View Single Post
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 2008-04-09
Dwight Dwight is offline
Title: Junior Member
Rank: Failing Enterprise Intern (10-24 Posts)
 
Join Date: 2008-04-07
Posts: 16
Dwight has an average reputation (10+)
Default Re: Enterprise and Wal-Mart.

Quote:
Originally Posted by connie_damico View Post
I watched the documentary "Wal-Mart: the high cost of low prices" this evening and was creeped out at how similar some of the stories and practices are to those of Enterprise. Has anyone else seen this documentary and noticed the similarities? Propoganda like the fifty-million dollar tree pledge, our "committment" to our community, our "awesome" training program and internal promotional schema, and our involvement with the United Way (which is an evil corporation in and of itself) just seemed to coincide with the corporate crap that Wal-Mart spews on it's own commercials and website.

I this place and I realized that I'm too smart to swallow the crap that they continually try to shove down my throat! I wish I could explain more, but I'm afraid of revealing my identity. I'm sure that my useless HR rep takes time out of their busy day sending useless e-mails to check this site when they can fit it in their schedule.

Any thoughts?
Connie, that is absolutely spot-on analysis. Maybe we should do a video.

The similarities start and end with upper management: Exclusively Republican (as a Group level manager, I kept very quiet about some of my political beliefs. I was under intense pressure to donate thousands of my paycheck to the ERAC PAC, which supports Republicans over Democrats 4 to 1. By the way, you can see exactly which managers do donate and how much on Opensecrets.org--Money in politics data),. Almost exclusively, painfully white and male. And very much a luxurious fraternity party.

A GP15 RVP once bragged to me that ERAC has created more millionaires than any other company in world history, EVER. Consider that. Consider the cost to customers and lower level employees.

The five RVPs in GP15 (the five princes) used to have a big bet with each other to see how early in the year (what paycheck) each one would get to the point in their compensation where they no longer had Social Security taken out of their paychecks. THE CAP IN SOCIAL SECURITY WAS $90,000. MOST HAD HIT THAT BY EARLY/MID FEBRUARY.

Someone reading this may think there is nothing wrong with that. If you do, take a look at some of the threads on this website, and consider what the human cost is in order for each of those men to enjoy a race like that.

Nothing comes without a cost. The rest of the world (Japan, Germany, UK, etc) compensates upper management/CEO at approximately 20 to 1 ratio of CEO to low level employee. That means if the lowest grunt earns 25,000, the CEO is pulling down 500K. Here in the USA, it is more like 500 to 1. And at ERAC and Wal - Mart? 2500 to 1? 3500 to 1? 5000 to 1?

Here, the Taylors are salting away hundreds of millions a year into their tax sheltered family trust (shares of the Taylor Family trust are owned by about a page full of upper management types, and a few of the older group presidents). They probably pay a lower tax rate on the income than the porters/car preps do.

The human cost of their accumulated wealth is practically uncountable. My wife was just reminding me of all of the marriages we have seen broken up by Enterprise over the years. We stopped counting when we got to ten.

The same goes for the Walton family. Good analogy.

And, get out when you can!!

Peace,


Dwight.
Reply With Quote