WMFNYC Brooklyn : The Brooklyn Flyers

As you all know Wal-Mart has had their eye on Brooklyn, we're holding a rally on Feb 8th at Albee Square. Here are the 2 Flyers we are distributing throughout Brooklyn over the next few weeks.... Feel free to click on them and print them out! For more info on our rally email us at walmartfreenyc@yahoo.com, all are welcome to attend the rally!

Wal-Mart Pays Out $33.5 Million In Back Wages

Wal-Mart agreed to pay $33.5 million in back wages plus interest to settle a federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit accused the company of violating overtime laws involving some 86,680 workers.

Department officials stated that many of the violations with Wal-Mart involved them failing to pay time-and-a-half premium pay to managers in training, programmers in training, as well as other non-managerial employees under salary when they worked more than 40 hours a week.

They also accused Wal-Mart of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act which is the federal law which governs overtime by failing to properly include factors such as bonuses and geographical differences in calculating base wages to figure out time-and-a-half rates for workers.

Over 40 state lawsuits were filed against Wal-Mart accusing them of forcing employees to work off the clock and not pay them all the overtime which they had earned.

Most of those lawsuits are still pending with the average compensation for 87,000 employees to be around $375. 75 employees will receive more than $10,000 in back wages with the highest anyone will receive to top off at $39,775.

Wal-Mart Tops the List of 101 Dumbest PR Moves

Good Morning, We havent had much time to update, we're currently scheduling a rally for the proposed Brooklyn site at the Fulton Street Mall, if anyone is intrested in attending please send an email over to us at walmartfreenyc@yahoo.com Enjoy the story...follow the link to read the story

101 Dumbest Moments in Business

Wal-Mart's PR bloopers

The world's largest retailer set out to clean up its image with a new public relations campaign - and promptly landed six spots on this year's list.

Wal-Mart Defeats Maryland Law

Yesterday, a federal appeals court judge ruled in Wal-Mart's favor over the state of Maryland, regarding the creation of the "Fair Share Health Care" law. The law, created last year, required employers of a certain size to pay at least 8% of its total payroll towards the health care of its employees. However, the law was so specifically designed that it only affected Wal-Mart, which was a major basis for the company's lawsuit.

"Last year, the union leaders failed in 32 of the 33 states where they announced they would enact a so-called Fair Share Health Care bill," said Catherine Smith, Interim Chair of Working Families for Wal-Mart, a company backed organization created by Wal-Mart to strengthen its public image. "In Maryland, the only state to enact the legislation, a Federal judge promptly struck it down as illegal. Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed. We applaud the Court's actions and are gratified that yet again this measure has been exposed as both illegal and bad public policy. On behalf of working families everywhere, we urge the union leaders' to abandon these failed gimmicks and use their members' dues to help pass meaningful reforms that expand affordable health coverage to all Americans."

In New York, the Working Families Party has drafted the "Fair Share for Health Care" act, a bill similar to the Maryland bill though greater in scope. A push to pass the law last year failed, but party leaders have stated in the past that their own bill would be in better legal shape if it did pass. Read more about the legislation here.

organic fraud

Wal-Mart accused of 'organic fraud'

Advocacy group claims retailer is misleading its customers by labeling non-organic foods as 'organic.'

By Grace Wong, CNNMoney.com staff writer

January 17 2007: 4:13 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A policy research group is accusing Wal-Mart of "organic fraud," the latest controversy to arise as the world's largest retailer pushes into the organic food industry.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group which promotes sustainable farming, claims Wal-Mart (Charts) is defrauding its customers by mislabeling non-organic products as organic.

The policy group said it conducted checks of Wal-Mart stores in five states and discovered labeling violations in virtually all of the "dozens of stores" it visited.

Wal-Mart, which uses green signs to identify organic selections at its stores, said any shelf labeling mistakes are isolated events and that it often mixes organic and conventional products on its shelves to make it easer for customers to find organic options.

"Although Wal-Mart has more than 2,000 locations that may offer up to 200 organic selections in addition to thousands of non-organic offerings, we believe it to be an isolated incident should a green organic identifying tag be inadvertently placed by or accidentally shift in front of the wrong item," the company said in an e-mailed statement.

But Cornucopia claims the retail behemoth isn't doing enough to address the problem. The advocacy group said it notified Wal-Mart of the labeling problems in September of last year, but claims that problems continued to exist at the stores when it made checks again early this year.

"It's very disturbing that the company has known about this for months and hasn't done anything about it," Mark Kastel, co-director of Cornucopia, said. "There's no excuse for this."

In addition to notifying Wal-Mart of the problem, Cornucopia filed a complaint in November with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency which regulates the marketing of organic foods.

The complaint refers to alleged violations, such as the labeling of all-natural yogurt as organic, on Wal-Mart shelves.

Wal-Mart said its stores are sent guidelines for placing identification tags and that it works with its stores to make sure the tags are accurate. The USDA certification label on the actual packaging of organic items also helps customers verify products as organic, the company said.

Joan Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the USDA, said Cornucopia's complaint has been received and is being reviewed. The agency is seeking more information and will determine whether an investigation is warranted after additional information is received, she said.

USDA regulations on the marketing of organic food are rigorous and carry stiff penalties - each violation of willful organic food misrepresentation can result in fines of up to $10,000.

Organic food regulations can be complex, and ignorance among food managers can result in labeling mistakes, said Samuel Fromartz, author of "Organic, Inc.," a book about the organic food industry.

But it's crucial for new players getting involved in the organic food industry - which is growing by 15 to 20 percent a year - to get the labeling regulations right, he said.

"Consumers are already confused about what organic food is so if they buy a product that they think is organic and it turns out to not be organic - it just adds to their confusion and adds to a sense of mistrust about what they're buying," Fromartz said.

Wal-Mart is the latest retailer to make a push into the approximately $15 billion organic food industry that has boosted the popularity of natural food stores like Whole Foods (Charts).

The company announced last year it would start selling more organic products, raising concerns among some organic farmers that the giant retailer would undercut prices.

Community Leaders Across U.S. Call on Wal-Mart to Create Good Jobs in Urban America

Action Coincides With New National Ad Campaign by Retail Giant
100 Leaders Release Statements to CEO Lee Scott, Elected Officials

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One week before the
nation observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day, religious, political, civil
rights and business leaders from New York, Atlanta, Oakland, Chicago,
Washington D.C., and other cities held a national telepress conference in
which they called on the world's largest retailer to create good jobs and
become a responsible community partner.

In conjunction with the press conference, two statements from more than
100 urban leaders across the country were released -- one demanding that
Wal- Mart and its CEO Lee Scott change their approach to urban communities,
the other calling on elected officials to enact policies that encourage the
creation of good jobs in urban America.

A new report was also released today by the Los Angeles Alliance for a
New Economy (LAANE) and the Partnership for Working Families. "Wal-Mart and
Beyond: The Battle for Good Jobs and Strong Communities in Urban America"
documents the extensive negative impacts of Wal-Mart and offers a series of
strategies both to hold Wal-Mart and other companies accountable, and to
create good jobs in urban neighborhoods.

The telepress conference and release of the statements and reports
coincides with a new national ad campaign by Wal-Mart designed to repair
its image following high-profile efforts over the past several years to
educate Americans about the company's negative impacts on workers,
communities, businesses and taxpayers.

"Wal-Mart has positioned itself squarely in the path of workers and
communities seeking to realize Dr. King's dream of civil and economic
equality," said Tracy Gray-Barkan, Director of Retail Policy at LAANE and
author of the new report. "It's time for Wal-Mart to address the real
problems it creates for communities instead of trying to fix its image
through multi- million dollar public relations campaigns." Wal-Mart continues to meet resistance to its aggressive attempts to expand into urban markets around the country. Wal-Mart employees earn 20
percent less than what the average retail worker earns, and over $10,000
less than what the average two-person family needs to meet its basic needs.
The company enrolls fewer than half of its employees in its costly health
insurance plan, compared to 67 percent for the average large employer.
Wal-Mart moved recently to reduce the number of full-time jobs, establish
wage caps on hourly jobs and institute scheduling rules in an effort to
weed out older employees and employees with family responsibilities.
"Too often, we hear that for our communities, any job is a good job,"
said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington, D.C.,
and National Director for the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign. "We reject the
idea that minority communities should settle for low-paying jobs without a
future."

California State Senator Gil Cedillo said the company's low prices come
at too high a cost. "In order for our communities to achieve the American
Dream, we need more than poverty-wage jobs. We need economic development that
meets the real needs of our communities -- good jobs that allow working
people to support their families and provide a better life to their
children."


http://www.laane.org/walmart/

Community Leaders Across U.S. Call on Wal-Mart to Create Good Jobs in Urban America

Community Leaders Across U.S. Call on Wal-Mart to Create Good Jobs in Urban America


Action Coincides With New National Ad Campaign by Retail Giant
100 Leaders Release Statements to CEO Lee Scott, Elected Officials


LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One week before the
nation observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day, religious, political, civil
rights and business leaders from New York, Atlanta, Oakland, Chicago,
Washington D.C., and other cities held a national telepress conference in
which they called on the world's largest retailer to create good jobs and
become a responsible community partner.

In conjunction with the press conference, two statements from more than
100 urban leaders across the country were released -- one demanding that
Wal- Mart and its CEO Lee Scott change their approach to urban communities,
the other calling on elected officials to enact policies that encourage the
creation of good jobs in urban America.

A new report was also released today by the Los Angeles Alliance for a
New Economy (LAANE) and the Partnership for Working Families. "Wal-Mart and
Beyond: The Battle for Good Jobs and Strong Communities in Urban America"
documents the extensive negative impacts of Wal-Mart and offers a series of
strategies both to hold Wal-Mart and other companies accountable, and to
create good jobs in urban neighborhoods.

The telepress conference and release of the statements and reports
coincides with a new national ad campaign by Wal-Mart designed to repair
its image following high-profile efforts over the past several years to
educate Americans about the company's negative impacts on workers,
communities, businesses and taxpayers.

"Wal-Mart has positioned itself squarely in the path of workers and
communities seeking to realize Dr. King's dream of civil and economic
equality," said Tracy Gray-Barkan, Director of Retail Policy at LAANE and
author of the new report. "It's time for Wal-Mart to address the real
problems it creates for communities instead of trying to fix its image
through multi- million dollar public relations campaigns."
Wal-Mart continues to meet resistance to its aggressive attempts to
expand into urban markets around the country. Wal-Mart employees earn 20
percent less than what the average retail worker earns, and over $10,000
less than what the average two-person family needs to meet its basic needs.
The company enrolls fewer than half of its employees in its costly health
insurance plan, compared to 67 percent for the average large employer.
Wal-Mart moved recently to reduce the number of full-time jobs, establish
wage caps on hourly jobs and institute scheduling rules in an effort to
weed out older employees and employees with family responsibilities.
"Too often, we hear that for our communities, any job is a good job,"
said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington, D.C.,
and National Director for the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign. "We reject the
idea that minority communities should settle for low-paying jobs without a
future."

California State Senator Gil Cedillo said the company's low prices come
at too high a cost. "In order for our communities to achieve the American
Dream, we need more than poverty-wage jobs. We need economic development that
meets the real needs of our communities -- good jobs that allow working
people to support their families and provide a better life to their
children."


http://www.laane.org/walmart/

Wal-Mart To Air Nationwide Ads Countering Attacks

Wal-Mart To Air Nationwide Ads Countering Attacks

POSTED: 5:39 pm EST January 7, 2007
UPDATED: 5:39 pm EST January 7, 2007

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will run national television ads starting Monday praising its record as an employer and corporate citizen, taking its arguments straight to the public in an ongoing battle over its reputation with unions and other critics.

The world's largest retailer, increasingly a lightning rod for politicians as well as labor unions and other activists, cites the legacy of late founder Sam Walton in a folksy 60-second ad. A 30-second ad focuses on Wal-Mart's health insurance plans for its more than 1.3 million U.S. employees.

"It all began with a big dream in a small town, Sam Walton's dream," a narrator says as one ad starts with a black-and-white photo of Sam Walton and a grainy shot of Walton's first five-and-dime store in what is now the chain's headquarters town of Bentonville, Ark.

"Sam's dream. Your neighborhood Wal-Mart," the ad ends.

Both ads recite key points Wal-Mart has been making to reporters for months about its record, but the ads now take the arguments straight to the public.

The nation's largest private employer says it creates tens of thousands of jobs a year, offers employee health plans for as little as $23 a month, saves "the average working family" more than $2,300 a year through its low prices and is a major contributor to local charities with donations last year totaling more than $245 million.

In a news release about the ads, Wal-Mart said a survey of its employees nationwide last summer found 88 percent believe the company is a good corporate citizen and 81 percent would recommend a Wal-Mart job to a friend.

Company spokesman David Tovar declined to say how much Wal-Mart is spending on the ads, which were tested last summer in Tucson, Ariz., and Omaha, Neb. They will run for an as-yet undetermined period on national broadcast and cable networks as well as in a "couple of dozen" individual markets, Tovar said.

Steven Silvers, a corporate reputation management expert with Denver-based consultancy GBSM Inc., said it was strategically smart of Wal-Mart to take its case directly to the public to counter mounting attacks.

"If they're targeted, they have to get their message out there," Silvers said. "It's because they have become political fodder. They have to frame the discussion."

Wal-Mart was the focus of two high-profile but unsuccessful efforts last year to legislate how it treats employees.

Maryland's Legislature passed a union-backed law that would have forced Wal-Mart to spend a fixed percentage of payroll on employee health insurance. That law was overturned by a federal court. Chicago's City Council passed an ordinance mandating higher wages at big-box retailers, but it was vetoed by Mayor Richard Daley.

Union-funded campaign groups have also recruited national Democratic figures to back their calls for higher wages and better health care at Wal-Mart, including potential 2008 presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and declared 2008 candidate John Edwards.

WakeUpWalMart.com, a union-funded campaign group, said the ad campaign proves Wal-Mart is seeing damage to its bottom line from a worsening reputation. The retailer had its worst holiday sales season in years, WakeUpWalMart.com spokesman Chris Kofinis said.

"Wal-Mart is living in a bizarre state of denial, where no matter how bad their public reputation is, they still believe that a tired ad campaign can fool the American public into believing it is OK to exploit millions of working families," Kofinis said.

WakeUpWalMart.com and another union-backed group, Wal-Mart Watch, claim Wal-Mart pays poverty wages, runs small businesses out of town and pushes employees onto tax-funded public health care. Wal-Mart denies those allegations.

The union groups have repeatedly run newspaper and television ads.

Wal-Mart said its ads are part of a continuing effort to show it is good for its employees and customers.

"This campaign is part of a long-term effort to inform the public about the company's positive impact on communities, including some of our core values like affordable health care, customer savings and charitable contributions," Tovar said.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wal-Mart's Trail Mix Ingredients: Raisins, Nuts, Cashews, and Glass?!

Wal-Mart recalls trail mix after 3 reports of glass or plastic found inside

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recalled a house brand of trail mix and took remaining bags off shelves nationwide after three customers said they found glass or hard plastic in bags bought in two states, the retailer and the mix's maker said Tuesday.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it ordered stores over the weekend to remove Sam's Choice "Nature Trail" Trail Mix from sale. It also programed cash registers at all stores to block sales of the product, spokeswoman Karen Burk said.

The product is supplied to Wal-Mart by Jessup, Md.-based Ann's House of Nuts.

Jim Giles, vice president of quality assurance for Ann's, said the company had launched an investigation at its plant in Robersonville, N.C., where the trail mix was produced.

Giles said three Wal-Mart customers in Ohio and North Carolina had called the retailer to report finding what looked like glass or hard plastic particles in 28-ounce bags of the product. The bags had not yet been collected from the consumers, but one consumer described the particles as being "about the size of a 1-carat diamond," Giles said.

No injuries were reported, he said.

Ann's has asked a food lab to collect the bags and analyze the contents to determine what kind of product the glass or plastic came from, which could help determine the source of the problem, Giles said.

"We're thinking that maybe it was in one of the six ingredients in this product," he said.

But Ann's is still looking at other possibilities and plans to interview the production line crew when they return to work Wednesday from a New Year's break.

There was no evidence of deliberate tampering, and law enforcement officials were not involved, Giles said.

Ann's produces over 30 million bags a year of various brands of trail mix and has had no other complaints like this, Giles said.

Wal-Mart said the Sam's Choice "Nature Trail" in question is marked "Best by APR-23-2007." The bags are also marked "MFG OCT-23-2006" to reflect the manufacturing date.

Wal-Mart asked customers who purchased the affected trail mix to return the product for a full refund or replacement.

Philadelphia: Wal-Mart employees seek more damages

Wal-Mart employees seek more damages

PHILADELPHIA

Wal-Mart workers in Pennsylvania who won a $78.5 million judgment for working off the clock and through rest breaks returned to court Wednesday to seek another $62 million in damages.

They argue that the approximately 125,000 class members deserve an additional $500 each in damages under Pennsylvania labor laws because the jury found Wal-Mart acted in bad faith. The plaintiffs already are expected to receive from about $50 to a few thousand dollars each, depending on how long they worked for the company.

Lawyers for Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, say the class members do not meet the state statute's requirements for so-called liquidated damages, which are designed to compensate people for the delay in payment.

It was not clear if Common Pleas Judge Mark Bernstein would immediately rule on the issue Wednesday afternoon or take it under advisement.

Bernstein oversaw the five-week trial, which culminated in October when the jury rejected Wal-Mart's claim that some employees chose to work through breaks and that the off-the-clock work was minimal.

Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., earned $11.2 billion in profits on $312.4 billion in sales in the last fiscal year.

Plaintiffs lawyer Michael Donovan of Philadelphia argued at trial that the unpaid work gave Wal-Mart an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

Lead plaintiff Dolores Hummel said she worked about 10 hours each month off the clock to keep up with work demands at a Sam's Club in Reading, where the single mother worked for 10 years to support her son. Sam's Clubs are a division of Wal-Mart.

The suit covers current and former employees who worked at Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs in Pennsylvania from March 1998 through May 2006.

Wal-Mart is appealing a $172 million verdict in a similar California case and settled a Colorado suit over unpaid wages for $50 million.

Wal-Mart policy in Pennsylvania gives hourly employees one paid 15-minute break during a shift of at least three hours and two such breaks, plus an unpaid 30-minute meal break, on a shift of at least six hours.