Thursday, November 18
Food for the soul
I volunteered at work to pitch in and help get four needy families a Thanksgiving meal. Now, as a nonmilitant but philosophical vegetarian, I have my own idealistic issues to deal with about the realities of modern Thanksgivings, but as they like to say around work, I'm a team player. And I like to help. I really do. So this morning on my way to work, I stopped to get cookies and snacks for four families. I wasn't buying at Wal-Mart, of course, but going into Safeway I see they have a black-on-white laser printed "we're hiring" sign posted in the window of the automatic door.
Why are they hiring? They're preparing for the potential strike of their union employees. Why are they maybe striking? Because Safeway management is trying to hold the line on wages and won't give into the union's demands. Why? Because Wal-mart sells groceries here on the edge of nowhere. And Wal-mart staff is not unionized. Hence their food costs less (supposedly) than I can get at King Soopers or Albertson's or Safeway. Should I care?
