“Walmart doesn’t destroy small businesses, capitalism does.”

The title quote is from an article by Pablo Babanegra of Miami Autonomy and Solidarity. It sums up problems within local movements fighting the entrance of Walmart into their communities, and focuses on the construction of the Walmart Super Center in Midtown Miami (which has met intense opposition from many Miami residents). The article is well worth reading.

The coming of a Walmart elicits intense reactions. For many, Walmart is the purest expression of the ills of American capitalism. The company has a record of labor and environmental abuses, a history of eliminating small businesses, lowering wages, and intensifying job insecurity in communities. These things have a cumulative effect throughout the national economy. Walmart is the largest employer in the U.S. and the third largest in the world. Their labor practices are largely replicated throughout the economy. If most jobs at Walmart are low-wage with no benefits, and the corporation engages in fierce anti-union activities, then other employers must follow suit to compete. Proponents of Walmart think of this particular massive corporation as being the ultimate goal of all small businesses — a good, old-fashioned business success.

Read the rest of the article on Salty Eggs, here:
http://saltyeggs.com/when-walmart-comes-to-midtown/