This week in Wal-Mart

For nearly 30 years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. employed a video-production company here to capture footage of its top executives, sometimes in unguarded moments. Two years ago, the retailing giant stopped using the tiny company

Supermarket News reported that shareholders of Wal-Mart Stores have proposed that the company establish a human rights committee.

For the fifth time in six years, Wal-Mart tops the Fortune 500 list

Despite the PR nightmares and mistreatment of workers Wal-Mart remains on top of the Fortune 500 list again for the fifth time in the last six years. From CNN.com

The retail giant reclaims the top spot on the Fortune 500, making it the largest company in the United States for the fifth time in six years. The company suffered a series of public relations gaffes last year, but has launched a crusade to spruce up its image. It now employs 1.9 million people worldwide and revenues are up 11% over last year, but profits grew less than 1%, amid a slowdown in same-store sales.

New York State's largest Grocery Union responds to Mayor Bloomberg's Wal-Mart endorsments

In today's New York Sun, Mayor Bloomberg says of Wal-Mart; "Wal-Mart clearly shares our goals, and their commitment to public safety really is commendable," This morning, New York's largest Grocery Union was taken back by this comment and issued a response.

“With all due respect to the Mayor, I would ask him to take a close look at Wal-marts long, well documented history of being one this country’s most irresponsible employers. Wal-mart has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in wage and hour violations, encouraged workers to go on tax payer funded healthcare rather than provide accessible insurance, has allowed overseas child labor to produce their products, is a defendant in this Nation’s largest gender discrimination lawsuit and been responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and lost local businesses. Their overall behavior has been anything but responsible,” stated Bruce W. Both, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500.

Read the entire Press Release at Local 1500's blog.

Wal-Mart does the right thing to the Shank Family

Wal-Mart has finally done the right thing in the Shank case...Check out Wake Up Wal-Mart's article and page dedicated to the Shank case.

National Advertising Division tells Wal-Mart to stop spreading lies

AdAge.com has a featured piece on their site today telling Wal-Mart to stop claiming consumers can save $2,500 annually by shopping there. More lies from the company that strives on helping the 'American Dream'

Wal-Mart should discontinue the implied advertising claim that consumers can save $2,500 annually by shopping there, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recommended in a statement today.

Check out the entire article here.

Selfishness of a Billion Dollar Company

Please read this disheartening story that essentially sums up everything Wal-Mart Stores Inc. stands for; Selfishness, Corporate Greed and willingness to do anything for a buck.

A collision with a semi-trailer truck seven years ago left 52-year-old Deborah Shank permanently brain-damaged and in a wheelchair. Her husband, Jim, and three sons found a small source of solace: a $700,000 accident settlement from the trucking company involved. After legal fees and other expenses, the remaining $417,000 was put in a special trust. It was to be used for Mrs. Shank's care.

Instead, all of it is now slated to go to Mrs. Shank's former employer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Read the Entire story here.

Rocky Point vs. Wal-Mart

As more and more communities are learning the true cost of a low price, their campaigns against the world's largest company continue to grow throughout the country. The latest in our area takes place in Suffolk County, Long Island. A proposal to bring a Wal-Mart to what was once a Drive In Movie theater has the community banding together to keep the corporate giant out of their town. The Suffolk Life Newspaper highlights the feud.

The Rocky Point Civic Association, headed by Drew Martin, found out about the potential Wal-Mart development only after a local resident saw bulldozers on the lot and asked the workers what they were for, according to Martin.
"We do not want a Wal-Mart here," he said. "Wal-Mart is like a big middle finger to us. They have such an unfair competitive advantage. They buy in such volume that no local retailer can compete with them. The economic impact on our downtown would be severe. It would be a recipe for disaster all the way around."

Read the entire story here. Support the Rocky Point community by heading to the Rocky Point Civic Association website. They're showing the High Cost of a Low Price tomorrow actually at a local VFW, if you're in the area come show your support!

Newsday also covered the story last week, we'll post more information on this site fight once we get it.

Consumers in dark over risks of New Light Bulbs

Thanks to Joseph Farah from www.WorldNetDaily.com

ENVIRONETDAILY
Consumers in dark over
risks of new light bulbs
Push for energy-saving fluorescents
ignores mercury disposal hazards

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WASHINGTON – Brandy Bridges heard the claims of government officials, environmentalists and retailers like Wal-Mart all pushing the idea of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving and money-saving compact fluorescent lamps.

So, last month, the Prospect, Maine, resident went out and bought two dozen CFLs and began installing them in her home. One broke. A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb.

With everyone from Al Gore to Wal-Mart to the Environmental Protection Agency promoting CFLs as the greatest thing since, well, the light bulb, consumers have been left in the dark about a problem they will all face eventually – how to get rid of the darn things when they burn out or, worse yet, break.

CFLs are all the rage. They are the spirally shaped, long-lasting bulbs everyone is being urged, cajoled and guilt-tripped into purchasing to replace Thomas Edison's incandescents, which are being compared to sports utility vehicles for their impracticality and energy inefficiency. However, there is no problem disposing of incandescents when their life is over. You can throw them in the trash can and they won't hurt the garbage collector. They won't leech deadly compounds into the air or water. They won't kill people working in the landfills.

The same cannot be said about the mercury-containing CFLs. They bear disposal warnings on the packaging. But with limited recycling prospects and the problems experienced by Brandy Bridges sure to be repeated millions of times, some think government, the green community and industry are putting the cart before the horse marketing the new technology so ferociously.

Consider her plight.

When the bulb she was installing in a ceiling fixture of her 7-year-old daughter's bedroom crashed to the floor and broke into the shag carpet, she wasn't sure what to do. Knowing about the danger of mercury, she called Home Depot, the retail outlet that sold her the bulbs.

According to the Ellison American, the store warned her not to vacuum the carpet and directed her to call the poison control hotline in Prospect, Maine. Poison control staffers suggested she call the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The latter sent over a specialist to test the air in her house for mercury levels. While the rest of the house was clear, the area of the accident was contaminated above the level considered safe. The specialist warned Bridges not to clean up the bulb and mercury powder by herself – recommending a local environmental cleanup firm.

That company estimated the cleanup cost, conservatively, at $2,000. And, no, her homeowners insurance won't cover the damage.

Since she could not afford the cleanup, Bridges has been forced to seal off her daughter's bedroom with plastic to avoid any dust blowing around. Not even the family pets are permitted in to the bedroom. Her daughter is forced to sleep downstairs in an overcrowded household.

She has continued to call public officials for help – her two U.S. senators included. So far, no one is beating down Bridges' door to help – not even Al Gore, whose Academy Award-winning movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," urges everyone to change to CFLs to save the planet from global warming.

(Story continues below)

Monsey Wal-Mart....Victory for the Community!

Congratulations to the residents of Monsey for defeating a corporate giant!!!

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MONSEY, N.Y. — It was Friday afternoon when the developer who had been intent on building a 215,000-square-foot Wal-Mart in this hamlet sent word to the town offices in Ramapo. The fax was terse, but its message clear: “We will not continue to proceed with the development.”

Read the entire story here.

Wal-Mart Execs Favor Clinton In Giving [NW Arkansas Morning News]

Wal-Mart Execs Favor Clinton In Giving [NW Arkansas Morning News]
Sen. Hillary Clinton is the favored recipient of campaign money from Wal-Mart executives, where she once served on the board of directors. Officers and directors of the retail giant have given more money to presidential candidates in this race than in the previous two election cycles combined, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Wal-Mart becoming a Political Issue for Candidates

Bill Clinton Defends Wife's Work on Wal-Mart Board [ABC News]
"While we don't have any insight into what Sen. Clinton advocated for while on the board of Wal-Mart, we do know that Wal-Mart has made no meaningful progress regarding the company's poor business practices, including gender discrimination, low wages, inadequate health care, overseas sourcing or environmental degradation," Nassar said.

WMT to enter Russia

Wal-Mart seen to enter Russia within 2 Years.

Wal-Mart saves over $1 Million from an employee suggestion.

They (WMT) also announced it will cut close to 1,000 magazines they now offer.

Indian Farmers strike back

Indian farmers are now uniting in solidarity to create a chain of stores that would compete with Wal-Mart's low costs. The country has continued to grow aware of the economic effects Wal-Mart will have on their country. But is it too late? Here's the Reuters story.

By Krittivas Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian farmers and traders, opposed to the entry of private retail giants such as Wal-Mart, are building a chain of superstores as part of efforts to sell their produce directly and stop prices being set by a few big players.

The effort is being backed by authorities in the western state of Maharashtra, which says infrastructure costs for the project could be subsidized.

WMT vs Healthcare, as the New York Times reports

The Times' Michael Barbaro highlights the struggle Wal-Mart has had providing their employees with Health Care. Turns out the company has been listening to its critics here is an excerpt from the article

The giant, it turns out, was listening. All the criticism was hurting its reputation and its ability to expand. So now, after spending two years seeking advice from everyone from Bill Clinton to executives at Starbucks, Wal-Mart is overhauling its health plans.

The company, according to data available for the first time, is offering better coverage to a greater number of workers. Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, provides insurance to 100,000 more workers than it did just three years ago — and it is now easier for many to sign up for health care at Wal-Mart than at its rival, Target, whose reputation glows in comparison.

Wal-Mart has hardly become a standard-bearer for corporate America: it still insures fewer than half its 1.4 million employees in the United States.

But the changes in its policies have accomplished what once seemed impossible. Many of its most ardent critics have put down their pitchforks. Andrew L. Stern, whose Service Employees International Union set up an advocacy group to attack Wal-Mart three years ago, now concedes that “there is clearly a focus on covering more people.”

Read the entire article here

Another Phony Site, Phony Organization, in order to get what they want

Fake blogs, Fake websites, Fake Political support, and now tricking residents of Long Beach California into removing an ordinance that would block them from coming to their small town...

In a unanimous decision the Long Beach City Council has voted to remove a ballot measure that would ban "big-box" superstores that sell groceries such as Wal-Mart. The monumental ordinance was passed last year, but because of "financial reasons" has decided to remove the ordinance from a public vote on Feb. 5th The council decided to vote against this because it would have cost the city $500,000 to keep it on the ballot for public vote during the statewide presidential primary ballot. The opposition to the bill came from none other than Wal-Mart who funded a coalition called the Long Beach Consumers for Choice. Wal-Mart funded a petition to be signed by residents which cited the $500,000 fee to keep this ordinance on the ballot. The petition was signed by more than the 20,613 needed to take the ordinance off the ballot.

The council specifically stated that this was not a victory for Wal-Mart, and that it simply came down to managing the few funds they had, and could use the $500,000 for something else the city needs. The council did say that they do admire what the bill stands for, and that they want to do everything they can to keep local businesses alive. Though paying the price for this was obviously too much. Rick Eiden of Local 324 said of the council

"We've seen the destruction of small businessess and quality jobs in our community, and that far outweighs the $500,000 the city would be putting forward to say we're going to stand up to a big corporation."

324 has 3,000 members in Long Beach who would all be affected by the opening of a big box store.

"I cannot justify in these financial times, to spend $500,000 of our budget where we can use it in other places," said Councilman Val Lerch, who made the motion to repeal the law.

The city's $2.3 billion budget for the 2008 fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is estimated to be up to $10 million short of what is needed.

Even if the council had approved the ballot measure, the move likely would have been futile. Mayor Bob Foster announced Sunday that he would veto the measure if the council approved it.

Foster was quoted on Tuesday saying the council's vote wasn't a victory for Wal-Mart.

Money=Influence.

WMT Headlines, Tuesday 10/30/07

Wal-Mart, the largest US retailer, is dipping its toes into online grocery sales, with the expansion of a home shipping service for products including Perrier water and free-trade coffee at Sam’s Club, its membership warehouse store. Read more of this story

The Eagles Sell Out...

In one of the most hypocritical business deals in recent memory, The Eagles will make Long Road Out Of Eden, their first studio album in almost 30 years, exclusively available at Wal-Mart stores throughout North America. Read more of this story here

WAL-MART...PLANS A NJ SUPERCENTER CLOSEST TO NYC

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to open its first supercenter, a store with a full supermarket, in North Jersey at the former APA Transport Corp. site in North Bergen, a company spokesman confirmed Monday. The news means North Jersey's regional supermarket chains -- Pathmark, ShopRite and A&P -- could have a food fight on their hands, as the nation's largest retailer tests the waters with one of its discount supermarkets. The store would be Wal-Mart's third supercenter in New Jersey, and the closest to New York City. Read more of this story...

Wal-Mart ends an era...

Here is an excellent opinion written by Thomas Pellechia of the Start Gazette. The article may be found here

For some, Wal-Mart signals the end of an era
September 2, 2007
Post Comment
Thomas Pellechia

What is it about Wal-Mart that brings out such controversy?

What is it about so-called superstores or box stores that makes many people want to tear out their hair and the hearts of others?

There's a lot of talk in Bath about too much traffic, environmental disaster, a threat to small businesses and probably the collapse of civilization, too.

To say that massive stores offering low, low prices (often with low-quality products to match) threaten civilization may be overstating the case.

But consider this: Isn't it a civilized thing to be able to walk into a local shop, know the proprietor, talk to him or her and feel enriched after leaving the place?

Isn't it fabulous to spend a few minutes in the local hardware store figuring out with the proprietor what you need for your particular problem?

Didn't it used to be wonderful to smell the flowers in a florist's shop and to know and trust the local pharmacist?

Wasn't it fabulous to select your cut of meat at the butcher's counter and to converse with your tailor?

The shopping life used to be these things, but unless you live in a major -- and old -- city like New York, it is no longer that way.

Maybe the loss of communal living is why the Wal-Marts of the world stir such visceral enmity.

A Special Labor Day Treat: Wal Mart, The Musical

A Special Labor Day Treat: Wal Mart, The Musical (Business Week)

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on August 30

Comes now the latest skewering of Wal-Mart…a musical called WalMartopia that was the audience coup de foudre at last summer’s International Fringe Theatre Festival. WalMartopia opens Off Broadway on—ahem—Labor Day in New York City’s Greenwich Village at the Minetta Lane Theater.

Judging from the music on the PR firm’s hold button, the tunes are Phantom’ish catchy. There is something in the dystopian theme song—rolling electronic organ riffs, dissonant chorus—that is reminiscent of Vincent Price on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album.

WalMartopia tells the story of one Vicki Latrell, a noble single mother who dares speak truth to power. After complaining about the sweatshop-like working conditions in her store (sound familiar?), she’s spun, Oz-like, into the future. This is a place Wal Mart has colonized. Think Urinetown meets Bentonville.

As a special, Labor Day wind-up, here’s the lyrics to aforementioned theme song:

We are one under Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart feeds us all
We were were born to consume
From the cradle to the tomb
Never may you fall

One nation under Wal-Mart
Wal Mart makes us free
And our minds are at rest
Mother Wal-Mart knows what’s best

WalMartopia!

Med-Mart has the pills to pop
When the nightmares just won’t stop

School-Mart teaches us to shop
How to stock and sweep and mop

News-Mart tells us what is real
What to think and how to feel

Smash our enemies all apart
at National Security-Mart

I AM WAL-MART!

WAL-MARTOPIA!

HAPPY LABOR DAY EVERYBODY!

Wal-Mart's changes to Wikipedia entries exposed

A new tool has exposed a number of well-known corporations that deleted negative aspects of their Wikipedia entries--removing one of the main things that distinguishes Wikipedia from their own corporate websites, its balance. Wal-Mart has continually changed what their pay rate is listed on wiki to a much higher rate. Please check out the entire article here