Yesterday, we learned from The Oregonian that Wal-Mart is appealing the denial by the city of their plans to build a store in Gresham, OR. The following was sent in to us from Javon Gilmore, campaign coordinator for the community group Gresham First.

Today Wal-Mart filed an appeal of the City Planner’s decision to deny a permit application for the proposed site at 182nd & Powell. Type II appeals are heard by a Hearings Officer, and the local process must be completed no later than October 29, 2005. Further appeal would be brought before the State Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).

While it is disappointing that the hard work by the City Planner in preparing a decision is not acknowledged by Wal-Mart, we have reviewed their development history and have been preparing for the appeal. Various concerns exist regarding the suitability of this site, and we are confident that the Hearings officer will uphold the initial ruling.

NEXT STEPS
Our land use attorney, Chris Cook, will coordinate efforts during this phase of the process. Greenlight Engineering will also provide testimony of traffic impact findings and recommendations. Fundraising will continue to ensure the best possible legal defense of the land use concerns and zoning violations. Strategic details will be discussed at our next meeting (time and place to be announced later in the week).

FINDING A SOLUTION
The current proposal has raised concerns regarding the health and well being of our region’s economy, workers and community livability. Unfortunately, these factors are not currently protected by our City Planning and Development code.

Gresham First recommends the development of zoning regulations that would require retail projects over a certain size to undergo an independent economic impact review, to help make informed decisions about our future with objective information on the potential costs of large scale retail developments, without using an outright ban. Many communities are adopting land-use policies that restrict the growth of predatory business, support downtown revitalization and create an environment where locally owned business can thrive. Applicants who demonstrate they will provide an economic benefit to our community should be allowed to build.

PLEASE VOICE YOUR OPINION!
Please help protect the long-term health of our community by urging the Mayor and City Council, as well as Metro Councilors and State leadership for “big-box” restrictions. Please visit our website at greshamfirst.org/letters.htm

RUMMAGE SALE #3
The hard work involved with planning and executing our rummage sale on August 20 contributed to the success both as a fundraiser and a recycling festival! Many thanks are due to volunteers who gave up their weekend (and backs) for the cause.

STAY POSITIVE & INVOLVED!
Our concerns were validated by City staff in “Round One” and the hard work and planning for “Round Two” will ensure that the Planner’s decision will be upheld. Congratulations to everyone who helped achieve our campaign goals for this phase of the process.

According to a report put out by the Census Bureau today, the nation's poverty rate rose to 12.7% of the population last year, despite 2.2 million jobs being created during the same period. This is the latest in the trend of poverty level Wal-Mart jobs being created, instead of middle class jobs.

Wal-Mart is single-handedly driving down our standard of living by rapidly expanding the number of low-wage, no-benefits jobs, while taking away stable jobs. Because of Wal-Mart's market power, other retailers are forced to lower their employee's compensation to compete with Wal-Mart's poverty level wages.

From 2001 to 2004, poverty-level jobs (jobs paying less than $9 an hour) out grew living wage jobs ($12 to $15 an hour) by 2-to-1. (UC-Berkeley Institute of Industrial Relations, The Evolving Distribution of Wages and Job Composition over the 2001 to 2004 Period)

The Wal-Martization of America not only threatens the middle class and drives down wages, but is potentially creating a permanent underclass. In fact, in the retail sector, real wages have actually declined over the last 20 years. The average retail employee earns 5% less in real annual earnings from 1982 to 2002. What does this mean? In 2002, the average retail employee earned $15,140. Twenty years ago, that same employee would have earned $15,883 in 2002 dollars. (Analysis of BLS Covered Employees Survey Data).

In a move that CA State Sen. Gloria Romero called a sign of democracy in action, citizens in Rosemead, CA have gathered signatures to demand the recall of the Mayor and a councilmember who voted to approve a Wal-Mart project in the community.

From the Pasadena Star News:

Wal-Mart opponents are expected to announce today that they have gathered more than enough signatures to start the recall of two Rosemead councilmen who voted for a project proposed by the retailer.

A news conference is being held at 10 a.m. at Rosemead City Hall, in which members of Save Our Community will hand over petitions containing 4,758 signatures to the Rosemead city clerk to begin the verification process.

The petitions demand the recall of Mayor Jay Imperial and Councilman Gary Taylor.

"The recall can't stop the Wal- Mart project, but since they have to do a revised environmental impact report, they might be facing a different council and a much better-informed public,' said the group's founder, Larry Bevington.

Imperial, who was elected in 1978, and Taylor, elected in 1974, could not be reached for comment.

The signatures will be counted and submitted to the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk office, which has 30 days to validate the signatures.

If the signatures are valid, the Rosemead City Council will be notified. Then, the city has two weeks to order a special election, which must be held no fewer than 88 days and no more than 125 days after the issuance of the order, Rosemead City Clerk Nancy Valderrama said.

Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart and ASDA, its British subsidiary, achieved a new level of global irony this weekend calling for a government investigation into the market dominance of one of its foreign competitors, TESCO. As reported by The Sunday Times, Scott demanded that the British Government investigate its chief grocery rival TESCO because of what Scott sees as the company’s growing market dominance in Britain. Scott stated that “as you get to over 30 percent and higher, I am sure there is a point where government is compelled to intervene….at some point the Government has to look at it.”

“Scott criticizing TESCO for its market dominance is like Enron criticizing Arthur Anderson for its accounting practices. Wal-Mart is using its immoral business practices as a competitive advantage over responsible corporations. The question for Wal-Mart should be when will Wal-Mart demand an investigation of itself?” said, Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com

Lee Scott’s statement is especially ironic in light of the facts about Wal-Mart’s market share here in the United States.

Here are the facts.

1. Wal-Mart accounts for 60% of the sales for the $379 billion market called Discount Department and General Merchandise stores.
   
2. Wal-Mart’s general merchandise dominance means it has sales nearly 5 times more than their next closest competitor and double the sales of their next 3 closest competitors (Costco, Target and Kmart) combined.
   
3. Wal-Mart controls approximately 24% of grocery sales in the United States (more than double its next closest competitor), very similar to TESCO’s position in the United Kingdom.
   
4. Wal-Mart sells more groceries than their top 3 competitors combined.
   
5. Wal-Mart sells 30% of household staples bought in the United States, including items such as toothpaste, shampoo, and paper towels, according to Business Week.
   
6. A report prepared by Retail Forward in 2003 forecasted that Wal-Mart’s domestic supermarket-type sales could go from an estimated $82 billion to $162 billion by 2007. In the process, Wal-Mart will consume almost a third of the expected growth in US spending on grocery and drug products during 2003-2007. Growth of this magnitude would give Wal-Mart control of 35% of food store industry sales and 25% of the drug store industry – and put many entrenched players in jeopardy.
   
7. Grocery Industry statistics Ranked by Percentage:
   

   
   24% Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club
   10% Kroger
   7% Albertson’s
   6% Safeway
   

   
   Discount department & General Merchandise stores ($379 billion) Ranked by sales
   

   
   Wal-Mart & Sam’s Club $229 bill
   Costco $47 bill
   Target $47 bill
   Kmart $20 bill

Over 50 WakeUpWalMart.com volunteers surrounded Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri talking to the 40,000 plus Cardinals fans about Wal-Mart’s failing policies. Meanwhile, on the other side of the state, in Kansas City, over 70 volunteers gathered outside one of the largest Wal-Mart Supercenters in the U.S., protesting Wal-Mart’s child labor violations.

Elsewhere, WakeUpWalMart.com volunteers staffed a booth at the Black Family Reunion Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended a rally and press conference with religious and political leaders in Dallas, Texas, and signed up supporters near a Wal-Mart in Portland, Oregon. Nina, a WakeUpWalMart.com community leader in Delaware, canvassed 12 apartment buildings in her neighborhood, signing up supporters.

These are just a few examples of WakeUpWalMart.com grassroots actions as part of our “Send Wal-Mart Back to School” campaign this summer.

In an effort to continue to put the pressure on Wal-Mart, WakeUpWalMart.com organizers and volunteers are now gearing up for our Labor Day of Action (September 5). We have actions in over 35 locations covering more than 20 states. And we are adding events every day. Sign up to attend an event in your community or post an action you are planning on your own on the WakeUpWalMart.com Community Forum:

http://forum.wakeupwalmart.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=59

We look forward to seeing you on the streets on Labor Day and beyond.

According to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, the government should investigate when a company gets too big, because it becomes too hard for other companies to compete. Care to repeat that Mr. Scott?

LONDON (AFX) - Tesco PLC's growing dominance of the UK grocery market should be investigated by competition watchdogs, according to Lee Scott, chief executive of US retail giant Wal-Mart, which owns UK supermarket group Asda.

'I am sure there is a point where the government is compelled to intervene, particularly in the UK, where you have the planning laws that make it more difficult to compete,' Scott told the Sunday Times. 'At some point the government has got to look at it.'

Scott's comments came after market researchers TNS said last week that Tesco's share of the UK market rose to a record 30.5 pct over the last three months. That put Tesco at the top of the UK supermarket league, with Asda in second place with 16.7 pct.

Tesco said there was no justification for a competition probe.

'Previous Competition Commission inquiries have found that the market - and Tesco - operates in the consumer interest. It is a competitive market. The consumer is the winner,' Tesco corporate and legal affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe told the Sunday Times.

From Consumer Reports comes the truth about Wal-Mart's purported low prices:

When you're shopping at a small, independent appliance shop, you probably expect great service.

"The quality of our service and the quality of our people on the floor is really what sells this store," said Jim Vinci, who owns an appliance store.

But what about selection… or competitive prices? Consumer Reports' Bob Markovich said more than 6,000 readers weighed in as part of a major survey.

"We asked people about their experiences shopping for appliances at big chains, like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy, as well as at small independent stores," Markovich said.

Consumer Reports asked about service and quality, as well as price and selection. It turns out big chains don't always mean big bargains.

When it comes to small appliances, Wal-Mart touts low prices, but survey results show, overall, it's no less expensive than other stores.

"Readers also said good help was hard to find at Wal-Mart, and selection—pretty limited," Markovich said.

Wal-Mart, which last year opened a store near the ancient Teotihuacan pyramids of Mexico despite loud protests from local activists and small businesses, now faces other pressures regarding this site:

Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission declares the construction of Wal Mart at Pyramid Site Illegal.

The Commission Detects a Violation of the Constitution

In a letter (2004/2908/MEX/2/SQ) directed to the legal department of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), with a copy to the Frente Civico pro Defensa del Casino de la Selva, the Commission declares a violation of articles 14 and 16, of the Mexican Constitution. The commission goes on to explain that a world heritage site was placed at risk, as well as violating third generation human rights, the right to enjoy humanity’s patrimony.

The commission also requests that the legal auditing procedure within the the Institute of Anthropology be continued and that a greater effort be made to obtain resources for the preservation of Teotihuacan.

I also just came across an article from the International Press Service about other proposed Wal-Mart's near two other heavily indigenous areas in Mexico:

Trujillo is facing legal action for the protests his organisation held against the construction of a Wal-Mart store less than two kilometres from the Teotihuacan pyramids.

Wal-Mart, which is now the biggest retailer in Mexico, has 710 stores and fast-food restaurants in this country of 104 million, with total revenues of more than 13 billion dollars a year.

Trujillo said he has already begun to coordinate protests and other actions with organisations of local farmers and shop-keepers in Pátzcuaro in the state of Michoacán, home to the Purépechas Indians, to keep Wal-Mart from building one of its superstores in the town.

The picturesque colonial town of Pátzcuaro has a population of 48,000, 5,000 of whom speak indigenous languages. It is located on the banks of a lake in the state of Michoacán, east of the Mexican capital. The area is famous for its typical indigenous celebrations and crafts.

Trujillo reported that his group would also help organise the resistance in the town of Juchitán, in the southern state of Oaxaca, where Wal-Mart also plans to build a new store.

Juchitán is a largely indigenous town of 3,500 where prehispanic practices like bartering still survive in the open-air markets.

"We are not going to let Wal-Mart barge in with its neoliberal trade practices to sites of historical and cultural importance in Mexico. We cannot continue allowing this plunder," said Trujillo.

From News 10 (Syracuse, NY):

Teachers are getting ready for the first day of school, preparing their classrooms and buying supplies, many times with their own money.

"Between 400 and 700 dollars annually out of pocket above and beyond any allowance or any funds that are given to them for supplies and materials in the class room," said Susan Mittler, President of the Ithaca Teachers Assoc.

You can watch the video of this news story here.

From the first of a series of articles from Reuters, examining how Wal-Mart plans to keep its costs in line:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. faces a record-setting sex discrimination case, media campaigns by two unions to spotlight its treatment of workers, and persistent efforts by local groups to block new stores.

The confluence of these struggles -- which Wall Street calls "headline risk" -- has weighed heavily on Wal-Mart's stock. But analysts now say the biggest threat actually comes from within: rising costs.

Wal-Mart used a simple strategy to become the world's biggest retailer -- buy low, sell low. Now the Bentonville, Arkansas-based behemoth is grappling with rising expenses in areas ranging from labor to gasoline, and earnings are under pressure.

Cost controls are critical for a company that generated a slim profit of 3.7 cents per dollar of goods sold in the recently completed second quarter -- nearly 1 cent per dollar less than rival Target Corp.

From the Livonia Observer:

Eight years ago when Livonia was struggling to do something with an empty piece of commercial land, there was one answer for hundreds of Livonia residents: Wal-Mart.

In a drastic change of feelings, hundreds of Livonia residents these days are saying they want nothing to do with the nation's largest retailer, citing problems with store conditions and service at the existing Wal-Mart store on Middlebelt and Schoolcraft.

That sentiment has stirred a passionate community debate on an $100 million proposal to redevelop the 74-acre Wonderland Mall property with several big-box stores - including a 200,000 square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter - and 40 specialty shops and restaurants. The plan will go to the Livonia Planning Commission and Livonia City Council for review in the coming months.

Union Network International (UNI), a global group of unions representing millions of workers is having its world Congress in Chicago this week. President Joe Hansen, of the UFCW, is also the president of UNI.

At the conference, Fred Van Leeuwen, the general secretary of Education International (www.ei-ie.org), a global union federation with 348 member organizations in 166 countries representing more than 29 million teachers, endorsed your “Send Wal-Mart Back to School” campaign.

Mr. Van Leeuwen, said, “Because Wal-Mart is now trying to export its failing policies of lower wages and benefits, we are pledging to stand with WakeUpWalMart.com to teach Wal-Mart an important lesson - no matter where you go in the world you have to do the right thing and be a responsible corporation.”

In other news, Wal-Mart has now launched an entire website responding to your campaign. Wal-Mart continues to attack America’s teachers, rather than respond to the horrible message Wal-Mart is sending our children. Wal-Mart wants people to send letters to the editor, so please help us send letters to the editor (you can even use their website!) telling the American people and your community why Wal-Mart is failing our country and what citizens can do to change it.

Check out Wal-Mart’s new website here: www.walmartforteachers.com

Now I've read it all. After months of losing out to rival Target, CEO Lee Scott has decided Wal-Mart needs to go up-scale. So, what does Wal-Mart do? They buy advertising in the Sept. issue of Vogue magazine. Wal-Mart just doesn't get it. It's not just their merchandise that isn't fashionable, it's their business model. Neither Vogue readers, nor the American people want cheap goods, imported from 3rd world countries, produced by sweatshop labor, sold to them by a majority of workers who make poverty-level wages and don't have health insurance, in communities that don't want Wal-Mart there because they destroy small businesses, add to traffic & congestion, sprawl, environmental degradation and drive up taxpayers costs by forcing their employees to rely on public assistance.

If Wal-Mart wants to go upscale, they should think about upscaling their wages and benefits, the way they source their products, and how they treat the community. Nobody is going to be fooled by a few slick, air-brushed ads in Vogue. Hopefully, Wal-Mart will someday understand -- you can't fix your image without fixing your problem.

From Bloomberg:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has taken out ads in Vogue magazine to add more upscale shoppers and improve its image.

The eight pages of ads in the September issue feature women offering testimonials about Wal-Mart's apparel, said a Vogue spokeswoman. Wal-Mart is seeking to transform its image after rival Target Corp. spurred sales growth by offering exclusive designer products.

"Wal-Mart has made no bones about being the place small-town America shops," said Patricia Edwards of money manager Wentworth, Hauser and Violich. "They're looking to change, and that's a tall order."

Yesterday, two young Wal-Mart workers were tragically shot dead in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Glendale, Arizona. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to those workers and their families.

Have any of you experienced any problems in Wal-Mart parking lots?

From the AP:

Two Wal-Mart employees were shot to death Tuesday as they gathered shopping carts in the parking lot of one of the retail stores in suburban Phoenix, and police later arrested the suspected gunman.

The shootings occurred in the middle of the parking lot, about 75 yards from the store entrance. At one point, a body could be seen in one of the corrals used for collecting shopping carts.

Hours later, police spokesman Mike Pena said a suspect had been arrested without incident in a retirement community in nearby Peoria.

Investigators initially sent a robot to Ed Lui's door, fearing he could still be armed. The man came out with his hands up and was booked on two counts of first-degree murder, Pena said.

There have been a number of articles over the past few days about citizens fighting to stop Wal-Mart from destroying their way of life. Here are a few from around the country:

Plattsmouth, NE:

About 150 people gathered Thursday night to watch the city's Planning Commission unanimously recommend against a rezoning request that would allow Wal-Mart to build near the city's southern gateway.

One by one, commission members said Wal-Mart's request to rezone land in the Osage Ranch subdivision to general commercial was out of whack with the city's comprehensive plan. The plan calls for low- to moderate-density residential development in that area.

Craig, CO:

The announcement was made Friday that the Wal-Mart Corporation has plans to open a supercenter in Craig, and by Monday morning Cris Criswell was circulating a petition in opposition.

The fifth-generation Moffat County native doesn't know whether he'll be able to stop plans he think will severely affect existing businesses, but he's going to try.

"I just think it's really, really bad for the community," Criswell said. "I think it'll wreck a lot of stores. I think the downtown area will be just a ghost town if Wal-Mart comes to town."

Northridge, CA:

Stymied in previous efforts to block plans for a Wal-Mart, neighbors hope to use a recent state Court of Appeal ruling and new environmental studies to derail the controversial project.

Residents fear the 156,000-square-foot store proposed for Nordhoff Street and Tampa Avenue - across from Northridge Fashion Center - will trigger massive traffic jams in an already congested area and put some retailers out of business.

Critics also note that Wal-Mart already operates three stores within seven miles of the site and question the need for another.

To learn more about what your community can do to keep your community "Wal-Mart Free," visit our "Community Fights" section:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/community/

From the AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A global coalition of unions is launching an unprecedented campaign to organize workers around the world at US retail giant Wal-Mart, seeking to bring a new level of globalization to the labor movement.

The Wal-Mart campaign was set to be officially launched at a meeting in Chicago Monday of Union Network International (UNI), a group that includes 900 unions in some 140 countries.

The campaign aims to draw from labor organizations around the world to pressure Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer and largest private company in terms of revenues, and a frequent target of unions for driving down wages as well as prices.

Union leaders said they hope to bring collective bargaining or other improvements to the estimated 1.6 million Wal-Mart employees around the world -- possibly even in countries such as China, where western-style unions are non-existent.

We always knew Wal-Mart was fast and loose with the facts. But, now, it turns out one of their top executives is fast with other things as well.

We have all broken the speed limit at some point in our lives, so this is a little tongue and cheek. But, oh my god, 110 mph. That's how fast Wal-Mart's chief financial officer got caught traveling down the interstate. I wonder if the same speed limits will apply to Wal-Mart's new $37 million driveway being put in at taxpayer expense.

Well, the good news is, the executive got sentenced to 24 hours in jail. Now, if we can only get Wal-Mart to stop really trying to endanger public safety by lobbying to weaken public safety standards which limit the hours of truck drivers.

How many children have to die in accidents before Wal-Mart wakes up and stops putting profits before people.

Check out this news story.

In the town of Umiat, Alaska (population 16), a sign has been posted by a resident that I think you might enjoy. Here is a snippet from an article about the town:

Prolonged downtime can breed creativity. Last winter, Mr. Hoyle made a sign that said: "Wal-Mart Coming Soon to Umiat." "It was a 50-degree-below day and he was bored," Mr. Lewis said.

The image comes from the Umiat web cam, located here.

From the Daily Herald in Washington:

Wal-Mart opponents have mounted a late-inning effort to stop a proposed new store in Smokey Point - or at least force it to pay what they call a "living wage."

A group called Arlington-Smokey Point Community Matters turned in a petition with about 900 signatures asking the Arlington City Council to pass a living-wage ordinance.

The law would require any retail store bigger than 150,000 square feet to pay starting employees at least $10.50 per hour, plus annual adjustments for cost of living and inflation.

Such a law would effectively take aim at Wal-Mart. The company's supercenters are often 204,000 square feet, including the one planned at Smokey Point.

The average hourly wage for Wal-Mart employees in Washington state is $10.14, according to company figures. Wal-Mart does not typically reveal its starting wage.

The petition also would require stores of that size to provide health benefits equal to $3 per hour.

To see what other communities are fighting against proposed Wal-Mart's in their city or town, check out the "Current Community Fights" section of our site:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/community/current.html

For help, legislative tools, allies, resources, and to talk to others in your community, visit our Community First section:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/community/

From The Detroit News:

Wal-Mart has been run out of Independence Township -- for the time being.

The news came just weeks after township activists launched a campaign asking elected officials for a special tax to ward off unwanted development projects.

Ballot language for the proposed legal defense fund, a one-time half-mill tax, is awaiting legal opinions from its attorneys and the Michigan Townships Association.

In the meantime, Township Supervisor Dave Wagner brokered a deal with Orco Investments to drop plans for two big-box stores and move forward with a mainly residential project."Wal-Mart is not happening. No big-box is happening on that property at all," Wagner said Tuesday before a crowded township board meeting.

After a thorough review by city staff, with input from the applicant, neighborhood groups, and consultation by an independent transportation-consulting firm, the Wal-Mart proposal for 182nd and Powell has been denied by the City of Gresham. The press release is available on our website at www.greshamfirst.org

Gresham First was organized to advocate responsible development, and our current mission has been to raise public awareness of the proposed application and encourage citizen participation in the public process. We are proud of our accomplishments in educating neighbors, raising funds for expert assistance, and contributing to a record-breaking number of comments received during the public review process.

Many thanks are due to members of the community who have contributed time, energy, and hard-earned money to our campaign. As we celebrate a victory during this phase of the permit application process, we must also look ahead to the next steps. Wal-Mart now has 12 calendar days to file an appeal, which would be heard by the Hearings Officer. The local appeal process must be completed no later than October 29, 2005. Further appeal would be brought before the State Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).

Fundraising efforts have been crucial in providing an independent traffic consultant, whose thorough review of existing traffic conditions and the proposed development impacts were submitted to the City Planner during the public comment period. Traffic concerns were the basis for denial, as recommended by Greenlight Engineering and the consultant hired by the City, DKS.

Our land use attorney, Chris Cook, will handle both the City and State appeal hearings if necessary. Fundraising will continue to ensure the best possible legal defense of the land use concerns and zoning violations. Greenlight Engineering will also provide testimony of traffic impact findings and recommendations during any hearing.

Our next event is this Saturday, August 20 as we host ANOTHER RUMMAGE SALE, this time at Pleasant Valley Grange on Foster Road. We are still seeking goods and volunteers to help make this event a success. Please email greshamfirst@hotmail.com or call Javon at 503.756.7206 to schedule pickup of your items, or to volunteer for a shift. We will be at the Grange starting at 4pm on Friday taking donations and setting up. The sale will be held Saturday from 9-4, and we must clear out by Saturday night. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again for your support, and enjoy the success.

Javon Gilmore
Gresham First Campaign Coordinator

The following are remarks by Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com campaign director, given today at the introduction of the Health Care Security Act today in New York City:

This is a great day for New York City and a historic day for millions of Americans who go without health insurance in this country.

Let me thank, Speaker Miller, all of the city council members that supported this, and the business and community leaders here today.

As campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, I can tell you…New York City is paving the way to a livable future. The fight to pass a minimum health care wage may have begun in this great city, but it will not end here. Our campaign, now 70,000 Americans strong, will take this fight to every city and town in America.

WakeUpWalMart.com will make Fair Share Health Care legislation one of the great political and social issues, because every American across this nation deserves to have health care security and every responsible corporation should pay a minimum health care wage.

The Health Care Security Act will not only help provide thousands of Americans with health care, it ends the day when corporations, like Wal-Mart, can make excuses for why they fail to provide health care for their workers…it ends the day when corporations, like Wal-Mart, can shift their health care costs onto the American taxpayer instead of doing what is right.

No longer will companies like Wal-Mart be able to use their moral bankruptcy as a competitive advantage against other retailers. Wal-Mart’s policies not only leave half of their workers without health insurance but they jeopardize the health care of millions of other workers. Today it is Wal-Mart that doesn’t provide health care, but if we don’t stop this race to the bottom, tomorrow it could be your employer.

The Health Care Security Act does just that. The Act stops this cruel race to the bottom dead in its track and instead provides workers and their families with a minimum health care wage, a minimum amount of health care security.

But, even more importantly, the Health Care Security Act sends a clear message to Wal-Mart and every other company, it’s time to wake up. if you want to do business in our community you need to reflect our values.

It is simply un-American and unfair for a company with $10 billion in profits not to provide health insurance to half of its employees.

What all of you have accomplished here is not only great for New York City, but your action has moved this entire nation closer to a day when all of us – all hard-working Americans and their families – will have the health care security we need and deserve.

Sign up today to be a Citizen Co-Sponsor of Fair Share for Health Care legislation by clicking here:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/health-legislative.html

From the Courier-Journal in Kentucky comes this op-ed:

Last week, teachers in Jefferson County decided to take a stand against Wal-Mart. The teachers want to send us a challenge as school begins to take the Back-to-School pledge that says we will buy our children's back-to-school supplies from another company.

I have taken the wake-up Wal-Mart back-to-school pledge because I want Wal-Mart to go get its G.E.D. That's a General Education in Decency!

Thanks to JR for bringing this one to my attention. Wal-Mart is trying to recover insurance money from a brain damaged accident victim, who, if Wal-Mart wins the money, would "likely lose the caretaker who "stays with her and works with her and helps her and tries to keep her in good spirits."

Here are some excerpts:

Debbie Shank stocked shelves at a Wal-Mart store in Cape Girardeau, Mo., until five years ago, when her minivan was hit by a tractor-trailer. Her Wal-Mart health insurance paid the medical bills. Proceeds from a lawsuit helped finance her care in a nursing home.

Brain damage forces her to use a wheelchair and limits her upper body movement to one arm and two fingers. It stole her memory and her ability to talk to her husband and three sons.

"She'll ask about the boys, she'll ask about the cat," said her husband, Jim Shank. "Whenever I'm there, she thinks it must be a mealtime. We don't really hold a conversation."

Now the Shanks face a new obstacle. Her Wal-Mart health insurance plan wants the lawsuit money to repay its costs.

To read the rest of the article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, click here.

From USAToday:

Wal-Mart Stores on Tuesday posted its smallest quarterly profit gain in four years and gave a disappointing forecast for the current period as rising oil prices curbed sales and drove up costs.

The 6% profit growth for the latest quarter beat Wall Street expectations because hot July weather drove summer merchandise sales.

But Wal-Mart fell short of its goal of increasing profits faster than sales, which were up 10.2%. Its key U.S. Wal-Mart stores division generated disappointing results for the second consecutive quarter.

The company's earnings announcement came five days after rival Target (TGT) reported a bigger-than-expected profit.

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette comes the latest in the Tom Coughlin story:

A grand jury convened here this week to consider a federal fraud indictment against former Wal-Mart Vice Chairman Thomas Coughlin.

From Tuesday through Thursday evening, the grand jury called a string of witnesses to testify, including a fired Wal-Mart executive, a former union organizer and Wal-Mart’s current chief diversity officer.

The event marks a step forward in criminal proceedings against Coughlin, whom Wal-Mart accuses of stealing about $400,000 in company funds over more than a decade when he was an executive at the world’s biggest corporation.

Wal-Mart alleges that Coughlin used a small and loyal group of subordinates to take money from the firm by using company gift cards and submitting phony invoices.

Through attorneys, Coughlin has denied any wrongdoing. Neither Coughlin nor his attorneys were seen at the courthouse during the week. Coughlin attorney Blair Brown did not return a message seeking comment Friday.

From The Brooklyn Papers comes this story of a community fighting back against Wal-Mart's PR campaign in NYC:

Calling themselves Wal-Mart No Way, a group of friends, activists and neighbors in Park Slope this week began distributing spoof ads mocking the mega-retailer’s attempts to market itself in Brooklyn.

“The reason we’re going about it this way, is we feel it’s probably the most effective way to get our message across,” said Richard Thomas, who founded the anti-Wal-Mart group.

“It’s the tactic they use,” he said, “and we want to fight them in the same way, basically.”

Last month, Wal-Mart executives expressed interest in finding space in Brooklyn to open what might be its first New York City store. They followed that with a one-week advertising blitz including full-page ads in local newspapers.

From the St. Petersburg Times:

Alarmed that Wal-Mart wanted to build a supercenter on Gandy Boulevard, area residents asked a lawyer for help.

"He told us we had maybe a 10 percent chance of success," said Rob Kappes, president of the Sterling Manor Homeowners Association in Brighton Bay.

The neighbors persisted. And Thursday, less than two weeks before a scheduled showdown before City Council, the megastore giant withdrew its appeal, ending a bid to build a 150,000-square-foot supercenter on Gandy Boulevard, just east of Fourth Street.

It was a victory that's becoming common in the Tampa Bay area as more homeowners defy Wal-Mart, once considered nearly unstoppable.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Statement by Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers, on the "Send Wal-Mart Back to School" Campaign:

Faced with a grassroots campaign to educate the public about the true cost of shopping at Wal-Mart, the giant retailer could change the way it does business. It could end its abominable treatment of its workers and its violations of child labor laws. It could quit forcing states to pick up the tab for its employees' healthcare. It could stop demanding property tax subsidies that force communities to cut school budgets.

But Wal-Mart didn't take any of those steps. Instead, it issued a press release/advertisement touting its 25-cent crayons as an example of how the company supports communities. Wal-Mart just doesn’t get it.

Once again, Wal-Mart chooses to ignore the fact that it has repeatedly failed America from breaking child labor laws to providing unaffordable health insurance to their employees.

In a day when nearly 2000 teachers, students, and leaders all over this nation raised important issues about Wal-Mart’s failing record, Wal-Mart once again failed to respond with any real actions that would address these serious and valid concerns. Instead, Wal-Mart needlessly attacked the teachers who raised these important issues.

The truth is this. All of America, our workers, our families, our communities, and - most importantly - our children, have paid the price because Wal-Mart chooses to exploit them and ignore the best of American values. As any American would agree, Wal-Mart’s so-called “low prices,” and all the 25-cent crayons in the world, should never justify the immoral decisions by this company to exploit children, American taxpayers, and its 1.3 million workers.

In fact, the only “internal problem” that exists is in the boardroom of Wal-Mart’s headquarters where CEO Lee Scott and other executives consistently fail to do what is right. Clearly, it is truer today than ever before that its time to “Send Wal-Mart Back-to-School.”

Statement by Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com Campaign Director

Today, in more than 30 cities in 20 different states, community leaders, teachers, parents, children, and elected officials will pledge to “Send Wal-Mart Back to School” for failing America. Speakers include a U.S. Senator, State Senate and House members, and leaders of the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and WakeUpWalMart.com.

Our momentum is spreading all across the country as Americans learn the high cost of Wal-Mart’s failure.

Thousands of you have already signed the “Back to School” pledge, and have helped move us towards our goal of 150,000 supporters. It is only with your help that we will reach our goal. Please forward this email to at least 5 of your friends, and ask them to pledge to buy their school supplies somewhere other than Wal-Mart this year:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/school/pledge.html

Wal-Mart is failing America, from paying poverty-level wages to repeatedly breaking child labor laws. You can hold Wal-Mart accountable by helping to build the largest grassroots campaign in history to change a corporation.

Wal-Mart is spending millions of dollars on advertising this back-to-school season. You have the power to counter Wal-Mart’s big money ad machine by spreading the word on Wal-Mart’s failures to your friends, family, and community. Let’s show Wal-Mart that their money is no match for a grassroots movement like the one you are creating here.

Help keep the momentum rolling. Tell your friends about the national attention the “Send Wal-Mart Back to School” campaign is gaining, and ask them to join in by signing the “Back to School” pledge.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/school/pledge.html

Thank you for all that you do,

Paul Blank

From the Herald Tribune in Florida:

A push to match customer traffic with an on-duty work force is costing some Wal-Mart employees their full-time status, limiting their benefits and shaking up staff at the local stores of the world's largest retailer.

Wal-Mart employees in Southwest Florida said their work schedules are now being created through a computer system directed by the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer's corporate office.

A spokesman for Wal-Mart insisted that there was no big change happening, just a "re-emphasis" on making sure that there are sufficient associates on hand during traditionally busy shopping times.

But some employees at local stores said they were told in individual meetings with management recently that their work hours would change in accordance with the needs that the computer spit out.

The results for some have been shrunken schedules and jeopardized benefits. That's left some workers wondering whether they can afford to continue to work for America's low-cost leader.

Both Wal-Mart's part-time and full-time employees are eligible for benefits, but part-time employees do not qualify for family benefits, the company spokesman said.

Statement by Paul Blank, campaign director, WakeUpWalMart.com on today’s hearing:

Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in Dukes v. Wal-Mart, the largest class action gender lawsuit in U.S. history. The lawsuit affects nearly 2 million former and current Wal-Mart female workers.

“It is simply un-American for Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest employer, to have systematically discriminated against 2 million of its female employees. We can only hope - for the sake of all current and former Wal-Mart women workers - that Wal-Mart will stop trying to fight this lawsuit and instead will finally wake-up and do what is right.

The gender discrimination lawsuit really demonstrates Wal-Mart’s two faces. Wal-Mart smiles because it is able to tightly control every part of its business, but Wal-Mart frowns when someone holds them accountable for their bad behavior. Wal-Mart’s argument that this case is too big is two-faced and silly. Wal-Mart knew it had a problem, but chose to do nothing about it.

On behalf of all Americans, and all female workers, we will make sure Wal-Mart is held accountable for its abandonment of moral values in the relentless pursuit of greed.

Sadly, for too long, Wal-Mart has chosen a path that not only disrespects and mistreats its female workers, but all workers. By paying poverty level wages, failing to provide affordable company health insurance, exploiting immigrant and child labor, and shifting their costs onto the American taxpayer, Wal-Mart has chosen to do what is wrong at the expense of what is good for its workers and America.”

Wal-Mart and Gender Discrimination

More than 700,000 women work for Wal-Mart, which makes the Company the largest private sector employer of women in the United States (Wal-Martfacts.com)

Analysis done in 2003 showed that while 2/3s of the company's hourly workers were female, women held only 1/3 of managerial positions and constituted less than 15 % of store managers. (Financial Times, 11/20/03)

For the same job classification, women earned from 5% to 15 % less than men, even after taking into account factors such as seniority and performance. This divide in pay has been growing over time. (“Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”, Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

In 2001, women managers on average earned $14,500 less than their male counterparts. Female hourly workers earned on average $1,100 less than male counterparts. (“Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”, Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

In 2001 six women sued Wal-Mart, claiming the company discriminated against women by systematically denying them promotions and paying them less than men. The lawsuit, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, has expanded to include more than 1.6 million current and former female employees, and was certified on June 21, 2004 as the largest class action lawsuit ever. It is now being appealed by Wal-Mart.

Patterns of discrimination in promotion and pay were found in all regions where Wal-Mart operates in the United States. (“Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”, Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

Documents produced during discovery showed that Wal-Mart formed a diversity committee in 1996, but, instead of implementing the committee's recommendations, disbanded the panel. Two years later, Wal-Mart's gender discrimination problem actually got worse. [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

An internal Wal-Mart document entitled, "Minority/Gender Pay Analysis" dated July 21, 2000, specifically states, "Generally, average salaries for female and minority males are below the overall average pay for most jobs. Average pay increases for minority males and females are generally below overall average income ratio across most jobs." [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

This led Jeffrey Reeves, a former vice president for personnel at the company's Sam's Club unit in a January 2003 deposition, when asked about whether or not management wanted to seriously address diversity, to state, "I would say a lot was lip service." [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

Over the weekend, there were a number of news stories about communities across the country who are fighting to protect themselves against the negative impact of Wal-Mart. Here is a sampling of the stories:

Central Point, OR - Article

New York City - Article

Newport News, VA - Article

Independence Township, MI - Article

If your community is currently fighting against a proposed Wal-Mart, or if you already have a Wal-Mart and want to organize and educate your community about Wal-Mart's negative impact on your community, visit our new community forum, where you can discuss all Wal-Mart related issues with others in your community:

http://forum.wakeupwalmart.com

From the Washington Post:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to ask a federal appeals court on Monday to overturn a ruling that would allow up to 1.6 million female workers, as a group, to seek compensation for discrimination.

The lawsuit, which would be the nation's largest private civil rights case, claims that Wal-Mart's female employees receive lower pay and fewer promotions than male employees. But Wal-Mart's lawyers argue that there is no pattern of discrimination and that certifying the suit as a class action would allow women who have not suffered from discrimination to benefit.

If Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer, does not persuade the panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco to overturn the class-action certification, the pressure on the company to discuss settling the charges could increase.

A class-action lawsuit allows a small number of plaintiffs to sue on behalf of a much larger group in a similar situation. For plaintiffs, it is a faster and less expensive way to seek redress while increasing the defendant's potential liability.

To read the rest of the Washington Post article, click here.

From the Boston Herald:

Embarrassed by a bombardment of negative publicity, Wal-Mart has sprung to the aid of an Avon couple struggling to fit newborn quadruplets into their tiny home.

The retail behemoth yesterday delivered Chris and Karen Lynch a $500 store gift certificate. More importantly, the company said it would review the family's request to hook up to their sewer line to a neighboring Wal-Mart store so the Lynches can expand to accommodate the baby boys, born Monday.

``We seldom receive requests of this type, so we need to carefully examine all possible impacts of our decision,'' Wal-Mart said in a written statement. ``We hope that we will be able to help the Lynches meet their housing needs.''

The change of heart came after yesterday's Herald reported that the Lynches – who now have five children and a cat – were given the snub by Wal-Mart executives.

To read the entire Boston Herald article, click here.

From DailyPress.com, we learn that Wal-Mart has pulled its proposal for a Supercenter in Newport News, Virginia, citing overwhelming community resistance:

Blistering community opposition forced retail giant Wal-Mart today to yank its proposal to build a superstore on 30 acres near Harpersville Road in Newport News.

"It's over with," Mayor Joe Frank said after a morning meeting with company representatives. "They felt it was just not a project they wanted to pursue. You don't put off the community you want to do business in."

The request for a zoning change to permit the massive store with a grocery, gas station and pharmacy -- to be open around the clock -- was formally withdrawn in a letter faxed to the city in the early afternoon.

Community hostility to the project put city council approval in doubt, and Wal-Mart officials "saw the writing on the wall, that the citizens were so opposed," Frank said. "They didn't think they could win, so why antagonize the community?"

Visit our new Community Fights section of our site to learn more on how you can protect your community from the negative impact of a Wal-Mart.

You can also visit our brand new forum to find others in your community who are working to change Wal-Mart or stop a proposed Wal-Mart in their community.

To read the rest of the article about Newport News, click here.

This article from the Boston Herald leaves one to think, when Wal-Mart says that they support the communities that they have stores in, what do they actually mean by support?

Lynch and his wife Karen, who gave birth to the four boys on Monday, want to expand their small ranch-style house to make room for their growing clan. Their one-story home has two tiny bedrooms and a mere 750 square feet of living space.

In order to expand their home, the Lynches would have to increase the size of their septic system.

But state law prohibits them from expanding their septic system because they live within 400 feet of a public drinking water well. Avon officials denied their request.

But there was one other solution: hooking up to the sewer system of a nearby Wal-Mart, which has a line running from the store to the Brockton sewer system.

The couple, who spent $2,700 on an engineer to design a septic system, asked the giant retail chain for help. Wal-Mart said no.

Wal-Mart was researching the situation but didn't have an immediate response yesterday to why it rejected the request, according to a spokesman.

``I always heard they do things for the community but I guess not this community,'' Chris Lynch said.

Avon Health Agent Barry Perkins said the town probably would have approved the family's addition if Wal-Mart had given the OK.

``We are sympathetic to this problem,'' Perkins said.

To read the entire Boston Herald article, click here.

WakeUpWalMart.com, the group leading the national fight to change Wal-Mart, announced today it has achieved a record milestone of support. Over 66,215 Americans have now joined the WakeUpWalMart.com movement, which was launched on April 5th of this year. The WakeUpWalMart.com campaign now enjoys growing grassroots support in all 50 states.

“All across America, from towns to cities, from red states to blue states, Americans have made our campaign a true grassroots movement. We will not stop fighting. We will use every political, legislative, economic, and legal tool available to grow this movement into an army of change. In the days ahead, on behalf of the American people, we will change Wal-Mart into a corporation that reflects the best of American values,” said Paul Blank, Campaign Director for WakeUpWalMart.com

In just five months, WakeUpWalMart.com has become one of America’s fastest growing political and social movements. Supporters of the effort have signed on to the campaign at public events held by the group or via the campaign website, WakeUpWalMart.com. The group also officially announced that its next goal is to reach 150,000 supporters by December 31st, 2005.

“WakeUpWalMart.com is a powerful, broad-based, movement to change the largest corporation in the world. Our supporters will take the fight for a better America to Wal-Mart from one corner of this nation to the other. We will not rest until this company 'wakes up' and does what is right for its workers, our families, our communities, and the nation,” added Paul Blank.

With the support of over 66,215 Americans, the WakeUpWalMart.com campaign has successfully led the national fight to change Wal-Mart. Among the many accomplishments of the WakeUpWalMart.com campaign and its supporters include:

• Launched the “Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart” Mother’s Day Campaign where 21,788 Americans signed the “Love Mom, not Wal-Mart” pledge and promised to not purchase their Mother’s Day gift at Wal-Mart until the company addressed its record of discriminating against 2 million women.
  
• Coordinated a National “Mother’s Day of Action” on May 7th in 26 states and 70 cities and towns to raise awareness about Wal-Mart’s record of gender discrimination.
  
• Hosted a press conference with several key Members of Congress, including Rep. Rosa De Lauro. Rep. De Lauro then released a “Dear Colleague Letter” from 51 Members of Congress asking Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, to release wage data to investigate claims of gender discrimination.
  
• Mobilized thousands of supporters to successfully force Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, to end the “Wal-Mart Nazi Ad” and publicly apologize for using the ad against Arizona citizens who opposed Wal-Mart.
  
• Launched the “Make Wal-Mart Care About Health Care” campaign with a series of press conferences in 8 states and 325 Meet-Ups in over 270 cities involving over 10,000 supporters of Democracy for America (DFA) and WakeUpWalMart.com. Press conferences with civic, community, and labor leaders were held in Concord, NH; Seattle, WA; Phoenix, AZ; Madison, WI; Little Rock, AR; Austin, TX; Hartford, CT; and Atlanta, GA.
  
• Hosted a press conference with Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Corzine, and Representative Anthony Weiner to introduce the Health Care Accountability Act - the first national legislation that would expose the true cost that American taxpayers bear because Wal-Mart forces tens of thousands of its workers onto public health care, like Medicaid.
  
• Held house meetings in 134 cities and 38 states where nearly 2,000 citizens agreed to become citizen co-sponsors of “Fair Share Health Care" legislation. The WakeUpWalMart.com campaign will be leading the effort to introduce “Fair Share Health Care" legislation in all 50 states in the coming months.
  
• Officially launched on June 23rd our “Community Fight Campaign” that provides the most comprehensive strategies and tools to help supporters and activists fight the destructive effects of Wal-Mart in their community.
  

The efforts to change Wal-Mart will reach a new level in the coming days and months as WakeUpWalMart.com prepares to mobilize its supporters in a series of new campaigns that will reach out to Americans all over the nation.

From WNYT in Albany, NY:

David Stern is concerned, partly because he lives right across the street. But he's also worried that the big box store could turn life up side down in the entire community. That's why he's running for town supervisor as an Independence Party candidate.

"Now I’m stepping up to listen to the interests of the citizens,” Stern said.

Republican J.D. Wood and Democrat Patty Southworth feel the same. They're both Town Council candidates.

All three have come together on the issue to try to defeat the Republican incumbents in a town that's two to one Republican.

To read the rest of the WNYT article, click here.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON – The battle over Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has long been waged in towns and cities, with opponents using zoning ordinances and referendums to block the big-box retailer from their neighboorhoods. Now the two sides are taking their fight straight to Washington.

Working out of offices that resemble political war rooms, two groups, Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch, are running campaigns to pressure the world's largest retailer to be a better employer and corporate citizen.

"In order to change Wal-Mart we first have to build a broad base social movement in this country for change," said Wake Up Wal-Mart director Paul Blank, who was the political director for Howard Dean's presidential campaign. "This is about empowering people to build that movement."

To continue reading this article, click here.

Statement by Paul Blank, Campaign Director, WakeUpWalMart.com:

The state of Arizona released new numbers showing Wal-Mart has over 2,700 employees and dependents, nearly 10% of its workforce in Arizona, receiving health care at the expense of Arizona taxpayers. "Everyday new numbers reveal the sad truth about Wal-Mart's poor health insurance - Wal-Mart profits and the American taxpayers pay," said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

Nationwide, Wal-Mart fails to provide company health insurance to more than half of its employees - that's more than 600,000 Wal-Mart workers with no company health insurance. Wal-Mart's poor health care not only contributes to our nation's health care crisis, it forces tens of thousands of their workers to rely on taxpayer funded public health care assistance.

Most outrageous is that Wal-Mart knows it has a problem, but, despite their $10 billion in profits, chooses to do nothing to address this serious issue. Just last week, the Arkansas Democratic Gazette reported Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart Vice-President for Federal and International Public Affairs, said Wal-Mart has "a lot of people on state rolls. We wish it wasn't so." Even Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, explained that the reason so many Wal-Mart workers were on public health care was that it was a "better value" than the health care coverage Wal-Mart, the #1 company in the Fortune 500, provides.

"Wishful thinking is a poor excuse for failing to provide company health care to more than 600,000 workers," said Blank. "It is downright un-American for Wal-Mart to force taxpayers to foot their health care bill. It's time for Wal-Mart to wake up and do the right thing."

Liza Featherstone, author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker's Rights at Wal-Mart, has just published a piece for Salon, detailing anti-Wal-Mart efforts:

"Wal-Mart has to respond to the American people," says Wake Up Wal-Mart's campaign director, Paul Blank, "because the American people are the customers." Wake Up Wal-Mart's intent is to hurt the company's sales by persuading customers to stop shopping there. Recognizing that so many low-income Americans desperately need Wal-Mart's low prices, Wake Up Wal-Mart's message is not strident or purist: The group is simply urging people to reduce their Wal-Mart shopping as much as they can. Focus group and survey research suggests this is, for many Americans, a reasonable request, and one that they will be inclined to take seriously when they learn more about the company's practices.

Blank, along with two other Wake Up Wal-Mart activists, emerged from the youthful enthusiasm of the Howard Dean presidential campaign, which used the Internet creatively and made activists of people who'd never before believed in the political process. (Another member of the Wake Up Wal-Mart team comes from the Draft Wesley Clark campaign, the Internet-based group that raised large sums of money for Clark before he'd even agreed to run in the 2004 presidential campaign.)

Wake Up Wal-Mart uses similar approaches. People can sign up on the campaign's Web site to "adopt" a local Wal-Mart and join local activities focusing on that store. They are then, MoveOn.org style, called upon by e-mail to participate in person, by attending pickets, throwing informational house parties, pressuring legislators or whatever the local groups deem strategic.

To read the full Salon article, click here.

From the Los Angeles Times, we learn that Wal-Mart, a company with $10 billion in profits, doesn't think that it is big enough to handle the class action lawsuit brought against the giant by over a million women:

The world's biggest retailer hopes to derail history's biggest private civil-rights case next week by arguing before a federal appellate panel that the massive gender-discrimination lawsuit against it is too big.

The lawsuit accuses Wal-Mart of systematically favoring men over women in pay and promotion. An appeals-court ruling that backs expanding the case into a class action affecting as many as 1.5 million women would not only put billions of dollars at stake, but also would set up a battle that both sides say would mean a lot for other employers and employees.

[...]

Advocates for workers, however, say the case must remain a class action because the courts are often the only place where low-wage, nonunion employees can stand up to corporate giants.

To continue reading the LA Times article, click here.

From the Arizona Daily Star:

Close to one of every 10 Wal-Mart employees is getting health insurance paid for by Arizona taxpayers, according to figures obtained Friday from the state. The nearly 2,700 Wal-Mart workers represent about 1.9 percent of working people who are getting benefits from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The company is the largest private employer in the state and has more workers getting state-paid health care than any other. By contrast, other retailers in the top 15 list of private employers had rates of AHCCCS enrollment among their workers about half that of Wal-Mart's.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Sign up today to be a citizen co-sponsor of Fair Share for Health Care legislation. Make Wal-Mart care about health care. Click here.