Wal-Mart finally allows a union!

Wal-Mart, the retail juggernaut known for low prices (and lower wages) is famous for resisting any attempts to allow its employees (sorry, I mean "associates") to organize. According to conventional wisdom, if you want to work at Wal-Mart, you can forget about unionizing.

It seems that Wal-Mart has made an about-face, and will allow its associates to be represented by a union. The catch? It only applies to Wal-Mart associates in China. That's right - American workers will still be stuck with the same substandard wages and benefits, but associates in China can unionize. I don't know if I'd be too jealous, though. Wal-Mart will reportedly only recognize the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, a state-run entity ("independent" unions are illegal in China). One wonders how bold a stand the ACFTU is willing to take for its members if it's controlled by the Communist Party.