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Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

wsj.com

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Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#81

Post by hammock »

jimmywanger wrote: post #3

Just to play devil's advocate here, this is from the article: > The app, called WorkIt, invites users to register by providing a name, email, telephone number and ZIP Code. Users can also s hare (sic) their job title and Wal-Mart store number.... That is a bunch of personally identifying information. You can easily steal somebody's identity with those bits of information, or at least have a good idea of who they are.…

"Invites here to register...this is a bunch of personally identifying information..."

Yes. Of course. Isn't that the definition of "register"? It means to input your identifying information.

Cf. First definition under intransitive verb (the sense used here): http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/register

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#82

Post by PunchTornado »

ransom1538 wrote: post #61

Walmart is just a front for off loaded cheap Chinese goods. Sure using labor camps, product dumping and destroying the sky doesn't happen in our backyard. But the concept of Walmart as pro American is disgusting. Anything to harm it is good. Good for this app. Bored? I'll fund a new one.

why the hate for imported stuff? Do you want everything you buy to be made in USA? I don't understand you people. Trade is good for all of us. No country can build everything.

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#83

Post by cryptarch »

jimmywanger wrote: post #53
cryptarch wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uhhh... "facebook can't query user data"? Facebook even has the current occupation and location data of users, so of course they can find out at what specific store you work! Facebook has a larger user base with richer data on them, than the app in the story. None of that data is E2E encrypted, and all of it is available to (some) FB employees. I think your FUD is unjustified here.

Nowhere did he say that "facebook couldn't query user data". He's saying that it's probably not in a form that's easily queryable. With that information in an ill-secured data store that's highly categorized you can do all sorts of mischief. And how is it FUD? Once you cleanse and normalize data, fraud opportunities become very apparent.

It sounds a lot like "I assume FB has good data practices based on nothing, and I assume this app has bad data practices based on nothing, thus this app is probably bad".

Yeah, the app has an option to fill in your store ID, but Facebook has at least as valuable data on you (like many private conversations), and has the tooling to extract all kinds of markers from this rich data (i.e. for advertising and running facial recognition on all your pictures). Fraud opportunities are everywhere in the centralized social media (/ web services) sphere.

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#84

Post by danharaj »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #79
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Walmart pays exactly what they and the employee agreed to at the onset of the employment agreement. // Seriously, do you think that's how it happens? Is that bluster, naivety, or what? "He sonny, do you want to eat dirt or accept our below healthy subsistence wages?" seems closer to how it goes. People don't work for low wages because they can't bargain, they work for low wages because the alternative is for them no…

Seriously, do you think that's how it happens? Is that bluster, naivety, or what? Why not assume they're genuinely curious to learn rather than attack them? It gives better conversation.

Going over the same basic points over and over again might be a better conversation, but it's always the same comversation, which gets tiresome.

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#85

Post by fatdog »

It is a fascinating idea. Let's explore it:

The app would let users signal need from a buyer so that workers in their social network could agree on the price to give them.

If buyers managed to find the service somewhere else, users could snap a picture of the person/company who won the business and "review" them so that their network knew not to help the winner out, like if their brakes were about to fail or their house caught fire or whatever.

Signup would be free but users would pay like %5+ of their paycheck, which they will be fine with because of the increased benefits they get, and we would use the money for expansion and blocking competitors. Uber failed at getting political support because they were greedy capitalists who create injustice, so campaign contributions will be one of our big cost centers, but the returns will be well worth it.

Instead of an auction for services and market making like the apps we have today, it's a way to collude to fix prices. If they act now, YC can get %5 for a mere $50m.

Imagining the utility elevator pitch, "...no, no, like Grindr but for comrades!" An app for creating labor cartels.

What will I call it? "Koloodr."

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#86

Post by randomdata »

state_less wrote: post #74
randomdata wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they could negotiate for fair compensation. What, exactly, is unfair about the current compensation? Walmart pays exactly what they and the employee agreed to at the onset of the employment agreement. Those who couldn't reach an agreement have do not provide work for Walmart at all. I really don't know how you can get any more fair than that? Everyone equally has the ability to decide what works for them and are fr…

Were I a slave and then given an opportunity to be a indentured servant, sure I'd agree. That doesn't mean I live in good conditions. Yea, I could terminate the agreement and move on to being a slave again, but why would I? It's an agreement made under duress, we can do better for these people. Don't you agree?

Yes, I agree that fairness and freedom is the problem here. That's literally what the whole comment was about. A union helps take away fairness and freedom so that the employees benefit.

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#87

Post by _RPM »

PunchTornado wrote: post #82
ransom1538 wrote: post #61

Walmart is just a front for off loaded cheap Chinese goods. Sure using labor camps, product dumping and destroying the sky doesn't happen in our backyard. But the concept of Walmart as pro American is disgusting. Anything to harm it is good. Good for this app. Bored? I'll fund a new one.

why the hate for imported stuff? Do you want everything you buy to be made in USA? I don't understand you people. Trade is good for all of us. No country can build everything.

What do you mean you people?

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#88

Post by randomdata »

danharaj wrote: post #84
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously, do you think that's how it happens? Is that bluster, naivety, or what? Why not assume they're genuinely curious to learn rather than attack them? It gives better conversation.

Going over the same basic points over and over again might be a better conversation, but it's always the same comversation, which gets tiresome.

The funny part is that not a single reply to my comment (so far) touched on any of the points being made, which was entirely about definitions of terms, but rather continued with the same tired and emotionally fueled talking points every union discussion has.

I have to wonder if anyone actually read my comment, or just saw the word union and started replying with their stock responses.

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#89

Post by jimmywanger »

hammock wrote: post #81
jimmywanger wrote: post #3

Just to play devil's advocate here, this is from the article: > The app, called WorkIt, invites users to register by providing a name, email, telephone number and ZIP Code. Users can also s hare (sic) their job title and Wal-Mart store number.... That is a bunch of personally identifying information. You can easily steal somebody's identity with those bits of information, or at least have a good idea of who they are.…

"Invites here to register...this is a bunch of personally identifying information..." Yes. Of course. Isn't that the definition of "register"? It means to input your identifying information. Cf. First definition under intransitive verb (the sense used here): http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/register

No it doesn't. The bare minimum when you register on an anonymous website, you're asked to pick a username/password. Not all this other information.

There was a link to a definition of PII in a followup comment somewhere. Combined, the information they ask about you could be construed as PII. It would be like asking for you to give your credit card number to browse an online shop.

The app says that they answer questions about Wal-mart policies and redirect you to a human representative if they can't answer your question. Why do they need all this other information?

Re: Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App

#90

Post by jacalata »

randomdata wrote: post #64
darpa_escapee wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the same company that shows employees videos that are equivalent to "Unions = bad, yuck, gross, not even once" during training. They have every incentive to prevent unionization. If workers have room to negotiate, that means they could negotiate for fair compensation. Reminder that our country's labor history is rife with straight up mass murder of workers because they demanded fair pay, safe working conditio…

> they could negotiate for fair compensation. What, exactly, is unfair about the current compensation? Walmart pays exactly what they and the employee agreed to at the onset of the employment agreement. Those who couldn't reach an agreement have do not provide work for Walmart at all. I really don't know how you can get any more fair than that? Everyone equally has the ability to decide what works for them and are fr…

yada yada yada rich and poor equally free to not sleep under a bridge?
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