Page numbers refer to the print edition but are hyperlinked to the appropriate location in the e-book.
Page numbers in italics indicate figures or tables
absences: discussion boards on, 228; discussion board term as, 222; manager responding humanely to, 117; points from unexcused, 111, 115; Walmart punishing for medical, 114, 282n24
abuse, 3–4; community constraints enabling manager, 38; escaping home with, 66–67; inappropriate requirements as workplace, 107–8; OUR Walmart for freedom from domestic, 185; Walmart as escape from, 26–27, 73, 81
activists, 8, 14–15; Florida team lives changed by, 243–44; Florida team with multiple levels of, 245–46; interviews of, 41; Ohio team after summer as, 246–47; Walmart turnover eliminating, 33
affective relations, 206, 269; children not saving marriages as, 302n16; distinct neural correlate to, 270
algorithms: Bentonville calculating and deciding with, 38; Black Lives Matter discussion board influenced by, 230; customer surprises influencing, 123–24; customer wait time from, 121–22; OUR Walmart and online, 236; semantic networks mapped by, 222–23; staffing from sales data, 121; traffic flow prediction by, 221–22
arbitrary authority, 2; ability to exit and, 292n44; conflicting orders and double bind as, 286n30; customer as right providing, 138–39; foremen and managers with, 28, 38, 141–42; Gamson study on group and, 205–6; indignity and injustice over, 251; looking other way invoking, 116, 117; low-wage jobs creating, 38–39, 204; Milgram experiment on person and, 205–6, 267–68; name tag changes and, 126–27; respect needs intensified under, 146; in server systems, 120–21; stories of, 127; technology countering, 142, 145; union memory and, 53, 141–42; vague company policy leading to, 111; Walmartism as scheduling in, 251; workers resenting, 284n5
autonomy, 20–21, 251; all workers desiring, 284n5; customer unpredictability creating, 86–87; in server systems, 120–21; workers dissatisfied with unions on, 288n6; workers with, 38
benefits: discussion boards on, 228; disgruntled workers leaving as, 274n35; welfare reform for Walmart as, 69
Bentonville: algorithms calculated in, 38; recruitment ease further away, 181, 293n54; Walmart home office in, 13, 28, 94
Black Lives Matter: algorithms influencing discussion board of, 230; online extending offline of, 235; police murder images utilized online by, 231
bonuses, MyShare: customer behavior policing for, 87, 113; discussion boards on, 228; injuries not reported to boost, 87, 112, 144; smile requirement and, 39, 55, 56, 87, 139–40
boredom: semantic network term work as, 221; workers pushed by, 61, 62, 81
brain scans: activities in different parts of, 260, 261; friendship and trust distinction in, 40, 43; social structures and reactions in, 258; trust same as helping in, 270. See also fMRI
Bronfenbrenner, Kate, 164
cameras: intimidation with, 193; police linked to, 224–25, 225; surveillance with, 142, 143, 146, 191, 225, 225, 251
Chicago team: community as not supporting, 204; disillusionment for member of, 244–45; Freedom Summer reunion as furthest from, 300n5; friendship but not cooperation for, 208; mundane conversations as key for, 163; organizers as Reverend in, 213–14; sexual harassment observed by, 200–201; slow recruitment for, 190; solidarity for, 194, 214
civil rights: class action suit on women, 107; examples, 184; labor rights as not, 242
coaching: as correctional input, 106; life problems causing problems as, 115; sick term as related to, 222; termination related to, 225; Walmart euphemism as, 282n23; WorkIt for problems in, 238
Coalition of Immokalee Workers, 244
cognitive social neuroscience, 186; made more realistic, 268
collective actions, 41; brain scans changed by, 40; incentives and disincentives for, 229, 251; mobilization as, 155; OUR Walmart online with, 218; student activists confronting, 202–3; student activists creating, 205, 268; WorkIt assurance contracts through, 238
collective effervescence, 252
communities of color: customer wait time as longer in, 121–22; friendship among whites compared with, 99–100; recruitment determined by, 180; Walmart power in, 39, 100, 122, 222, 281n12; Yelp.com reviews by, 42, 123. See also workers of color
community, 254; Chicago, Los Angeles teams not supported by, 204; Dallas, Florida, Ohio teams supported by, 204; discussion boards and, 89, 228–29, 231–32; job satisfaction related to, 95–96; loneliness and satisfaction in, 53; micropolitics of, 187; Moses on organizing, 149, 162; OUR Walmart and, 185, 204; peers providing, 91–92; for resilience and creativity, 187; strike and social events for, 200; students building horizontal, 205, 267; on terms map, 224, 227; Walmart closings and losses of, 279n35; workers as involved for, 175; workers building, 37–38, 46, 284n5; young men, video games, unemployment and, 278n26
community, constraints on: loneliness and workplace as, 62; manager abuse enabled by, 38; managers and, 105–6; retail work with, 158–59; workers as assets and, 129–30
company policy: crises created by, 232–33; Critical Need Trust and, 117–18, 283n26; discipline for honesty about, 116; discussion boards on, 228; illness not linked to, 114, 116, 225–26, 226; paid time off in, 114–15; termination notification under, 112; Walmart restricting access to, 111, 237; WorkIt for questions on, 237–38
conflicted shoppers, 271n3
Consumer Price Index (CPI), 132
contagion effect: larger time from fifth to sixth signing, 179, 293n49; signing rate increasing as, 178, 179
counterfactuals: as challenging question, 184; lives compared with, 56
creativity, 251, 254; Florida team with, 198–99; OUR Walmart and UFCW differences in, 295n15; workers dissatisfied with unions on, 288n6; workers exercising, 38, 86
criminal justice system, 38, 65, 81
Critical Need Trust: company policy as unclear on, 118; monetary support to workers from, 117; Walmart donations to, 283n26
customers, 251; algorithms influenced by, 123–24; algorithms on wait time of, 121–22; arbitrary authority provided by, 138–39; discussion boards on, 228; greeters for, 221; like family and adversaries, 130; lowest prices attracting, 131; as regulars, 96–97; reverse boycott and voice of, 217; as “salts,” 217; scheduling and flows of, 128–29; unions impeded by flows of, 126; Walmart and airlines as similar for, 284n10; Walmartism with feedback from, 142–43; Walmart pitting workers against, 133
customer satisfaction, 17–18, 38; autonomy and demand for, 86–87; as manager, 39, 138–39, 251; MyShare bonus and catering to, 87, 113; service with smile and care of, 136; Yelp.com for, 42
Dallas team: community as supporting, 204; Florida trespassing law and, 197; oral histories utilized by, 200; recruitment as almost none for, 190; religious message, homophobia, harassment on, 201–2, 214; solidarity for, 194; strike and social events for workers on, 200; trust among, 208
discussion boards, 73, 76, 252; absences, benefits as term on, 222, 228; change put off, 232; community created by, 89; as community instead of organizing, 228–29, 231–32; company policy and crises as blurred on, 228, 232–33; contributors percentage in, 219–20; customers, managers, bonuses, termination, wages, workers on, 228; department as own business on, 86–87; Facebook and, 299n32, 300n17; on family, managers, stress, 229; friendships favored over organizing on, 228–30; greeters as service and security in, 221; isolation solution as, 239; limits of friendship in change on, 253–54; low wage and common complaint on, 100–101, 101; organizing on, 227–31, 233–34; OUR Walmart and change on, 227–28; pride and merchandise on, 83–87, 229; promotions on, 228, 232; shelfies as recognition request, 86; size as inhibitive, 235–36; social change terms lost on, 229; solidarity on, 231; structural change blurred on, 232–33; surveillance masked by, 89; terms and content clusters in, 220–21; text as research focus of, 220; three periods identified on, 228–29; vacuity as problem on, 236, 239; venting on Walmart allowed on, 233; Walmart control identified with, 89; Walmart dynamics and life on, 228; of Walmart workers, 284n6; work as loneliness cure on, 62
distinction, 26, 30; friendship and trust, 40, 43, 229, 252, 253, 257, 270; low-wage jobs market insisting by, 281n5; peers providing, 91–92; shopping and buying, 18; workers driven by, 21, 38, 87–89
dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, 263–64
dual-income households, 60–61
earned income tax credit, 279n35
economic irrationality, 174
election (2016), 15; gender roles supported in, 61; gun sales during, 16, 273n25; labor votes in, 249; workers and talk of, 110
elite: cultural omnivore as, 189; recruitment lack not explained by, 188; as student activists, 272n14; Walmart viewed by, 45–46
employees, 3, 4; in advertisements, 1–2, 21–35; Glassdoor.com reviews by, 92; online surveys as interviews of, 40–43; recruitment and long-term, 181; social safety net and, 67, 72, 73
employers: union members laid off by, 49–50; unions and business closed, firings, cutting wages by, 153; vagueness for labor contracts of, 109
exit: arbitrary authority and ability to, 292n44; easy worker, 33, 38, 103–4; employer change as unlikely with, 174; low-wage jobs hurt by strategy of, 173–74; low wages disallowing social safety net, 72; loyalty as opposite of easy, 175; PMS voice compared with, 172; voice not shut down by, 233
Facebook: discussion boards and likes on, 299n32; mobilization effort failures on, 300n17; OUR Walmart named from survey on, 217
Florida team: activism on multiple levels for, 245–46; activists changing lives on, 243–44; community as supporting, 204; creativity for, 198–99; door knocking as ineffective for, 295n13; online beginnings of, 218; recruitment as almost none for, 190; trespass law and, 196–97; trust and working together for, 208; worker contact as difficult for, 197–98
fMRI: blood flow in active regions as, 263; button-pressing task in, 262; faces and morphed control face in, 301n4; social structure formation utilizing, 258; student activists with, 259–60
Fordism: as pay enough to purchase product, 50; Target and Toyotism comparison with, 286n27; Walmart as embodying, 286n28; Walmart as opposite of, 287n34
Freedom Summer of 1964, 11; booming economy supporting, 274n34; Chicago and Los Angeles furthest from reunion of, 300n5; reunion connections for student activists, 241–43; voter registration in, 7–10
friendships, 41, 251; brain scans showing, 40, 43; Chicago team with only, 208; community as, 95–96; discussion board change limited with, 253–54; disruptive subgroups formed by, 229; online favoring, 230; recruitment not same as, 178, 206; trust distinct to, 40, 43, 229, 252, 253, 257, 270; workers of color compared with white on, 99–100, 281n11
games, 52, 65; managers and favoritism, 167; managers and organizers in cat-and-mouse, 192–93; recognition from Walmart, 20–21
General Motors (GM), 48–49
Glassdoor.com: anonymous review of employers on, 92; employer reviews on, 42; low wage and common complaint on, 100–101, 101; managers receiving complaints on, 104; salary estimates from, 280n38
healthcare, 224, 226; miscarriages pattern as lack of, 113; private governments not protecting, 110; termination not related to term of, 225, 226; worker crisis in, 111–12; working to rule not useful with home, 291n32
hierarchies, 13; horizontal ties reducing, 205, 267; reciprocity reducing, 267; as social structures, 259
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), 272n13; evangelism of, 291n31
illness: not linked to company policy, 114, 116, 225–26, 226; pregnancy and miscarriages as, 113–14; sick term same as terminated and, 222
incomplete contract, 108–9
injury, work-related: bonuses boosted by not reporting, 87, 112, 144; illness not linked to, 225
instrumental relations, 269–70
interactional ambiguity, 162–63
interpersonal respect, 39
interviews: sociological imaginations from, 253; student activists doing, 36–37; students and workers in, 21–26
intrusion, workplace, 144
isolation, 24; discussion boards as solution for, 239; of elderly and Walmart, 63; Los Angeles team feelings of, 196; Walmart as haven from, 65
King, Martin Luther Jr., 11
lawsuits: medical care limited class action, 111; women civil rights class action, 107
Los Angeles team: community as not supporting, 204; emotional support lack for, 200; feelings of isolation for, 196; Freedom Summer reunion as furthest from, 300n5; hostility and indifference to, 194; intimidation weariness by, 192–93; linking workers as, 161; lower status for, 195–96; neither trust nor cooperation in, 208; recruitment as almost none for, 190
low-wage employers: arbitrary authority created by, 38–39; exit and change as unlikely by, 174; lobbying over labor market, 68–69; as private governments, 109; Walmart as model for, 100
low-wage jobs market, 3–4, 15; assembly line power missing for, 125–26; distinction insisted on by, 281n5; exit strategy detrimental to, 173–74; lack of respect in, 204; life problems causing problems in, 115; not exiting as choice in, 33, 38, 103–4; politics related to, 248–49; poor women driven into, 70, 71; productivity increasing in, 100, 101; respect as goal for, 12, 145, 150, 252; smile requirement in, 39, 55, 56, 87, 139–40; wages flat in, 100–101, 101; Walmart responding to wages in, 211
managers: arbitrary authority and, 28, 38, 116, 117, 141–42; assembly line restrictions for, 125–26; community enabling, 38, 105–6; as compassionate, 116–17, 118; composition of Walmart, 76–78; customers as tool of, 39, 138–39, 251; discussion boards on, 228; fabricated absence charges by, 168; favoritism by, 126, 167; Glassdoor.com complaints on, 104; God invoked by, 182, 202; humane response to absence by, 117; labor contracts for limiting discretion of, 236–37; organizing as cat-and-mouse game with, 192–93; peer pressure used by, 143–44; sales first for, 129; sexism as abusive male, 107–8; surveillance by, 294n8; treatment by, 104–6; unions acting like, 151; variable responsibilities of, 124–25; Walmartism measuring, 142; women promotion rates to, 77; workers as assets for, 129–30; work-related injury reaction by, 112
medical care: limited class action lawsuit on, 111; Walmart punishing for absences under, 114, 282n24
Milgram experiment, 205–6
minimum staffing level, 121
minimum wage, 26, 65; jobs and life-shocks, 115; opposition to increase of, 134; OUR Walmart helping raise, 182
Mississippi state government, 248
mobilization: as collective action, 155; Facebook and failed drives for, 300n17; nonjoiners as reducing, 193–94; obstacles to union, 172, 174; unions and effective, 250
mutual aid: life patterns recognized for need of, 232; from mutual trust, 229; United Farm Workers organizers and, 298n29; WorkIt facilitating, 238
National Cash Register (NCR), 49
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): solicitation rules and practices under, 297n21; trespassing and handing literature with, 297n19; union elections run by, 190, 242
neighborhoods, 17; recruitment among similar, 178; recruitment in, 52, 81, 180; Walmart with market power in, 122, 222; workers living in same, 95, 98; Yelp.com reviews different among, 42, 123
networks: Freedom Summer and social, 160; Ohio team member as entrepreneur of, 162; organizers gaining recruits from, 149, 291n39; Pico women heading parts of, 169, 170, 171; unions unconnected to social, 151; worker-leaders as contact with, 199
neural signatures: experiences shown by, 43, 44; for instrumental and affective relations, 270; popularity importance in, 265; reciprocity and, 265; of relationships, 261; of social solidarity, 253
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 180–81
offline: Black Lives Matter, 235; online goal as, 218
Ohio team: activism after summer for, 246–47; community as supporting, 204; group talks valuable for, 91, 148–49; ladies clothing organized for, 162; 100 hours for new member in, 194; OUR Walmart showing respect for, 195; as publicly addressing tensions, 203; recruitment success of, 188–89; religion as enforced in, 201–2; solidarity for, 194; trust and accomplishment for, 208; union stewards with, 161
online: Black Lives Matter, 231, 235; Florida team beginnings, 218; friendship favored, 230; offline action as goal and challenge for, 218, 235; organizing future as, 40–41; OUR Walmart, 217–18, 236, 252; private discussion groups, 218; research from posts, 40–43; social change potential, 231; solidarity and, 218; Walmartism as disrupted, 240; Walmart prices beat by, 131; Walmart scale matched with presence, 239–40; worker posts, 88, 89, 218–19
oral histories: Dallas team utilizing, 200; as empowering, 33; student activists interviewing with, 4, 23, 24
Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart), 4, 14, 81; Black Friday strikes by, 32, 164; certain departments recruited by, 179; community and recognition from, 185; costs of signing up with, 292n47; early optimism on walkout by, 164; Facebook survey for naming, 217; freedom from domestic abuse at, 185; friendships and less support for, 230; goals of, 31–32; injustice words utilized by, 234; joiners reduced for, 165; lack of members by, 212; managers as targeting, 168; minimum wage raised by, 182; no claim of unionization by, 174; no success through 2015 for, 181–82; Ohio team shown respect by, 195; online, 217–18, 236, 252; Pico Rivera Walmart as strong, 165; public relations success for, 213; recruitment by, 179–80; relationships creating, 175, 230; relationships supporting, 230; religious terms as purpose of, 182–84; Republican voters of, 249; scale as problem for, 40, 172, 214–17, 252; signing as part of group, 177; solidarity as goal of, 160, 213; strike momentum dissipated, 294n3; student activists and, 150, 295n15; success for, 204; terminology declined over time, 231; UFCW abandoning, 164, 209, 211–12, 215; UFCW and, 200–201; wage ambitions by, 5–6; Walmart influenced by, 210–11; Walmart opposition to, 164–65, 190–91; “we should” term utilized by, 235; worker joining, 31–32; workers and stores contacted by, 181
organizers, 13; as agitators, 207; in Chicago as Reverend, 213–14; collective interests for, 229, 251; common group developing around, 233–34; contact determining recruitment, 179–80; in Dallas with religious message, 214; discussion boards and, 227–28, 233, 234; embedding selves in groups, 160; existing networks for recruits by, 149, 291n39; future as online for, 40–41; geographic differences for, 40; interpersonal respect as issue for, 39; intimidation as following, 192; nonjoiners demobilizing, 193–94; research enriching for, 37; small victories like commas for, 215, 295n12; social ties for, 39–40; student activists and, 35, 40, 149; as surreptitious “salts,” 217; trust versus friendship for, 40, 43, 229, 252, 253, 257, 270; urgency for, 35–36; for wages and working conditions, 46; as workers discussing injustice, 234
organizing: discussion board and, 228–32; social structure changed as, 258; students and risks with, 9–10; of work groups, 162; as working and failing, 43
Pew Report: middle class reported in, 274n30; Walmart as workplace and, 271n3
Pico Mighty Strikers (PMS): exit compared with voice on, 172; not rehired, 172, 255; one-tenth of workforce striking as, 169; purpose on Earth as, 182; women heading networks as, 168–69, 170, 171
points: sales increases rewarded with, 88; unexcused absences resulting in, 111, 115; Walmart euphemism as, 282n23
police: Black Lives Matter utilizing murder images by, 231; cameras linked with, 224–25, 225; MobilJustice app for interactions with police, 298n31; student activists confronted by, 194
politics: low-wage employers and, 68–69; low-wage jobs and union decline related to, 248–49; OUR Walmart and, 249; stores not allowing 2016 election, 110; union decline and, 290n23; unions and education on, 250; unions questioning rights on, 141; voter registration and, 7; Walmart responding to, 211. See also election (2016)
poor communities: customer wait time as longer in, 121–22; low-wage jobs market and, 70, 71; recruitment determined by, 180; unions increasing in, 51–52; Walmart power in, 39, 100, 122, 222, 281n12; Yelp.com reviews by, 42, 123
popularity: relationships from experiential to, 205; student activists perceptions of, 264–65
poverty: customers complaining from, 139; of elderly and Walmart, 63; Walmart as freedom from, 81; Walmart profits connection to, 279n32
“prayers” and “condolences” terms, 235
prices: CPI influenced by Walmart, 132; customers attracted to, 131; low wages as result of, 102; shared sacrifice for, 95; wages not only determinant of, 133; Walmart primary concern as, 130–31; Walmart profit on scale of, 46
private governments: healthcare not protected by, 110; low-wage employers as, 109
promotions: on discussion boards, 228, 232; of less-experienced males as sexism, 107; percentages on, 76–77; recognition instead of, 87; women managers and rates of, 77
psychological judgments, 263–64
Pullman Palace Car Company, 22, 141, 153
reciprocity: hierarchies reduced by, 267; members sharing issues as, 268; social solidarity and, 265; unjust authority resisted with ties of, 206
recognition, 254; instead of promotions, 87; OUR Walmart desires for, 185; Walmart games for, 20–21
recreational vehicles: as free security, 273n24; Walmart welcoming, 15
recruitment: Bentonville proximity complicating, 181, 293n54; cashiers as easier in, 179; communities of poor and color determining, 180; Dallas team with almost no, 190; fellow worker contributions in, 178; Florida team and, 190, 198, 295n13; friendship not predictor of, 178, 206; hotel front desk as difficult in, 293n51; in hot shops as weakening, 294n55; neighborhoods and, 52, 81, 178, 180; Ohio team success in, 188–89; 100 hours for new member in, 194; pattern analysis of, 177–78; personality and jobs determining, 293n52; poor neighborhoods increasing, 52, 180; as possible zero, 296n6; religion and history in, 184; sexism and challenge in, 189; student activists and low, 188; terminations as result of, 191; types of workers and stores for, 181; white maleness easing, 189; work department as predictor of, 178; worker relationships for, 175–76; workers of color and, 189; Yelp.com reviews inversely related to, 180
relationships, 4, 12; activists enabled and constrained by, 14–15; becoming specific, 265; with influence and trust, 206–7; liking as one type of, 269; as most important, 204; neural signatures of, 261; OUR Walmart and, 175, 230; popularity to experiential, 205; recruitment for worker, 175–76; student activists studying, 36–37; workers and customers in, 17–18, 38
religion: Dallas and Ohio with enforced, 201–2, 214; OUR Walmart and terms of, 182–84
researchers: interviews and relationships for, 36–37; social structure processes in, 44–46; urgency avoided by, 35–36
resilience: community for, 187; social cognitive neuroscience and, 262
respect, 254; arbitrary authority and need for, 146; low-wage workers striving for, 12, 145, 150, 204, 252; unions forgetting need for, 146; workers desiring and responding with, 177, 238
Restaurant Association, 278n31
retail jobs: community difficult for, 158–59; farm women and supplemental income from, 57, 276n13; Macy’s and Target comparison study of, 284n8; working to rule as weapon for, 159
reviews: Glassdoor.com for employer, 42; by poor and color communities, 42, 123; Yelp.com for customer, 42
scheduling, 254; customer flows determining, 128–29; unions disallowed by, 143; Walmart euphemism as flex-, 282n23; Walmartism as arbitrary, 251; Walmart minimizing staffing with, 136–38; WorkIt for problems in, 238
semantic networks: algorithms mapping, 222–23; as content clusters focus, 220–21; greeters for customers and surveillance in, 221; sick as similar to coached and terminated in, 222; terms map as, 223, 224; work as busy, stressful, boring in, 221
server systems: autonomy and arbitrary authority in, 120–21; less predictable work in, 251; managers, employees, customers in, 120
Service Employees International Union (SEIU), 272n13
service with smile: in low-wage jobs market, 39, 55, 56, 87, 139–40; MyShare bonus supporting, 87, 113; ten-foot greeting rule as, 135–36
sexism: Chicago team members working on, 245; male managers and abuse as, 107–8; pregnancy and miscarriages as, 113–14; recruitment challenge and, 189; student activists and Dallas, 202–3; student activists organizing against, 245; UFCW stewards and, 200–201
shop floor, 254; concerns percolating from, 151; as insurgent warfare, 217; store as, 83–118; Walmartism as surveillance of, 251; workers care about, 238
social change, 2, 186–209, 250–52; academia tension with, 36; cooperation leading to, 270; discussion boards losing terms of, 229; online presences and potential for, 231; student activists and, 14, 40, 243
social cognitive neuroscience: relationship development and, 261–62; social status perception in, 264–65; sociological twist to, 259–60; understanding of self and “other” in, 260
social connections, 90–91
social safety net: employees without, 67; government payments and Walmart use of, 68; Walmart assuming employees need, 72, 73; Walmart profit after reform of, 69, 69, 71, 132; Walmart returns jumping with reduction of, 70, 71, 132; Walmart taking advantage of, 68–73; Walmart wages not allowing exit of, 72. See also welfare reform
social structures, 44–46; brain reactions to, 258; hierarchies as, 259
social ties, 12; organizing process and, 39–40
sociological imaginations, 253
solicitation: Florida team rebuffed for, 198; NLRB rules and practices on, 297n19, 297n21
solidarity, 45; from commonality to complementary experiences in, 266–67; critical first success as, 213; on discussion boards over time, 231; neural signatures of social, 253; online to offline action and, 218; OUR Walmart and, 160, 213; reciprocity and, 265; Respect Summer with, 14, 40, 43, 148, 160; teams, 194, 214; technology not benefiting retail, 159; unions and, 12, 41, 156, 158, 160; Walmart and, 158, 191
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): package of food through, 276n8; workers and families on, 53, 68
strikes: OUR Walmart and, 32, 164, 294n3; PMS and, 168–69, 172, 182, 255; social events for workers on, 200; subgroups cutting commitment to, 229; UFCW losing, 157–58
structural power, 39; opportunities on boards, 232–33; service-sector not outsourced as, 152; as technical control of work, 125, 159; workers success when exercising, 231
student activists: backgrounds of, 24–26, 29–30; benefiting from inequality, 5–6; Coalition of Immokalee Workers work for, 244; cognitive social neuroscience on, 186; for collective action, 202–3, 205, 268; community for, 187; elite not explaining recruitment by, 188; experience as change for, 253; experience as commodity for, 30–31; experiences utilized forward by, 208–9; fMRI taken on, 259–60; Freedom Summer reunion connections for, 242–43; geographic differences for, 40; interviews and, 36–37, 274n29; low recruitment by, 188; microaggressions not excused by, 203; new elite as, 272n14; odd couples in, 47–48; oral history interviews by, 4, 23, 24; as organizers, 35, 40; organizing and risks of, 9–10; OUR Walmart and, 36, 295n15; police confronting, 194; popularity perceptions by, 264–65; relationships as most important for, 204; as researcher, 35; sexism and organizers as, 245; sharing and cheers from, 187–88; social change as relationships basis for, 243; social justice and poverty of, 6; support as defusing aggression for, 203; trust in supervisors as important for, 207; unions and, 9, 253; wages of, 5–6; worker inspired by, 35; workers interacting with, 13–14. See also Chicago team; Dallas team; Florida team; Los Angeles team; Ohio team
student activists stories: conversations of three or more, 148–49; ease of communications in, 188–89; first store interactions as, 147–48; Freedom Summer reunion as, 241; intimidation weariness, 192–93; OUR Walmart training in, 150; sexism in Dallas as, 202–3
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), 7–8
Summer for Respect: Freedom Summer differences to, 8; immigrants and poor working in, 10; solidarity for, 14, 40, 43, 148, 160; students and Our Walmart in, 4–6
superior and inferior persons: democratic egalitarianism and, 287n35; unions relating, 144–45
surveillance: Amazon and tracking wristband, 281n4; cameras and, 142, 143, 146, 191, 225, 225, 251; company policy views under, 111; discussion boards masking, 89; greeters for, 221; low wages as equally important to, 292n44; managers monitoring conversations as, 294n8; as measurement and sharing, 89; with mini-measurements, 88; scanners for, 142, 143, 146, 251. See also cameras; scanners
Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, 216
technology: arbitrary authority countered by, 142, 145; retail solidarity not benefiting from, 159; self-checkout failure and “smart stores” in, 288n9; as separate from workers, 287n36; structural power as control of work, 125, 159
temporoparietal junction, 263–64
terminations: coaching related to, 225; company policy on notification of, 112; departments eliminated in, 190–91; discussion boards on, 228; PMS employment and, 255; recruitment resulting in, 191; sick term related to, 222; WorkIt for problems in, 238
terms maps: community on, 224, 227; healthcare terms and termination on, 225, 226; religion on, 182–84; semantic networks as terms in, 223, 224; slavery terms and, 109; social change terms and, 229; terms and content clusters in, 220–21; work, management team, customers, work perceptions in, 224, 226
Tocqueville, Alexis de, 160
trust: accomplishment needing, 206–7; brain regions for, 270; collective action based on mutual, 229; forming and fostering, 215; friendship distinct to, 40, 43, 229, 252, 253, 257, 270; mutual aid and, 229; student activists and supervisors in, 207; student teams and, 208; time and experiences building, 229; as union goal, 163
turnover: activists eliminated with, 33; annual rates of, 40, 116, 173–74, 249; lower wage expense with higher, 286n32; Walmart with fifty percent, 33
unfair labor practices, 238
union decline, 151; diminishing window of experience and, 162; economic, institutional, political changes and, 290n23; low-wage jobs and politics with, 248–49; new labor trends ignored by, 290n22; strategic organizing lack and, 290n23
union revitalization, 158; SEIU and HERE for, 290n25; UFCW as partially, 290n25
unions: acting like managers and business, 151; advantages to prior workers of, 51; arbitrary authority protested by, 141–42; bureaucracy imposed on, 154–55; Chicago team disillusionment on, 194; class positions and, 254, 295n14; community not addressed by, 159; conservatism of, 155–56; current members versus new workers in, 212, 227; customer flows impeding, 126; economically irrational labors for, 173; employers closing business, firings, cutting wages over, 153; employers laying off, 49–50; entitlements for, 155; existing networks identified for, 149, 291n39; GM and Ohio companies with, 48–49; hard-hat stereotype as anti-Vietnam War, 290n19; incentives and disincentives from, 229; isolated workers not joining, 175; job protection by, 156; lack of knowledge about, 248; mobilization and, 172, 174, 250; Nissan factory rejecting, 242; Ohio team with stewards of, 161; online leak of video against, 191; OUR Walmart not claiming, 174; PMS walking out as, 169; point of production for, 229; politics and, 141, 248–50; poor communities with increasing, 51–52; power from workforce labors for, 212; production lines and, 175, 254; respect needs forgotten by, 146; retail sector needs from, 159; retiring of, 156; scheduling as disallowing, 143; service sector and, 151–52, 152, 216–17; sexism plaguing, 201; social interactions and, 149, 151; solidarity and, 12, 41, 156, 158, 160; state as employer in, 153; student activists and, 9, 148, 253; superior and inferior persons, 144–45; Supreme Court limiting speech of, 216; terminology declined over time, 231; time into labor protested by, 141; trust as goal of, 163; 2016 election votes by, 249; UAW loss responsibility of, 248; union officials suppressing, 156; U.S. deaths in struggles by, 289n15; U.S. laws disfavoring, 153–54; Walmart as “vicious” against, 146; worker ages for, 52; workers dissatisfied on autonomy and creativity from, 288n6; workers happy on wages from, 288n6
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), 4; class differences as most important for, 203; as corporation, 245; crises unaddressed by, 157; current members versus workers, 212; Los Angeles team and difficulties with, 195; OUR Walmart abandoned by, 164, 209, 211–12; retail union as, 157; sexism and meatpacking stewards of, 200–201; strike lost by, 157–58; student activists and, 295n15; tensions between staff and worker-leaders in, 288n7; terminology declined over time, 231; Walmart forced upon, 157–58; worker relative introducing, 176–77
upward income mobility, 74
ventromedial prefrontal cortex, 263
voice: exit not shutting down, 233; loyalty and, 174–75; from micropolitics, 187; PMS and exit compared with, 172; reverse boycott and customer with, 217; turnover as lower cost than, 173
wages, 2; arbitrary authority and low, 38–39, 204; awareness of disparity in, 102–3; customers acknowledging low, 133; discussion boards on, 228; erroneous assumptions on, 285n16; families not supported with Walmart, 53, 68; farm women working for, 57, 276n13; higher turnover and expense of, 286n32; interview complaint as low, 100–101, 101; job desperation and low, 103; labor in exchange for, 282n14; lost and filled in, 60, 71; as low and disrespect, 204; lowest prices resulting in low, 102; low-wage jobs market with flat, 100–101, 101; organizers for, 46; OUR Walmart raising minimum, 5–6, 182; as pin money, 26, 59, 63; plumbing problems and rising, 212; prices not dependent only on, 133; primary focus not as, 250–51; of student activists, 5–6; surveillance as equally important to low, 292n44; unjust authority and low, 204; Walmart and social safety net, 72; Walmart charity for employees and, 17, 117–18; Walmart defending low, 46; Walmart raising minimum, 210; water as beyond budget of, 101–2; welfare and, 69, 69; women and extra, 277n15; workers happy with unions on, 288n6
Walmart: as bear-market stock, 132; as bigger than Goliath, 214–15; for buying, not shopping, 18; expansion rate in late 1990s for, 279n33; grocery stores threatened by, 158; largest worldwide private employer as, 13; lowest employee and customer reviews of, 42; low prices, low pay utilized by, 134–35; Pew Report on workplace and, 271n3; populist roots and standards of, 94–95; retail logistics leader as, 119; as seventh-largest U.S. city, 52; store sameness as, 16–17. See also specific subjects
Walmartism: customers as feedback in, 142–43; disgruntled workers leaving as benefit in, 274n35; just-in-time supply chains and, 236; online disrupting, 240; as shop floor surveillance, 251
Walton, Sam: biography of, 281n7; as ghost in stores, 93; patriarchy as design by, 107; sayings of, 93, 138; store comments from, 94; ten-foot greeting rule instigated by, 135–36
welfare reform: Restaurant Association in favor of, 278n31; Walmart benefiting from, 69
women: civil rights class action suit for, 107; extra and declining wages for, 277n15; Kelly Girl temp services as, 292n41; low-wage jobs and poor, 70, 71; managers promotion rates for, 77; PMS networks as, 165, 169, 170, 171; retail jobs and farm, 57, 276n13; WIC food packages for children and, 276n8
workers: arbitrary authority resented by, 284n5; assembly line and power for, 125–26; backgrounds of, 23–24; belonging as sharing by, 93; bonuses reduced for all, 113; building community, 37–38, 46, 284n5; community and involved, 175; community constraints and, 129–30; creativity exercised by, 38, 86; customers and, 17–18, 38, 136–37; Dallas team developing leaders in, 199; discussion boards and, 228, 284n6; disillusion from disrespect of, 21; distinction driving, 21, 38, 87–89; downward mobility and, 50; exit as favored strategy of, 172–73; family goals for, 33–34; fifty percent turnover of, 33; GM plant closing influencing, 48–49; goal of busy, 222; God urging, 183, 184; hardships and longevity of, 67, 278n28; interviews of, 41; locked in overnight, 282n17; love of job and low pay for, 19–20; loyalty for involved, 175; meaning and autonomy for, 20–21, 38, 284n5; neighborhoods as same for, 95, 98; networks contacting leaders as, 199; no typical Walmart, 250; as organizers discussing injustice, 234; OSHA indicator in, 180–81; promotions lack of control for, 77; recruitment as less in long-term, 181; respect and, 177, 238; self-training of, 143; sense of purpose in recruitment as, 182–83; sick term as similar to disciplined and fired for, 222; strike and social events for, 200; structural power for success of, 231; student activists and, 13–14, 35; tests required to be hired as, 287n33; trusting organizers as important, 207; types and circumstances of, 52–53; UFCW introduced by relative of, 176–77; unions not joined by isolated, 175; Walmart alternative to union jobs of, 49–50; Walmart as community for, 46; Walmart as escape for, 26–27; Walmart as temporary for, 78; Walmart disappointments for, 28–29; Walmart early experiences for, 27; Walmartism as losing disgruntled, 274n35; Walmartism environment for, 142, 236; Walmart pitting customers against, 133; Walmart redeemed through, 34; Walmart shopping by, 46, 96–97; “we, me, my” used by, 20; women and Kelly Girl temp services as, 292n41; WorkIt connecting, 238
workers’ compensation: claim influencing all workers, 112–13; percentage covered under, 110–11; Walmart self-funding, 110
workers of color: African American interviews as, 74–75; fewer work friends for, 99–100, 281n11; incomplete contract and slavery terms by, 109; recruitment eased by white and not, 189
worker stories: abuse witnessed as, 107–8; advertisement example as, 1–3, 21–35; after prison term as opportunity and trap, 79–81; under age 22, 52, 73–76; age 50 and above as, 62–63; “bitch session” as, 176–77; career development assistor as, 256; chastisement and customers in, 140; child and parent incomes in, 74; civil rights leaders for, 184; coaching as correctional input, 106; Critical Need Trust experiences as, 118; customer as right in, 39, 55, 56, 87, 139–40; customer blame on scheduling as, 137–38; customer interactions in, 98–99; customers acknowledging low wages as, 133; deaths marked as, 90; elderly and Walmart jobs in, 63; essential bills covered in, 64; exit as strategy in, 172–73; family values dropped in, 165–66; farmer wives, 57, 276n13; financial assistance offered as, 90; friends found at Walmart as, 89–90; gender composition in, 56–57; from ghetto to corporate, 74; healthcare crisis as, 111–12; homeless to home in, 65–66; home support as choice in, 167–68; “if you do, if you don’t” in, 167; instructional meetings interrupted as, 120; intelligence and speed in, 74–75; jail and slavery conditions as, 109; living in own place as, 78; manager flip-flops as, 127–28; manager treatment in, 104–6; merchandise ideas, 73–74; merchandise standards as, 83–87; name tag change requirement as, 126–27; no single prototype as, 52–53, 81–82; not quitting as, 102; on and off duty, 97–98; online efforts as, 218–19; OUR Walmart recruitment in, 175–76; OUR Walmart staff in, 256; outside job for drinking, 53, 82; Pico Mighty Strikers in, 166–69, 172, 182, 255; pin money as, 59; points and unexcused absences in, 111, 115; politics not allowed in stores as, 110; poor mother working in, 71–72; pregnancy and miscarriages as, 113–14; prior political experience in, 167; prior small-business owner as, 54–55; prior union worker as, 54; rainbow pin debate as, 127; significant others in stores as, 98; staying longer than planned as, 78–79; studying law desire as, 255; ten-foot greeting rule in, 135–36; types and circumstances of, 52–53; unfair labor practice success as, 168; wage disparity awareness in, 102–3; walkout fear overcome in, 168–69; Walmart as only job available in, 65; from Walmart to city bus driver as, 255; water as beyond budget in, 101–2; wife buying car in, 57–58; wife wanting day variety as, 58–59; work as freedom, 59–60; working ill as, 113, 116; work-related injury as, 112
working to rule, 229; home healthcare not useful with, 291n32; retail job weapon as, 159
WorkIt: as Kickstarter or GoFundMe, 298n30; mobile app as, 237; mutual aid facilitated by, 238; questions answered on, 237–38; worker connections through, 238
Yelp.com: customer reviews on Walmart at, 42; inversely related to recruitment, 180; neighborhoods and different reviews on, 42, 123