“Wal-Mart’s Authoritarian Culture” — About the US Supreme Court’s decision not to allow a class action suit
MONDAY’S Supreme Court decision to block a class-action sex-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart was a huge setback for as many as 1.6 million current and former female employees of the world’s largest retailer. But the decision has consequences that range far beyond sex discrimination or the viability of class-action suits.
The underlying issue, which the Supreme Court has now ratified, is Wal-Mart’s authoritarian style, by which executives pressure store-level management to squeeze more and more from millions of clerks, stockers and lower-tier managers.
See the full story: Wal-Mart’s Authoritarian Culture
Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is the author of The Retail Revolution: How Wal-Mart Created a Brave New World of Business.
hm 6/22/11