industry average and 37% less than the national average. [Bernard Wysocki, Jr. and Ann Zimmerman, "Wal-Mart Cost-Cutting Finds a Big Target in Health Benefits," Wall Street Journal September 30, 2003 p1]


Your tax dollars pay for Wal-Mart's greed

* The estimated total amount of federal assistance for which Wal-Mart employees were eligible in 2004 was $2.5 billion. [The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]

* One 200-employee Wal-Mart store may cost federal taxpayers $420,750 per year. This cost comes from the following, on average:


* $36,000 a year for free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families.


* $42,000 a year for low-income housing assistance.


* $125,000 a year for federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families.


* $100,000 a year for the additional expenses for programs for students.


* $108,000 a year for the additional federal health care costs of moving into state children's health insurance programs (S-CHIP)


* $9,750 a year for the additional costs for low income energy assistance.

[The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart, A Report By The Democratic Staff Of The Committee On Education And The Workforce, 2/16/04]

Health care subsidies compared to executive compensation

* Excluding his salary of $1.2 million, in 2004 Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott made around $22 million in bonuses, stock awards, and stock options in 2004.

* This $22 million could reimburse taxpayers in 3 states where Wal-Mart topped the list of users of state-sponsored health care programs, covering more than 15,000 Wal-Mart employees and dependents. [Wal-Mart Proxy Statement and News Articles GA, CT, AL].

Your tax dollars subsidize Wal-Mart's growth

* The first ever national report on Wal-Mart subsidies documented at least $1 billion in subsidies from state and local governments.

* A Wal-Mart official stated that "it is common" for the company to request subsidies "in about one-third of all [retail] projects." This would suggest that over a thousand Wal-Mart stores have been subsidized. ["Shopping For Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth," Good Job First, May 2004]

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/facts/