Non-Aligned
27th June 2014, 01:04
Life in America has changed drastically during and after the 2008 economic turmoil to the point where jobs are scarce and Big Businesses have a tendency to treat customers and employees alike like simple chattel to toss around. Recently, in the city of Woodbury, in New Jersey, a Walgreens closed suddenly to probably more nefarious reasons than simply "under performing" as those in charge like to state.
First, before we throw ourselves headlong into this situation we'll comb over the brief history of this particular Walgreens. It opened up in the early days of September of 2007 to a huge fanfare and ceremonial opening that included a cook out, giveaways and clowns for the kids. It especially was something huge for this working in the nearby South Jersery Times (formerly Gloucester County Times) and other businesses and residents nearby who now didn't have far to go to get small odds and ends and their prescriptions filled. Prior to this the City of Woodbury and Walgreens Corp went through various stages of making deals and then shelving them until they happened upon one that included tax abatement, which according to NJ tax laws is an exemption that gradually brought the taxes being paid over 5 years Here's how it went:
(1)
In the first full year after completion: no payment in lieu of taxes otherwise due;
(2)
In the second full year after completion: an amount not less than 20% of taxes otherwise due;
(3)
In the third full year after completion: an amount not less than 40% of taxes otherwise due;
(4)
In the fourth full year after completion: an amount not less than 60% of taxes otherwise due;
(5)
In the fifth full year after completion: an amount not less than 80% of taxes otherwise due;
This, of course, was passed on to residential property taxes to offset the deficit, much to the peoples dismay. To this day, even though the tax abatement for Walgreens should've been done with for at least a year or so, the peoples property taxes are still high and haven't abated since. So you can perhaps get a feel for the anger that the people of Woodbury now have due to closing a store that received a tax break while the people had to foot the bill.
Second, there is a serious issue concerning the private records of peoples prescription records being transferred on the day of closing, which at that point people were then notified that their prescriptions were being dealt with by the Rite-Aid way down the street from Walgreens. No one was notified prior to the closing that their records would be transferred. Not a soul.
Third, there is the issue of the employees themselves who were anguished in having to either lose their job, since the keyword that those in charge used to say that some employees would still have jobs was, "that the company would retain "the majority" of Woodbury's employees." or have their job transferred to a Walgreens far from their work. One employee I talked to about this situation said that the reason they took this job in this particular Walgreens was due to how close to home it was. Now, they have to drive further in order to keep making a living at Walgreens. With gas prices and other commodities going UP in price and wages stagnating the employees who have retained their job will have to be juggling their checkbooks more so than before. The higher ups can't simply understand that because they don't have to struggle in this economy where even food is expensive doesn't mean those they have power over can do the same thing. Lets not forget about those who weren't in the "majority" retained, now they have to struggle with how are they going to subsist on unemployment and for how long while scraping the bottom of the job barrel to find a job. Some of those that have lost their job are baby boomers. The agism that exists in our society will hinder them from finding a job in this scarce job market. So, what of the workers?
Both the retained "majority" and those that were let go get equally screwed over due to something more insidious than simply "under performing". No, I believe, given the evidence, that there is something more to this and unfortunately the news outlet that exists next to the former Walgreens has a lack of true investigative journalism. Yes, perhaps it was losing money, but really how much was it losing? Looking at aerial photography of Walgreens you can see solar panels which not only saves on electrical costs but also tax breaks. Here's a radical idea that I'm sure will make a capitalist quiver with disgust at such an idea, but what if the higher ups actually put back into the store(s) and forego a bonus and a raise? Wouldn't that be beneficial to both the company and the employees they say they show concern for? Of course, that wouldn't line their pockets faster with more money and that type of goodwill is no incentive to the capitalist.
What we need is a true workers democracy that extends not just in the sphere of government but also to how businesses are ran. As seen in Argentina when they had economic hardship that closed factories, workers took over, established truly democratic workplaces and made MORE money than before when those factories were under private, capitalist ownership. That example shouts out the benefits of workplace democracy louder than a capitalist calling from the platform with a bullhorn. A Walgreens under a workplace democracy would have never closed without the concessions of the employees. We need this more than ever and if we are to ever get over this bump in the road where we are mere pawns to the whims of elitist businessmen and politicians we need to establish true and efficient democracy in our governments, Federal, State and Town, and in especially our workplaces.
First, before we throw ourselves headlong into this situation we'll comb over the brief history of this particular Walgreens. It opened up in the early days of September of 2007 to a huge fanfare and ceremonial opening that included a cook out, giveaways and clowns for the kids. It especially was something huge for this working in the nearby South Jersery Times (formerly Gloucester County Times) and other businesses and residents nearby who now didn't have far to go to get small odds and ends and their prescriptions filled. Prior to this the City of Woodbury and Walgreens Corp went through various stages of making deals and then shelving them until they happened upon one that included tax abatement, which according to NJ tax laws is an exemption that gradually brought the taxes being paid over 5 years Here's how it went:
(1)
In the first full year after completion: no payment in lieu of taxes otherwise due;
(2)
In the second full year after completion: an amount not less than 20% of taxes otherwise due;
(3)
In the third full year after completion: an amount not less than 40% of taxes otherwise due;
(4)
In the fourth full year after completion: an amount not less than 60% of taxes otherwise due;
(5)
In the fifth full year after completion: an amount not less than 80% of taxes otherwise due;
This, of course, was passed on to residential property taxes to offset the deficit, much to the peoples dismay. To this day, even though the tax abatement for Walgreens should've been done with for at least a year or so, the peoples property taxes are still high and haven't abated since. So you can perhaps get a feel for the anger that the people of Woodbury now have due to closing a store that received a tax break while the people had to foot the bill.
Second, there is a serious issue concerning the private records of peoples prescription records being transferred on the day of closing, which at that point people were then notified that their prescriptions were being dealt with by the Rite-Aid way down the street from Walgreens. No one was notified prior to the closing that their records would be transferred. Not a soul.
Third, there is the issue of the employees themselves who were anguished in having to either lose their job, since the keyword that those in charge used to say that some employees would still have jobs was, "that the company would retain "the majority" of Woodbury's employees." or have their job transferred to a Walgreens far from their work. One employee I talked to about this situation said that the reason they took this job in this particular Walgreens was due to how close to home it was. Now, they have to drive further in order to keep making a living at Walgreens. With gas prices and other commodities going UP in price and wages stagnating the employees who have retained their job will have to be juggling their checkbooks more so than before. The higher ups can't simply understand that because they don't have to struggle in this economy where even food is expensive doesn't mean those they have power over can do the same thing. Lets not forget about those who weren't in the "majority" retained, now they have to struggle with how are they going to subsist on unemployment and for how long while scraping the bottom of the job barrel to find a job. Some of those that have lost their job are baby boomers. The agism that exists in our society will hinder them from finding a job in this scarce job market. So, what of the workers?
Both the retained "majority" and those that were let go get equally screwed over due to something more insidious than simply "under performing". No, I believe, given the evidence, that there is something more to this and unfortunately the news outlet that exists next to the former Walgreens has a lack of true investigative journalism. Yes, perhaps it was losing money, but really how much was it losing? Looking at aerial photography of Walgreens you can see solar panels which not only saves on electrical costs but also tax breaks. Here's a radical idea that I'm sure will make a capitalist quiver with disgust at such an idea, but what if the higher ups actually put back into the store(s) and forego a bonus and a raise? Wouldn't that be beneficial to both the company and the employees they say they show concern for? Of course, that wouldn't line their pockets faster with more money and that type of goodwill is no incentive to the capitalist.
What we need is a true workers democracy that extends not just in the sphere of government but also to how businesses are ran. As seen in Argentina when they had economic hardship that closed factories, workers took over, established truly democratic workplaces and made MORE money than before when those factories were under private, capitalist ownership. That example shouts out the benefits of workplace democracy louder than a capitalist calling from the platform with a bullhorn. A Walgreens under a workplace democracy would have never closed without the concessions of the employees. We need this more than ever and if we are to ever get over this bump in the road where we are mere pawns to the whims of elitist businessmen and politicians we need to establish true and efficient democracy in our governments, Federal, State and Town, and in especially our workplaces.