Today's dose of humor comes to us from The Onion:

From MarketWatch:

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shares shifted to negative territory in midday trading Tuesday after a senior executive spooked investors about the post-Thanksgiving sales momentum.

Senior Vice President Jay Fitzsimmons, speaking at a Webcast J.P. Morgan conference, said that "there was a slight drop in the slope" of sales on Saturday compared with the thrust of Black Friday's sales.

Fitzsimmons said that Friday's sales bonanza was powered by deep discounts on items like TVs and digital cameras in what Wal-Mart called a sales "blitz" day. By Saturday, however, Wal-Mart ran out of many of those items, leading to the slight decline.

Written by Caroline Vernon, a WakeUpWalMart.com supporter from Iowa:

The last time I shopped at Walmart was about a year ago. I remember thinking how wonderfully convenient it was that I could purchase my groceries, my household items and get my film developed in one full swoop, and get a bargain to boot! But then something happened that really burst my bubble... I got a crash course in Walmart Economics. The more I learned about Walmart’s philosophy and business practices, the more concerned I became, and ultimately, the more committed I chose to be toward sharing all that I’ve learned with as many people as possible.

As a person of conscience, there came a time when I was forced to reconcile all that I had learned and accept responsibility for it. That meant taking a stand... and that meant standing on the principal, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. It’s really as simple as that.

As a single mom on a fixed income, with three children at home, I full well know the importance of being as frugal as possible but I do not what to be responsible for the grief that someone else has to endure as a way of life in order to make ends meet in my own life. How anyone can justify this is beyond my understanding.

The truth is, Walmart can afford to offer some of the low prices that they do because they are paying sweat shop wages, sometimes as low as 3 cents an hour, to manufacture the same goods that were once manufactured here at home. The effect of this has resulted in the loss of good paying jobs at home as well as a lowering of a work standard and ethic that had once made America great. Rather than raising standards throughout the rest of the world, Walmart is systematically lowering standards at home - all this in the name of the almighty dollar, with no regard to the impact that such detrimental practices have on individuals, families, and communities throughout, not only this country, but the world.

Walmart currently has 3700 stores throughout the country and has ambitious plans to raise that number to 6,000 within the next 5 to 6 years. Is this in line with your vision of America? Where Walmart is the only place to shop... where the nostalgia of our historic downtown communities no longer exist because Walmart intentionally sets out to annihilate all competition? Where Walmart is one of the few places left in our communities to work? Where our brothers and sisters are denied good benefits, a decent living wage, respect and dignity on the job, and the right to organize and form a union?

How can we forget the sacrifices of our forefathers who gave their lifeblood to ensure our way of life? Yes, we live in a capitalist society but does that mean that everything we are, everything we believe, must be reduced down to the “bottom dollar?” Is this not the same as worshiping mammon? Does the bible not warn us against the “love of money?” At what point do people matter more than profit? What happened to “we are our brother’s keeper?” These are the many questions that continue to make my head spin and my heart ache and I for one, cannot ignore them.

This philosophy of profit at any cost, is undoing America, and every one of us who chooses to turn a blind eye to what is happening right under our noses, is partly responsible for the harm that is being done. As the largest corporation in the world, Walmart has the power to do right, and to do good, and sometimes they do, but all things considered, when you step back and look at the big picture, Walmart is responsible for doing far more harm than good. It seems strikingly apparent to me that The Walmart Corporation chooses to live by the old adage, “he with the most gold make the rules”, and given the millions of dollars they spend lobbying for subsidies and other favors, it seems they are well on their way to doing exactly that. Other small businesses don’t get subsidies so why should Walmart? Isn’t America supposed to represent fairness, equality, freedom and justice for ALL? We should have a fair and level playing field with everyone being held to the same standard.

America may be financially wealthy, but if we allow corporations like Walmart to continue to choose profit over people, what does that say about the wealth of our collective spirit? We can no longer afford to rationalize unto ourselves at the expense of others, here at home or abroad. As a matter of principal, we can no longer allow greed to trump need. Wake up America! Wake up Walmart!

Last Friday, thousands of volunteers participated in WakeUpWalMart.com's Black Friday Consumer Alert actions in over 164 cities across the U.S. Many woke up at 4 am or earlier in order to pass out flyers to customers waiting in line for stores to open.

In St. Louis, volunteers passed out over 8,000 flyers to consumers. In Las Vegas, volunteers distributed 1,400 flyers. In western Massachusetts, volunteers passed out over 3,000 flyers despite a severe winter storm. In sunny San Diego, volunteers passed out over 7,500 flyers. All told, WakeUpWalMart.com supporters passed out one million - yes, that is right - one million flyers on Black Friday.

The action was the latest in a string of grassroots organizing during the Holiday Season, which started with Halloween Candy Sales at over 125 stores in October and included hundreds of film screenings during Wal-Mart Week. As part of the long-term, coordinated grassroots campaign, we will continue to interact face-to-face with consumers during the Holiday Season.

Below are some pictures from the 1,196 grassroots actions that have taken place already. And we have only begun. Sign up here to take part in this weekend's neighborhood canvass in your community:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/canvass

Someone important is not shopping at Wal-Mart this Holiday Season, given Wal-Mart's record of gender discrimination in the workplace, violation of child labor laws, exploiting undocumented workers, and the fact that over 600,000 of Wal-Mart employees are not covered by Wal-Mart's health insurance.

We will announce the answer to our "Who's Not Shopping at Wal-Mart" competition on Friday, December 2, and we will give you a new clue each day.

The first ten (10) people to guess right will win a TIVO digital video recorder so you can fast forward through the incessant Wal-Mart TV commercials this holiday season. But remember, you only get one guess, so make it a good one.

Make your guess here:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/guesswho/

From ConsumerAffairs.com:

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he will investigate Wal-Mart's pricing practices in the wake of studies showing significant discrepancies between the chain's posted and checkout prices.

Studies by the University of Illinois' Chicago Center for Urban Economic Development and the University of California-Berkley revealed that items purchased at Wal-Marts in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and California scanned the wrong price as often as 8.3 percent of the time. That far exceeds the federal standard, a 2 percent error rate.

Errors recorded in the studies were both greater and less than the posted prices, so they sometimes benefited the consumer, other times the company.

Consumers have also complained to ConsumerAffairs.Com about pricing issues. Janice of Ellington, Mo., said the Poplar Bluff, Mo., Wal-Mart frequently has incorrect prices on its items.

From the Boston Globe:

Attorney General Tom Reilly told Wal-Mart officials on Tuesday they had to close their Massachusetts stores on Thanksgiving, after receiving complaints the retailer intended to stay open.

In a letter to the Arkansas-based company's local counsel, the chief of the attorney general's Business and Labor Protection Bureau said state law prohibits stores from opening on either Thursday or Sunday, Dec. 25, when Christmas will be celebrated.

"For more than a century, Massachusetts has recognized that Thanksgiving is unlike other days -- it is a day when families can come together and enjoy a day of rest," labor bureau Chief Nicholas Messuri wrote, citing revisions to the state's so-called Blue Laws as recently as 1994. "In that most recent revision of the law, the protection for Thanksgiving remained in place."

From the Associated Press:

Lawyers seeking class-action status for illegal immigrants who worked as Wal-Mart janitors amended their lawsuit Monday to include newly released information from a federal probe that, the lawyers say, shows Wal-Mart conspired with contractors to use cheap undocumented labor.

The lawsuit seeks overtime pay and other damages from Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. A federal judge in New Jersey last month allowed the lawsuit to proceed but dismissed an allegation that the world's largest retailer violated federal racketeering laws.

The amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., seeks to reinstate the conspiracy charge by using information from a 2003 affidavit filed by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that was unsealed this month at the request of New York attorney James L. Linsey, who represents more than 200 former janitors in the civil lawsuit.

In the affidavit, investigators said testimony and taped conversations from 2003 showed two executives at Wal-Mart headquarters knew that contractors and subcontractors cleaning its stores in several states employed illegal immigrants from eastern Europe and elsewhere.

From the Huffington Post:

Wal-Mart sells itself as the all-American company, but it violates American family values every single day. Wal-Mart refuses to sell magazines, books, or CDs that it believes will offend the values of average Americans. But what Wal-Mart's leaders can't seem to grasp is that average Americans are offended by its shameful tactics to boost profits at the expense of the families of hard-working men and women.

[...]

Surely, the largest company in the world, which made more than $10 billion in profits last year, can do better by its workers, better by our communities, and better for the American taxpayer.

Wal-Mart's founder, Sam Walton, was known for creating the 10 Commandments of Leadership. Well, today I challenge Wal-Mart to abide by the Ten Commandments of Good Corporate Citizenship.

Thou shalt pay living wages.

Thou shalt provide affordable health care.

Thou shalt pay overtime.

Thou shalt not bust unions.

Thou shalt pay and promote women and men equally.

Thou shalt not discriminate against people of color.

Thou shalt not support sweatshops.

Thou shalt not violate child labor laws.

Thou shalt provide safe working conditions.

Thou shalt not dump toxic waste.

Companies that abide by these commandments succeed. One of Wal-Mart's chief competitors, Costco, is a shining example of good corporate citizenship. Its average pay is 76 percent higher than Wal-Mart's, and its employees have health insurance, dental, and retirement benefits. Yet it is Costco, not Wal-Mart, that has delivered higher returns to shareholders over the past decade.

Sam Walton was right when he said that a company's success depends on its values. And Wal-Mart's current CEO, H. Lee Scott, was right two weeks ago when he called for an increase in the minimum wage even though his only reason for supporting it was so that Wal-Mart's minimum wage customers could buy more Wal-Mart products.

From the LA Times:

Wal-Mart stores in California and three other states have problems charging customers the right amount for their purchases, according to two studies to be released today.

Researchers at UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois-Chicago, funded by a union that is a leading critic of the retailer, found that nearly 9 in 10 stores studied in California fell short of federal standards for accurate pricing.

[...]

WakeUpWalmart.com, an advocacy group funded by the food workers union, said it would call on the attorneys general of all 50 states to investigate the retailer's pricing and scanning.

A spokesman for California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said pricing accuracy was an important consumer protection issue.

"The working men and women of California have enough to worry about without wondering whether they are going to be on the wrong end of a pricing lottery when they get up to the Wal-Mart checkout stand," said Tom Dresslar, who said he knew of the study's conclusions but had not seen the full report. "It is a serious concern, and if it turns out action is warranted, we will go after Wal-Mart to make sure its consumers are protected."

WakeUpWalMart.com also said it would distribute more than 1 million fliers the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season, urging Wal-Mart customers to verify that they are charged the posted prices.

Wal-Mart has an obligation to meet federal standards, said Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com's campaign director, "and in these four states, the studies show they have failed to meet those standards."

This just in from WakeUpWalMart.com leaders in Milwaukee:

We were thrilled with excellent turn-out and media coverage for our two screenings of “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price” on Wednesday. At the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee, over 300 people showed up for 227 seats. The local FOX and CBS affiliates filmed extensive pieces for their evening news. A Wal-Mart Public Relations person came and identified himself to one of the news crews. He took one look at the huge crowd standing in line, and when asked for comments, he told the reporters "I have nothing to say" and quickly left the theater.

Of the 300 people in attendance, 150 had pre registered on the Internet and the rest had responded to an intensive advertising effort. Our community coalition partners who have fought side by side with us to stop Wal Mart in site fights were also a great help in spreading the word. The Sierra Club, Wisconsin Citizen Action, Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign, Faith Community for Worker Justice, Save American Manufacturing Now and numerous local unions helped drive up the interest. We were able to squeeze in 270 people which meant many stood through the entire show. Nearly 70 people were turned away, but each had a listing of additional screening sites and dates.

The second film screening was held in Kenosha and drew an attendance of 85, including a large contingent of Student Democrats from the local high school.

-Dan Welch and Brian Romanowich

From the New Britain Herald in CT:

HARTFORD -- Geno Pfeiffer and Rosa Soto are long-time Wal-Mart veterans. They have worked for the company for five and six years, respectively.

Thursday, rather than stock shelves and assist customers, they were at the State Capitol with other current and former Wal-Mart associates, sharing their stories with elected officials and advocates. Pfeiffer and Rosa say they hope to make a difference not only for themselves, but for the other 9,000 Wal-Mart associates in Connecticut.

Wal-Mart has come under increasing attacks from grassroots organizations and some elected officials for employment and health-care policies that critics say are unfair to workers. A recently leaked memorandum from the retail giant’s vice president for benefits described detailed plans to reduce employee benefits and shift more workers to part-time schedules.

National organizations have launched more aggressive and sophisticated campaigns against Wal-Mart, and this week a controversial documentary film has been released which also offers sharp criticism of the company. With Wal-Mart employees themselves now joining the fray, advocates hope they can turn up the heat on the giant discount chain, which posted a record profit of $7.6 billion in the past three quarters.

Pfeiffer, who works in the hardware department at the Wallingford supercenter, believes Wal-Mart doesn’t put enough of that money into employee health-benefit plans.

"The health care benefits are expensive and very bad," he said. "You pay and pay and pay and still have lousy coverage."

Soto, a cashier from Wal-Mart’s New Britain store, complained she has suffered harassment and discrimination since filing a claim for workers compensation last month. She was injured while helping a fellow cashier place a customer’s merchandise in bags. After filing for workers compensation, she said, her schedule was altered and her hours reduced. She says the store held a mandatory meeting to tell workers not to get involved in groups like the Working Families Party, which has been assisting Soto and other workers in bringing changes to Wal-Mart.

Following the testimony from Wal-Mart workers, state Sen. Edith Prague, D-20th, co-chairman of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, said she believes Wal-Mart should treat its employees more fairly.

From USA Today:

Federal agents arrested more than 120 workers on immigration violations Thursday at the construction site of a Wal-Mart distribution center, the latest in a string of labor problems for the discount retailer.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided the site in Butler Township, Pa., in the early morning. The workers were nearing completion of a million-square-foot distribution center.

Wal-Mart officials say those arrested were employees of a subcontractor and that Wal-Mart has contracts with subcontractors requiring that they follow all federal, state and local laws.

"We will cooperate fully with ICE and the U.S. attorney's office in this matter," Wal-Mart said in a statement.

Wal-Mart critics say the raid will tarnish the store's public image and is a further example that the retailer violates labor laws.

"They're trying to improve their public image ... but they're undermining their own attempts," says Paul Blank, campaign director of Washington, D.C.-based WakeUpWalMart.com, a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. "There's clearly a pattern where they're violating the law."

This just in from WakeUpWalMart.com organizers in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota:

WakeUpWalMart.com in the Twin Cities has seen a lot of success this week as we hosted Robert Greenwald’s new movie, “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.”

Our first success was with the Crocus Hill for Peace movie showing that boasted about 80 in attendance kicking off Wal-Mart Week. Monday, Macalester College students and the Green Party packed an auditorium with a crowd estimated to be close to 200. Our own Jennifer Christianson hosted a crowd of about 30 at the library in Bloomington in her neighborhood Tuesday night. She also co-hosted a showing Wednesday evening at the U of M through the Labor Education Studies department which had an estimate of 100 folks in attendance.

Although every group had a great screening, two groups in particular have stood out as strong leaders this week. Both Students for Peace at Hamline University and a women’s group in Red Wing put on stellar events. Hamline filled a classroom with 40 students and community members. Red Wing packed the town library with about 125 people, including a Wal-Mart manger who took copious notes. Our thanks goes out to Maxine, lead organizer for Students for Peace and also Colleen, who organized folks down in Red Wing.

Already we have high hopes for our three remaining events this week: Arise! Book Collective is expecting to have to turn folks away tonight and host an additional screening Sunday (About 20 people have signed up online alone!) We also have a WakeUpWalMart.com screening today.

Hats off to ACORN and the Sierra Club as well. Between the two groups, five house parties have been organized all over the city this week alone. Citizens all over the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota are waking up to the high costs of Wal-Mart's business practices.

- Jenny

From Rep. George Miller (D-CA):

As you know, an internal Wal-Mart memorandum made public last month showed that the company was contemplating a number of anti-worker proposals for further slashing its labor costs.

The memorandum lays out a plan for discouraging unhealthy workers from working at Wal-Mart in order to reduce the company's health care costs. It also proposes hiring more part-time workers who either could not afford or would not qualify for Wal-Mart's health insurance plan.

Today, Congressman George Miller will submit a request to the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, to study how widespread the employment policies outlined in the Wal-Mart memo are among U.S. employers. Miller has also asked the GAO to review how these policies affect American workers and the U.S. healthcare system, and to investigate how such policies fare under the nation's anti-discrimination laws.

The full text of the letter is attached. Here is a comment from Miller on his GAO request:

"Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the country, and when it chooses to undermine its workers - as it has on so many occasions - it hurts workers throughout the retailing industry and the U.S. economy. If the disgraceful policies outlined in the Wal-Mart memo are catching on among U.S. employers, then Congress must learn about it so it can determine how to respond."

You can read the letter sent by Rep. Miller below the fold.

Mr. David M. Walker, Comptroller General Government Accountability Office 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20548

RE: Request for Study on Impact of Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Style Benefit and Compensation Proposals on the Working Population and the U.S. Health System

Dear Mr. Walker:

The recent release of an internal Wal-Mart memorandum on employee benefits raises a number of concerns directly related to the work of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, where I serve as ranking member. I am requesting a study by GAO on a number of these issues insofar as they signify trends within employee benefits and the employer-provided health insurance system.

Specifically, the memorandum, authored by the company's executive vice president for benefits, lays out a plan for reducing Wal-Mart's employee benefit costs, largely by reducing the number of older and sicker employees in its workforce. The memorandum describes the cost problems in terms of problematic workforce demographics. It explains that growth in benefits costs are driven by "fundamental and persistent root causes," such as an aging workforce and increasing average tenure. It argues that it would be "far easier to attract and retain a healthier workforce than it will be to change behavior in the existing one." It makes proposals designed to "dissuade unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart." I am enclosing a copy of the memorandum.

Wal-Mart employs 1.33 million U.S. workers. Its sheer size allows Wal-Mart to set a benchmark for employment practices in this country. In fact, the company often holds itself out as a new paradigm for doing business.

Insofar as the ideas promoted in the Wal-Mart memorandum represent new or growing trends within the employer-provided health insurance system, the memorandum is extremely alarming. It reveals a benefits strategy designed to attract younger, cheaper workers by:

Using health plans with high deductibles, low premiums, and health savings accounts (HSAs) as a means of discouraging the employment or continued employment of "high utilizers" of health care services, i.e., the sick and old.

Decreasing the number of full-time employees and increasing the number of part-time employees who are either less eligible or financially unable to participate in any employer-offered health care plan.

Imposing physical activity requirements for all jobs, including those that have not required such activity, in order to avoid hiring "unhealthy" individuals at all.

Reducing 401(k) and profit-sharing investments and switching from a flat-contribution plan to a matching plan (apparently without regard to employees' low wages and difficulty in setting aside money for such a match).

I request that the GAO examine the above practices to establish the following:

1. The prevalence of each such practice or similar practices, designed to cut costs by advantaging younger or healthier workers over older or less healthy workers, among U.S. employers and any trends in their usage by employers, as well as any trends in their promotion by private consultants on employee benefits issues.

2. The potential impact of each such practice or similar practices on various types of U.S. workers, especially based on age and health status, including their access to health care coverage.

3. The potential impact of each such practice or similar practices on the U.S. health care system (including any impact on publicly-funded health programs, the individual health plan market, and the employment-based health plan market).

4. The state of current law in protecting older, less healthy, or disabled workers from discrimination in employee benefits, including under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and how any of these types of cost-cutting practices have fared under these laws.

Please consult with my Committee staff for any clarification needed in designing or completing this study.

Thank you very much for your attention and assistance in this matter. Your work is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

GEORGE MILLER
Senior Democrat
Committee on Education & the Workforce

This morning, Wal-Mart hosted a breakfast fundraiser "honoring" Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (D-GA). WakeUpWalMart.com staff and volunteers greeted the Congressman and the funders - $1,000 PAC donors and $500 individual donors were invited - at Wal-Mart's DC location, 575 7th Street, NW with signs, flyers and protesters.

WakeUpWalMart.com supporters were wondering why a Democratic Congressman from Georgia would take money from Wal-Mart. In Bishop's home state of Georgia, more than 10,261 children - 6.2 % of all children in the state - enrolled in PeachCare for Kids, the state’s health care program for low income children, had parents working for Wal-Mart. PeachCare coverage for Wal-Mart employee’s children costs state taxpayers $10 million per year.

Please call or write Congressman Bishop today to ask him to send back Wal-Mart's money so that he can remain free from corporate special interests and make companies like Wal-Mart pay their fair share for health care.

Bishop is a Georgia politician and a member of the United States Appropriations Committee, a committee that in its 2005 oversight plan stated that it "intends to have an active and productive Congress, reviewing both ongoing governmental activities and analyzing the Budget requests in order to reflect the priorities of the American people." America's working people deserve health care. Georgian children deserve health care. We don't need politicians taking money from Wal-Mart, particularly those who have a role in determining our budget priorities.

Call or write Congressman Bishop today. If you are near his office, you might also want to pay his staff a personal visit to express your concerns.

Congressman Bishop's Washington Office
2429 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515-1002
Phone- (202) 225-3631 Fax- (202) 225-2203

Congressman Bishop's Albany Office
235 Roosevelt Avenue Albany Towers, Suite 114 Albany GA 31701
Phone: (229) 439-8067 Fax: (229) 436-2099

Congressman Bishop's Albany Columbus Office
18 Ninth Street, Suite 201 Columbus, GA 31901
Phone: (706) 320-9477 Fax: (706) 320-9479

Congressman Bishop's Valdosta Office
Federal Building, Room 225 401 North Patterson Street Valdosta, GA 31601
Phone: (229) 247-9705 Fax: (229) 241-1035

From the Washington Post:

Preparing for a showdown with organized labor in the Maryland legislature, Wal-Mart has deployed at least a dozen Annapolis lobbyists and is making strong overtures to black lawmakers, including a $10,000 donation to help them pay for a recent conference.

The retail giant hopes to derail legislation that would effectively force the company to boost spending on employee health benefits.

"They've hired the largest cadre of lobbyists in recent history in Annapolis to try to influence this legislation," said House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel). "It really comes down to whether the legislature is going to succumb to the money and the special interests."

It was pouring down rain on a windy November Tuesday night in Michigan. I walked into the basement of St. John's Episcopal Church in Royal Oak, Michigan (right outside of Detroit) expecting a small crowd to make the trek to the movie screening of "Wal-Mart the High Cost of Low Price" in such treacherous weather.

Instead, I was amazed at the unbelievable turn out. The church basement was packed with hundreds of concerned citizens who came out to the Human Rights Film Festival sponsored by many local Michigan groups, including the Interfaith Committee on Workers Issues and local WakeUpWalMart.com leaders. This is just one example of the fantastic events happening all across the country this week.

On Monday in Atlanta, Georgia over 600 people attended a movie screening, over 550 in Syracuse, New York, 300 plus in Oklahoma City, more than 300 in Boston, 125 in Torrington, Connecticut, and close to 100 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Hundreds of thousands of people are watching the movie this week and are signing up to take action with the campaign in the coming months.

And it's not just movie screenings. WakeUpWalMart.com leaders just finished a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with other local groups. Last Friday, we teamed up with student leaders and professors at Penn State for a Wal-Mart Teach-In and local rally.

Perhaps there are still movie screenings or other events going on later this week in your community. Please visit the following link to find an event near you and RSVP today:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/ucp/findevents.html

The following is a press release from Responsible Wealth, a national network of affluent Americans who are concerned about deepening economic inequality and advocate widespread prosperity:

Boston Wal-Mart shareholders today filed a resolution with the company requesting public disclosure of who gets Wal-Mart stock options, broken down by race and gender.

In each of the last three years, between 4.8% and 13% of all Wal-Mart stock options went to the top five officers, who make up 0.0003 percent of the company's employees. All five are white men.

The filing of the resolution was timed to coincide with a national Wal-Mart Week.

In addition to Northstar Asset Management clients and other members of Responsible Wealth, the resolution was filed by Martha Burk, the director of the National Council of Women¹s Organizations¹ Corporate Accountability Project. Dr. Burk is best known for leading the effort to open the Augusta National Golf Club to women.

A second-generation Wal-Mart shareholder, Dr. Burk presented a similar resolution at last April¹s annual meeting. She said today, "I am still concerned that the wealth creation opportunities afforded by the company are disproportionately going to white men. The company needs to disclose the data."

Last year's resolution won 15% of the vote, an unusually high number given how much of the stock is owned by Walton family members and Wal-Mart's top management.

Margaret Covert, Shareholder Action Coordinator of NorthStar Asset Management, said, "Wal-Mart¹s emphasis on 'Always Low Prices' comes at a cost to employees working for always low wages. The tremendous profits that have enriched the Walton family and other major shareholders, if shared more broadly with all Wal-Mart workers, could mean health coverage and homeownership for those now lacking them."

Added Scott Klinger, co-director of Responsible Wealth, "In the last few weeks Wal-Mart has committed to greater transparency. This resolution is an invitation to uphold that commitment. Shareholders deserve to know which employees are being rewarded with stock options, and whether their company is contributing to the growing U.S. racial wealth divide."

A court decision is expected in coming months on Wal-Mart's appeal of the formation of a class for the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history, filed by current and former women employees.

The text of the resolution can be seen online at:

http://www.responsiblewealth.org/shareholder/2006/WalMart.html

From the News Telegraph:

Wal-Mart is inviting religious leaders to visit its headquarters and to serve on a national steering committee.

[...]

The Rev. Clarence Pemberton Jr, of New Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia, said a company representative attended a meeting of about 75 Baptist ministers. He told the Los Angeles Times: "It appeared that what he was trying to do was to influence us or put us in opposition to this film that is coming out and will be in the churches.

"It was implied very strongly that it was about some sort of cash rewards for people who would become partners with Wal-Mart and what they were trying to do."

Wal-Mart did not return calls seeking comment.

As you have proven (here and here for example), Wal-Mart's big money PR spin machine is no match for a coordinated group of concerned citizens. Let's make sure this is no different. Visit our Download Central to find all the materials you'll need to talk to your friends, neighbors, priests, etc. about why Wal-Mart must change:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/downloads/

From Cinematical:

Have Wal-Mart employees been barred from seeing Robert Greenwald's documentary, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, by their corporate overlords? That's the gist of an email meme going around this afternoon. We have no idea whether or not this is true, but the rumor going around is that a member of a lefty group on the University of Wyoming campus attempted to give a flyer for the film to a Wal-Mart employee. The employee responded that she couldn't attend the screening, because representatives from Wal-Mart management would be there, and "if any Wal-Mart employee is seen by them attending any screening, we've been told that we will be fired." Has anyone else heard tell of anything like this, either on a blog or from an actual human being? Let us know.

This week WakeUpWalMart.com and our coalition partners are launching an unprecedented week of action to change Wal-Mart. Join over 125,000 Americans who will be taking part in premiering Robert Greenwald’s new film, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. The critically acclaimed movie is already generating buzz and raising awareness about Wal-Mart’s negative impact on America.

WakeUpWalMart.com has planned hundreds of grassroots movie screenings in more than 140 cities covering 35 states. Nationwide there will be more than 4,000 screenings.

You are invited to see the new movie which exposes the truth about Wal-Mart. Please visit the following link to find a movie screening near you and RSVP today:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/ucp/findevents.html

On Friday, Nov 11, 20/20 did a special on Wal-Mart's greed. Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com, was featured on the program. To watch the segment, click here:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/video/2020.asx

Today, WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, announced the launch of the next phase of its media campaign and its activities during Wal-Mart Week. This week, hundreds of thousands of Americans will take part in local movie screenings of Robert Greenwald’s new movie - Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. WakeUpWalMart.com also announced it has surpassed more than 125,000 Americans in all 50 states - making it one of the fastest growing social movements in America.

View the full page ad [PDF]:

“This is not just the beginning of a campaign, it is the beginning of a national movement. Wal-Mart’s record of poverty level wages, unaffordable health care and child labor violations undermines American values. When the American people know the truth, they will reject Wal-Mart’s bad business practices and join our movement to make Wal-Mart a responsible corporation,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

The message of today’s New York Times ad, and the framework for the week, is “Wal-Mart vs. America.” The ad shows a map of the United States being pulled apart by Wal-Mart’s Smiley Face on one side and Uncle Sam on the other side. It details the difference between Wal-Mart’s America and Our America on issues such as: poverty level wages, poor health care, gender discrimination, special interest lobbyists and child labor. The ad, also, previews upcoming events during Wal-Mart Week, stating, “This week, in cities and towns all across the nation, hundreds of thousands of Americans are standing up to corporate greed and demonstrating the amazing power all Americans have to change Wal-Mart and America for the better.”

“We are building the largest, most coordinated campaign in history to change Wal-Mart. With more than 125,000 supporters, in all 50 states, WakeUpWalMart.com is an unprecedented grassroots effort to educate consumers about the high cost we all pay for Wal-Mart’s greed,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com

During Wal-Mart Week, WakeUpWalMart.com supporters will hold screenings in over 140 cities and 35 states. In total, supporters of the campaign and Robert Greenwald’s movie have planned over 4000 screenings during this week of action.

From our friends at the Wal-Mart Movie website, we learn a deeper story behind Wal-Mart and a veteran of the Iraq war who worked at Wal-Mart:

http://www.walmartmovie.com...

From the AP:

A new Internet ad campaign compares Wal-Mart Stores Inc. with Republicans undergoing legal problems and concludes that the retail giant is more corrupt than the politicians who are in hot water, because of the way the company treats its 1.3 million employees in the United States.

The ad is the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter battle waged by Wal-Mart critics led by labor and other activist groups who claim that Wal-Mart underpays workers, denies them affordable health insurance and damages communities.

The company, based at Bentonville, Ark., says its low prices are good for consumers and the economy.

Wake Up Wal-Mart, set up this year by the United Food and Commercial Workers, put a 30-second television-style ad on its Web site www.wakeupwalmart.com comparing Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott with Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

The ad includes brief shots of headlines about the indictments of Libby and Delay and the investigation into stock sales by Frist.

"So, who is the most corrupt in America?" the ad's off-screen narrator asks.

It then recaps newspaper reports that over 600,000 Wal-Mart workers have no company health care, that Wal-Mart repeatedly violated child-labor laws and that over 1.5 million women are suing Wal-Mart for discrimination.

"So, who is the most corrupt? Lee Scott and Wal-Mart," the ad concludes.

Wal-Mart called the ad "smear tactics" that insulted the 100 million Americans who shop there every week.

"By stooping to the politics of personal destruction, these groups have proven once again that they offer no solutions, and no ideas," Wal-Mart spokesman Bob McAdam said in an e-mailed statement.

The launch comes ahead of a week of protests by Wake Up Wal-Mart and a similar group, Wal-Mart Watch, that will coincide with thousands of screenings of a scathing documentary by filmmaker Robert Greenwald, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."

Wal-Mart, which in past years has preferred to ignore critics rather than respond, has switched strategy amid signs the mounting attacks are bad for its growth. In the past month it has announced lower-cost health plans for employees, started an environmental program to use less energy and packaging, and hosted an academic conference in Washington D.C. that examined its economic impact.

It has also blasted Greenwald's film as propaganda and touted a rival documentary released this month by brothers Ron and Robert Galloway called "Why Wal-Mart Works: And Why That Drives Some People C-R-A-Z-Y."

From the Morning Journal in Ohio, we learn that the community of Lorain has won a terrific battle against Wal-Mart. A small community coalition called the West Side Preservation Group put $2,700 into the effort, while Wal-Mart's local front group raised more than $151,000.

This story reminds me of the quote "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Congratulations to the citizens of Lorain, OH for not backing down and letting their voice be heard.

Voters rejected city council's redistricting of 37 acres along Cooper Foster Park Road by more than 2,500 votes, according to unofficial results from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

''The people believe that Wal-Mart's not good for Lorain,'' said Gerald Phillips, attorney of the West Side Preservation Group, an organization that opposed the development. ''It's a great day for the underdog, in a David vs. Goliath battle. The little guy won.''

For strategies, tactics, and the tools you need to lead a successful campaign to stop Wal-Mart from destroying your community, visit our "Community Fights" section:

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

WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, launched a new 30-second advertisement that asks and answers the question “Who is the most corrupt in America?”

The dramatic spot highlights the growing number of morally corrupt scandals in America, including Rep. Tom Delay’s arrest, Scooter Libby’s indictment, and Sen. Bill Frist’s investigation and concludes none of these are as bad as Wal-Mart and CEO Lee Scott’s morally corrupt policies.

“American values and morality are being perverted by our nation’s corporate and political leaders. The definition of corrupt is to become morally debased. Is there anything more morally debased than a $290 billion giant like Wal-Mart having over 600,000 of its workers without company health care or being sued by more than 1.5 million women for discrimination?” said Paul Blank, campaign director WakeUpWalMart.com.

The 30-second commercial presents the specific reasons why Wal-Mart is the most morally corrupt. The ad highlights Wal-Mart’s failure to provide affordable health care to all of its workers, its record of repeated child labor violations, and the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history affecting over 1.5 million female employees.

From The Associated Press:

Senior Wal-Mart executives knew cleaning contractors were hiring illegal immigrants, many who were housed in crowded conditions, and sometimes slept in the backs of stores, according to a federal agency's affidavit.

The affidavit, unsealed last week, was part of an investigation of Wal-Mart by federal immigration officials that led to the 2003 raid on 60 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states, and the arrests of 245 illegal workers. The retailer agreed to pay $11 million in March to settle the case, but says top executives neither encouraged nor knew of the practice.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

From Roll Call:

A now-infamous internal Wal-Mart memo that was leaked to the giant retailer’s foes last month has given a jolt to anti-Wal-Mart activists’ Capitol Hill agenda and forced Wal-Mart to do damage control in Washington, D.C., and around the country.

The dozen-page memo to Wal-Mart’s board of directors spelled out several ways the company could reduce the cost of benefits, including attracting a healthier work force. The memo, drafted by Wal-Mart executive Susan Chambers, acknowledged that “our critics are correct in some of their observations,” including charges that many Wal-Mart employees are on Medicaid and other government programs.

Chris Kofinis, communications director with Wake Up Wal-Mart, a K Street-based group organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said the memo legitimizes his group’s efforts. Since the memo became public, Wake Up Wal-Mart’s membership has risen, from 100,000 in mid-October to 115,000 now. The group last week announced plans to organize employers of the staunchly anti-union retailer in a dues-free association called Wal-Mart Workers of America.

“In an ironic way, Wal-Mart has given strength to the importance of this movement,” Kofinis said. “A growing number of American people realize that this needs to be looked at from a political and legislative standpoint. This is truly just the tip of the iceberg.”

From The Nation:

It's been a tough year for Wal-Mart, and things are about to get tougher.

Last Tuesday, at the world premiere of Robert Greenwald's Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, SEIU chief Andy Stern declared: "This isn't just the premiere of a movie, it's the premiere of a movement." During the week of November 13 to 19, over 3000 screenings of the film are planned in all 50 states and 19 countries. Throughout "Wal-Mart Week," the two largest groups opposing the retail behemoth's practices, Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart, are planning an unprecedented series of actions.

Spiraling into PR crisis mode, the world's largest corporation has just assembled a "rapid-response public relations team in Arkansas," which includes former presidential advisors Michael K. Deaver of the Reagan Administration and Leslie Dach of the Clinton White House. Wal-Mart's new "war room" certainly has its work cut out for itself.

While the movement to change Wal-Mart has reached a fever pitch, throughout the year, Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart have waged a tireless and highly coordinated campaign. Here are some of the highlights:

-- Innovative Boycotts: Over 2,000 teachers, students, and activists in more than 20 states participated in Wake Up Wal-Mart's national "Send Wal-Mart Back to School" campaign with the AFT and NEA (the country's two largest teacher unions), urging students to buy school supplies at stores other than Wal-Mart. Over 20,000 Americans pledged not to buy their Mother's Day gifts at Wal-Mart thanks to Wake Up Wal-Mart's Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart" campaign.

-- Make Wal-Mart Care About Health Care Campaign: Wake Up Wal-Mart helped coordinate more than 120 house parties in 38 states, which led to over 150 actions encouraging legislators to crack down on Wal-Mart's health care policy. Thanks largely to pressure from Wake-Up Wal-Mart supporters, Rep. Anthony Weiner, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Sen. Jon Corzine introduced the Health Care Accountability Act in Congress--which would require states to disclose the names of large employers whose workers are on Medicaid as a result of the companies refusal to provide insurance benefits.

-- Fair Share Health Care Act: Representatives of Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch lobbied Maryland's legislature and helped pass the first legislation in the nation that would require large companies (specifically Wal-Mart) to pay for health benefits for employees. Although Republican Gov. Robert Erlich vetoed the bill, the movement to get such legislation passed in other states has just begun. Over 2,000 Wake Up Wal-Mart supporters have pledged to lead the fight in their states to introduce Fair Share Health Care legislation (click here to help introduce such a bill in your state). In September, the Working Families Party and the Long Island Federation of Labor helped get a bill passed in Suffolk County, New York.

Washington, DC - Today, WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, officially launched the Wal-Mart Workers of America (WWOA) - the first national association for Wal-Mart workers. WWOA is a new and exciting step to help empower Wal-Mart Workers to join together in order to improve their working conditions, their lives and change Wal-Mart into a more responsible and moral corporation. WWOA is launching a new website, www.WalMartWorkersofAmerica.com, which will offer a national clearing house of information and services for former and current Wal-Mart workers.

As part of the initial launch of the association, the WWOA will also offer 50 uninsured Wal-Mart workers the opportunity to qualify for $200 in health care money. The health care assistance offered by the WWOA is the product of over $10,000 raised by more than 100 grassroots Halloween fundraisers held by WakeUpWalMart.com supporters last week in 84 cities and 22 states.

“Every day 1.3 million workers help make Wal-Mart one of America’s most profitable companies, and yet, every day it seems Wal-Mart finds new ways to exploit these hard-working Americans. WWOA will be a powerful tool to help Wal-Mart’s workers join together to improve their lives and make Wal-Mart change for the better,” said Paul Blank, Campaign Director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

The WWOA is being founded in response to Wal-Mart’s secret memo and the company’s troubling record of exploiting its workers. Wal-Mart’s secret memo, written by Wal-Mart Executive Vice President Susan Chambers, outlines a series of shocking recommendations, including: plans to cut costs further by reducing hours; shifting from full-time to part-time workers; pushing out senior workers; and, even cutting health care costs by dissuading unhealthy or obese people from applying. In addition, Wal-Mart has a long and well-documented record of exploiting its workers, including forcing them to work off-the-clock, discriminating against female employees and breaking child labor laws. Both the Wal-Mart Memo and its unwillingness to substantively change how it treats its workers has led to the creation of the Wal-Mart Workers of America.

The WWOA will officially launch its first membership drive today and plans to reach out to 100,000 Wal-Mart workers within the first phase of its membership drive. Workers will be contacted through grassroots actions and through a community-based radio and print advertising campaign.

“For the first time, all Wal-Mart workers will now have the ability to join an association, to join together, to empower each other, and to build a movement for Wal-Mart to change. Working together, Wal-Mart workers can be a new and powerful force for change. Let there be no doubt, the WWOA will finally create a ‘real open door’ for change - a door Wal-Mart will never be able to close,” said Blank

Membership to WWOA is free to all former and current Wal-Mart workers who wish to join. The WWOA will provide an array of services to members including: how to qualify for health care money; a free 1-800# help hotline to provide advice and consultation about work place issues; information about class-action lawsuits affecting Wal-Mart workers; a confidential way to be a whistleblower; information and facts about their labor rights under state and federal law; how to defend themselves under America’s labor laws; a central clearing house for recent news and stories about Wal-Mart; recent actions in the grassroots campaign to change Wal-Mart; email updates on Wal-Mart and the WWOA; and quarterly newsletters.

From the Virginia Tech Collegiate Times:

Yes this is the real side to the company everyone flocks to because their prices are just so low. But is it really worth it? When a new Wal-Mart opens, the community always loses out. Not only do the workers get treated poorly, when some are forced to work overtime without compensation and others get locked inside the stores at night, but local businesses suffer.

Those unique shops that sell quality products go out of business because they can’t compete with Wal-Mart’s prices, but we shouldn’t expect them to. Wal-Mart has such low prices because even with $10 billion in profits they use sweatshop labor and skirt around environmental laws. Their low prices exist because they have the buying power to force their suppliers to lower their selling prices causing these companies to cut corners and lay off workers to try to stay in business.

The $1 billion in taxpayer subsidies from state and local governments are also certainly a factor in the low prices of Wal-Mart’s products. This does not even touch on the amount that taxpayers indirectly contribute for Wal-Mart’s workers who are on welfare or Medicaid, as so many of them are.

There is now a nationwide campaign to collect donations to help pay for health care for Wal-Mart’s workers because Wal-Mart won’t do it. Yes, Wal-Mart certainly does have some of the cheapest prices around, but is it worth it at the expense of all those that get neglected in the process?

From the Arkansas News Bureau:

WASHINGTON -- Two U.S. congressmen on Tuesday introduced legislation that would prevent the U.S. Department of Labor from giving companies like Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., advance notice before investigating labor infractions.

The bill came a day after the Labor Department inspector general's office released a report concluding that the Bentonville-based retailer received "significant concessions" as part of a settlement agreement it signed in January with the department after being cited for child-labor violations.

The legislation was introduced by Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and George Miller of California. Miller requested the inspector general investigation into the settlement in February.

"The settlement with the Department of Labor put the interest of one of the nation's worst labor violators ahead of the interests of American workers," DeLauro said.

"The Department of Labor's sweetheart deal with Wal-Mart gives the company the ability to sweep complaints about labor-law violations under the rug," Miller said in a statement.

DeLauro and Miller's bill would ban the department from forming agreements that provide notice to employers of upcoming investigations or inspections.

From the Kansas City Star:

A judge on Tuesday certified as a class action a lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of underpaying hourly workers in its Missouri stores.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Sandra C. Midkiff’s ruling affects between 160,000 and 200,000 former and current Wal-Mart employees who worked at Wal-Mart Discount Stores, Wal-Mart Supercenters and Sam’s Club stores from Aug. 15, 1996 through June 30, 2003.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2001, chargescontends that the world’s largest retailer committed “acts of wage abuse” against its hourly employees by forcing them to work off the clock, failing to pay them overtime, and preventing them from taking rest and lunch breaks.

“One of the interesting things about the judge’s opinion is that she bases it on the systematic policy and management direction out of Bentonville, Ark.Arkansas,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Larry Ward of Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, referring to Wal-Mart’s headquarters. “It’s an overall policy designed to reduce labor costs by failing to pay employees for all of their breaks.”

This morning, The Today Show on NBC did a piece on the new Wal-Mart movie, Wal-Mart's secret leaked memo, and featured Paul Blank, campaign director of WakeUpWalMart.com.

You can see the piece in Windows Media format here:

http://video1.wakeupwalmart.com/wuw/nbcw.asx

Washington, D.C. - The New York Times reports this morning that Wal-Mart’s new image campaign is being run by Robert McAdam, the former strategist for the tobacco industry. Following the revelations about Wal-Mart’s new war room, WakeUpWalmart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, has uncovered another element to Wal-Mart’s “secret” public relations strategy - the hiring of Mike Krempasky, a Republican right-wing political operative and director of RedState.org.

Despite Wal-Mart’s multi-million dollar public relations efforts, the company’s image problem grows worse everyday. Just yesterday, the Inspector General report revealed that President Bush’s Department of Labor permitted Wal-Mart’s own attorneys to help write the “sweetheart settlement deal” over extensive child labor violations.

“Wal-Mart’s new image campaign is being run by the same guy who helped the tobacco industry tell us smoking doesn’t cause cancer. Now, Wal-Mart expects the American people to believe him when he says Wal-Mart is good for America? Wal-Mart’s war room should be called ‘deception alley.’ It is a move right out of the playbook of Karl Rove and the tobacco companies,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com

These latest developments shed light on a news story, first reported by Reuters, that CEO Lee Scott and Wal-Mart were developing a “secret strategy” to address the growing WakeUpWalMart.com grassroots movement. As part of Wal-Mart’s new public relations strategy, Wal-Mart, through its public relations firm Edelman, has hired Mike Krempasky to help spread its public relations deception. Mike Krempasky is a right-wing blogger, founder of redstate.org, and the former political director for Richard Viguerie’s American Target Advertising.

“This is Wal-Mart’s second image remake in a year. Our advice to Wal-Mart is simple - stop spinning and start changing on behalf of your 1.3 million workers, their families and the American people,” added Blank.

Additionally, WakeUpWalMart.com announced its grassroots supporters have already signed on to hold screenings in 100 cities and 29 states. WakeUpWalMart.com also launched the first national media campaign to promote the movie this week. The media campaign includes a full-page ad in USA Today, online advertising reaching over 17 million readers, and a 30-second TV commercial that will run on CNN and CNBC in Little Rock, AR, Washington DC Metro, New York City and Los Angeles.

WakeUpWalMart.com also announced today that over 115,000 Americans from all 50 states have joined the largest grassroots campaign to change a corporation in history.