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Title: Want a Wal-Mart job? Join the crowd 11,000 apply for 400 openings at retailer's new Oakland Store
Source:
San Francisco Gate
URL Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic ... c/a/2005/08/17/MNGDPE91AH1.DTL
Published: Aug 19, 2005
Author: Pia Sarkar
Post Date: 2005-08-19 10:04:44 by Zipporah
Keywords: retailers, Wal-Mart, openings
Views: 165
Comments: 30
Wal-Mart workers at the new Oakland store gather before e... Melvin Brown, who's been out of work for six months, drop... New Wal-Mart. Chronicle Graphic * Printable Version * Email This Article For all the criticism that Wal-Mart receives for its low wages and minimal health benefits, the retail giant says more than 11,000 people in the Bay Area are clamoring to get a job at its new Oakland store. The country's largest employer plans to welcome customers into its 148, 000-square-foot store on Edgewater Drive next Wednesday, and it says it already has filled 350 of its 400 openings. Wal-Mart has accepted more than 11,000 applications from Bay Area job seekers, marking the largest volume of interest it has received at any of its Northern California stores, said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin. "I needed a job ASAP, and they had their doors open," said Virginia Ford, 19, of Oakland, who had applied for 25 jobs in three months before she landed one as a cashier at Wal-Mart in Oakland on Tuesday. Stephen Levy, an economist for the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, said the pent-up demand for work reflects the Bay Area's slow recovery from the dot-com crash. "There's still a lot of people who were put out of work in the last four years who still don't have a job," Levy said. The unemployment rate in Alameda and Contra Costa counties climbed to 5.1 percent in June, up from 4.6 percent the month before but still below the state's unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, according to the latest statistics from the California Employment Development Department. But some economists say those numbers do not tell the full story about the job market. To be counted as unemployed, a person must have sought a job within the past four weeks and must be completely out of work. Wanting a job but not looking for one takes a person out of the labor force and out of the unemployment-rate calculation. The Bay Area also has lost hundreds of jobs to outsourcing and offshoring, compounded by all the jobs that never came back after the local economy collapsed. "It's not about Wal-Mart -- it's about the rest of the labor market," Levy said. "If the rest of the labor market was strong, you wouldn't have 11, 000 people applying for 400 jobs." During the dot-com boom, Levy said, businesses like Starbucks bumped up wages to recruit employees in the middle of a hot job market. But now the situation has reversed, and more people are willing to take whatever they can get. "It's simply a comment on how many people are willing to apply for that kind of job now," Levy said of the surge of applications at Wal-Mart. For its part, Wal-Mart -- currently embroiled in a fight to break up a class-action discrimination suit by female employees -- has been pleased with the turnout of candidates who are interested in working for the company. Right now, it is still looking to fill positions for evening sales associates, overnight sales associates, cashiers and unloaders at its Oakland store. The company offers an average hourly wage in the Bay Area of $10.82. It says it employs more than 66,000 people at its 150 stores in California. On Tuesday, Wal-Mart workers gathered together for their daily meeting filled with motivational speeches and a Wal-Mart cheer, which involves a few loud hoots and a wiggle. Yolanda Williams, 48, of Oakland, started her job at the store five weeks ago, helping to set it up. On Tuesday, she was setting up the lingerie department, which she heads as a manager. Williams previously worked as a senior computer operator for the city of Oakland and a cook at the city's jail before it closed. She said she is happy to be working for Wal-Mart. "I felt I was lucky because I've never been a manager in retail," she said. Lisa Jackson, 34, a Wal-Mart employee for nine years, working as a cashier, truck unloader and overnight stock clerk, is now a manager of the electronics department at the new Oakland store. "I love my job," Jackson said. "I like the people, and I love what I do." Labor organizations have long bashed Wal-Mart for offering what they see as meager health benefits and paltry wages that force employees to work multiple jobs or apply for public assistance. "Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers in the world -- they have to be a model for the society they are promoting," said Wendell Chin, coalition director for the Central Labor Council of Alameda County. "If they don't provide a decent lifestyle, it's scary." A study by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education last August found that Wal-Mart workers received lower wages than any other retail workers and were less likely to have health benefits. In addition, reliance by Wal-Mart employees on public assistance programs cost taxpayers an estimated $86 million annually, including $32 million in health-related expenses and $54 million in other assistance. Chin said jobs at Wal-Mart are a dead-end cycle that keeps people in poverty. Although he does not blame anyone for applying for work there, he said that Wal-Mart owes it to them to provide them a way to make a decent living. "It's not just about jobs," Chin said. "It's (having) a good job that you can raise a family on." For people like Melvin Brown, any job would be a blessing. "I think this is a good place to work," said Brown, 52, who dropped off his application on Tuesday for an overnight maintenance position. "It seems like everybody gets along well with everybody." Brown has been looking for a job for six months. He said he could live with the wages that Wal-Mart is offering. "It's best to accept what you can get," he said. "You start low and aim high. First you gotta get your foot in the door." Poster Comment: When that many people apply for a job at friggen WALMART we ARE in deep trouble.
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#1. To: Zipporah (#0)
The Bay area lost HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of jobs to outsourcing and offshoring, compounded by H1b and L1 visa workers. That's the truth. If anyone doubts it, I'll find links to MSM articles that prove it.
These people need to be deported..
Unreal. How on earth they skew the unemployment #s from the Dept of Labor is beyond me.
No sh**. Of course that's not happening, Bush wants to expand the # coming into the states.. and the congress and senate will be in full support. Unfettered capitalism is on the move.
I agree. I've read the comments on other sites with this article. The unrealists say it's because they pay and treat their employess well and those people want to work there. The truth is that most people are desperate and are willing to take anything. Most of the people I know who work there hate it and only stay because they can't find other employment. I'm talking about people with college degrees too. It's pathetic. Wal-Mart has the highest employee turnover ratio in the country.
The unrealists say it's because they pay and treat their employess well and those people want to work there. The truth is that most people are desperate and are willing to take anything. Of course those are probably talking points from the RNC. Walmart pays next to nothing. The Bush apologists are scum.
The official unemployment in the Bay area was over 8.5% for about a year; mostly high tech. That did not include the high tech that got jobs at Home Depot to put food on the table. Then they refinanced their homes to try and stay out of debt; electrical and software engineers. FR was once loaded with us encouraging and consoling each other. Some sold their homes, moved to a rural area and retired early. At the time, the San Francisco Chronicle had an article about an unemployed space engineer selling chocolate on the sidewalk. It would have been funny if it wasn't such a sad waste of talent. I posted the article on FR and the free traders thought it was wonderful he was starting a new business.
But some economists say those numbers do not tell the full story about the job market. To be counted as unemployed, a person must have sought a job within the past four weeks and must be completely out of work. Wanting a job but not looking for one takes a person out of the labor force and out of the unemployment-rate calculation. Bush has provided lots of job openings in the Army and Marines....
OMG how despicable. I wonder if 8.5% was even accurate. They're reporting unemployment nationally at 5.0% in Jul 2005 which is total bullsh**.
YEP just check Career Builder and Monster. They're advertising there for military "jobs".
The #s are all cooked. And even the BLS website explains how the long-term unemployed are no longer counted. On FR, I learned how the BLS calculates the #s, it is not an exact science; plenty of room for chicanery.
I doubt they count me as unemployed. I work for a temp agency while searching for full time work. Technically I am employed since I work for the temp agency.. But really I consider myself as unemployed..
I should add, that Smirk's gang made a mistake unemploying an educated, logically minded population. Many became politically active, reading alternate websites on the internet for information. I for one would never have had the time to explore past the MSM without Smirk's treasonous trade policies. I've said more than once, had this administration not been in such a hurry, they could have managed to hoodwink nearly everyone. But, they were greedy and impatient. Their real intentions were thus made obvious to those with time to look.
Huge mistake...I have had tons of time on my hands to figure it all out..and to wake up others who haven't the time..
I suppose I'm of the age where I consider a job at Wal-Mart as something either for the desperate or perhaps as an after school kids job. These FReepy sob's who consider it a plum job are cultists. Their religion is free trade, accepting illegal immigration and nation building. Their politics needs to be shattered like an egg shell.
John Williams Elaborates on His Materially Lower Estimate of July Payroll Employment Growth Highly Questionable US Employment Gains! by Marc Faber Richard W.
If 11,000 people are applying for the jobs, then they are paying too much.
Thanks Arete. ping X and Zip.
Hm maybe these people's unemployment has run out or they've not been able to find a job in other sectors? here's something interesting on Walmart's payscale. Additionally: In a book to be published this fall, a group of scholars argue that since Wal Mart has surpassed Genral Motors as the nation's largest employer, they have an obligation to treat their workers better. Andrew Grossman, the executive director of Wal Mart Watch says that a company as big and wealthy as Wal Mart should pay people at a minimum enough to go over the U. S. poverty line. H. Lee Scott, Jr. Wal Mart's chief executive defends his company saying that Wal Mart pays more than most retailers and provides more opportunities for advancement. He cites an example of a new store opening in Glendale, Arizona, that attracted 8,000 job applicants for 525 openings and one in Los Angeles that had 3,000 applicants for 300 openings. Wal Mart says its full-time workers average around $9.68 an hour, with an average annual pay of $17,600, below the poverty line for a family of four but above it for a family of three.
Probably true. That doesn't change the fact that any job offer that attracts 11,000 applicants who believe they are qualified is paying too much. It's simple market economics.
Their only obligation is to refrain from violating the rights of others. If they violate rights, they should be punished like any other. However, if they are just obnoxious or stupid, that is their right. The employees, on the other hand, have an obligation to find other employment if they don't feel their treatment is consistent with their compensation.
Andrew is parrotting the typical communist drivel. WalMart should pay the minimum amount required to attract applicants qualified to perform the job duties. If that is $0.79 per hour, then that is the wage they should pay.
Not sure what the employment situation is where you are located but Walmart's payscale is are from high end. When that many people are applying for Walmart jobs then something is amiss and more than what they're paying.. And the point of the other links wasnt that I am in agreement with the commentary but more to reveal what Walmart's payscale is.
No doubt the labor market is distorted by many different factors today. Here in Oregon and specifically in the Portland metro area, unemployment is significant. Mostly due to anti-business policies at the state and local levels. The recession hit harder here and it is recovering slower than other places. Even so, there are entry level jobs to be had. No, these jobs DO NOT pay a "living wage." Nor should they. They are ENTRY LEVEL jobs, just like the WalMart jobs. They require no particular skills beyond that which the average functional teenager possesses. It only takes a couple days of training at most to bring new employees up to speed. That's why they are entry level jobs. Nobody should be trying to sustain a family on this kind of employment. And if they do, the fault is their own. Rather than letting life wash over them like a tidal wave, they should exercise some personal responsibility and start making choices.
Your theory here sounds great but it's not the reality in today's job market.
It is not a theory. It IS reality. A job requiring little or no skills is an entry level job. Everyone qualifies to fill it and therefore it commands a very low wage. The wage is so low that no person in their right mind will try to sustain a family on it. They'll use it to gain skills and job experience so that they can move into a better position that pays more. At that point where they are making enough to sustain a family, they can then choose to enter serious relationships and start thinking about building a stable financial base from which to consider having a child. Conversely, those who choose to stay in the "entry level" kinds of jobs will just have to understand that they will never have what those around them who choose more wisely have. It's all about our own personal choices. Make good ones and prosper. Make bad ones and pay the price.
What a bunch of crap. Socialists getting all upset because Wal*Mart doesn't feel like paying slack-jawed apes $19 an hour to bag groceries. It's not Wal*Mart's fault that their employees spend money foolishly and/or breed more than they can feed. These leftist hacks would be better off encouraging employees to buy Wal*Mart stock--then as the company makes money, they make money. Indeed, most of the "retires from Wal*Mart a millionaire" people did just that.
They're lying to you.
Of course the City of Oakland turned down the opportunity to have an Indian Gaming facility built across the street from the new WalMart. This project would have created thousands of new construction and permenant casino jobs, as well as netting the deficit ridden city about 25 million dollars annually from a municipal service agreement. This project would have taken a 30 acre parking lot and turned it into a 100million+ per year revenue generator, but it was turned down by the all Democrat Oakland City Council which feared the negative impact that gaming would have on the local comunity of east Oakland [big lol].
I take it east Oakland is a community which is suffocating under the tutelege of the Great White Left Wing Fathers? Hugs, not drugs, see? Say it with me...
We should thank the Nazis for giving us all those stark, frightening images. How else we gonna learn not to act like that? On the other hand, monkey see...
The Bay Area also has lost hundreds of jobs to outsourcing and offshoring, compounded by all the jobs that never came back after the local economy collapsed.
One if by land, two if by sea...how many if they are already here?
#2. To: robin (#1)
H1b and L1 visa workers.
#3. To: robin (#1)
#4. To: Lady X (#2)
These people need to be deported..
#5. To: Zipporah (#0)
When that many people apply for a job at friggen WALMART we ARE in deep trouble.
#6. To: Grumble Jones (#5)
I've read the comments on other sites with this article.
#7. To: Lady X, Zipporah (#2)
One if by land, two if by sea...how many if they are already here?
#8. To: Zipporah (#0)
"There's still a lot of people who were put out of work in the last four years who still don't have a job," Levy said. The unemployment rate in Alameda and Contra Costa counties climbed to 5.1 percent in June, up from 4.6 percent the month before but still below the state's unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, according to the latest statistics from the California Employment Development Department.
#9. To: robin (#7)
At the time, the San Francisco Chronicle had an article about an unemployed space engineer selling chocolate on the sidewalk. It would have been funny if it wasn't such a sad waste of talent. I posted the article on FR and the free traders thought it was wonderful he was starting a new business.
#10. To: Steppenwolf (#8)
Bush has provided lots of job openings in the Army and Marines....
#11. To: Zipporah, Lady X (#9)
One if by land, two if by sea...how many if they are already here?
#12. To: robin (#11)
#13. To: Zipporah, Lady X (#11)
One if by land, two if by sea...how many if they are already here?
#14. To: robin (#13)
I should add, that Smirk's gang made a mistake unemploying an educated, logically minded population
#15. To: Grumble Jones (#5)
Most of the people I know who work there hate it and only stay because they can't find other employment. I'm talking about people with college degrees too. It's pathetic.
#16. To: robin (#11)
#17. To: Zipporah (#6)
Walmart pays next to nothing.
#18. To: Arete, Lady X, Zipporah (#16)
One if by land, two if by sea...how many if they are already here?
#19. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#17)
If 11,000 people are applying for the jobs, then they are paying too much.
#20. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#17)
#21. To: Zipporah (#19)
Hm maybe these people's unemployment has run out or they've not been able to find a job in other sectors?
#22. To: Zipporah (#20)
a group of scholars argue that since Wal Mart has surpassed Genral Motors as the nation's largest employer, they have an obligation to treat their workers better.
#23. To: Zipporah (#20)
Andrew Grossman, the executive director of Wal Mart Watch says that a company as big and wealthy as Wal Mart should pay people at a minimum enough to go over the U. S. poverty line.
#24. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#21)
Probably true. That doesn't change the fact that any job offer that attracts 11,000 applicants who believe they are qualified is paying too much. It's simple market economics.
#25. To: Zipporah (#24)
#26. To: Mr Nuke Buzzcut (#25)
No, these jobs DO NOT pay a "living wage." Nor should they. They are ENTRY LEVEL jobs, just like the WalMart jobs. They require no particular skills beyond that which the average functional teenager possesses. It only takes a couple days of training at most to bring new employees up to speed. That's why they are entry level jobs. Nobody should be trying to sustain a family on this kind of employment. And if they do, the fault is their own. Rather than letting life wash over them like a tidal wave, they should exercise some personal responsibility and start making choices.
#27. To: Zipporah (#26)
#28. To: Zipporah (#20)
In a book to be published this fall, a group of scholars argue that since Wal Mart has surpassed Genral Motors as the nation's largest employer, they have an obligation to treat their workers better. Andrew Grossman, the executive director of Wal Mart Watch says that a company as big and wealthy as Wal Mart should pay people at a minimum enough to go over the U. S. poverty line.
#29. To: Steppenwolf (#8)
Bush has provided lots of job openings in the Army and Marines....
#30. To: LeCroupier (#29)
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