In the letter, WakeUpWalMart.com stressed that there was a better way for Wal-Mart to succeed, and that “together, we can help Wal-Mart expand into new markets, appeal to higher income customers and grow into an even more profitable business.”

“Wal-Mart’s message to Wall-Street analysts is ‘don’t worry, be happy,’ but the truth is that with a declining public image, sluggish sales, a rebellion by employees in its own store, and a growing grassroots movement to change the company, both Wal-Mart and Wall Street analysts have a lot to worry about.” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

Also, today WakeUpWalMart.com sent a letter to Bob and Harvey Weinstein calling on them to join our national campaign and pressure Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott to stop the exploitation of 1.39 million employees, their families, and the American people. The group stressed to the Weinstein brothers not to let themselves be used “to greenwash a record of exploitation that is a national disgrace.” The letter makes it clear that Wal-Mart’s right-wing agenda, its financial support of right-wing candidates, and its real record of abuse and exploitation leave little to be honored. The group called on the Weinsteins’, long supporters of Democratic causes, to join the national movement to change Wal-Mart for the better.

Supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com will also hold a rally at 30 Rockerfeller Center in front of the Weinstein sponsored dinner being held tonight at the Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Center.

Copies of both letters are below.

LETTER TO BOB AND HARVEY WEINSTEIN

October 23, 2006

Bob and Harvey Weinstein
The Weinstein Company
375 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10014

Dear Bob & Harvey Weinstein,

As proud Democrats who have long supported progressive causes, we are deeply disappointed to learn that you will be hosting an “awards banquet” for Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. Wal-Mart’s record, in terms of how poorly it treats its 1.39 million employees, its negative effects on this nation, as well as the direct financial support to right wing Republican causes, is an affront to everything you believe in.

To be frank, Wal-Mart’s agenda and policies may be good for George Bush and the right-wing, but it is bad for Wal-Mart’s employees and America. In fact, Wal-Mart has even taken the unprecedented step of targeting Democrats - yes, Democrats - in this election. Why? Because real leaders, like Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Evan Bayh, Gov. Tom Vilsack, Gov. Bill Richardson, and so many others, want better wages and more affordable health care for Wal-Mart workers. Sadly, Wal-Mart has not only chosen to personally attack these Democrats, but it is working with Bush/Cheney operatives, like Terry Nelson, to defeat them.

While we know for a fact that neither one of you support the Bush right-wing agenda, you must seriously ask yourselves why you are honoring a man and a company that is targeting Democrats for defeat?

Above all, we hope you will learn the cruel legacy of Wal-Mart’s mistreatment of its employees and its families. It is a litany of exploitation and abuses that rivals any Dickens novel. Here are just some of the facts we know Wal-Mart has hidden from you:

Wal-Mart and the Right Wing

• 80 percent of Wal-Mart’s political contributions have gone to George Bush and right-wing Republican candidates and groups.
• Wal-Mart has employed some of the most vicious right wing-operatives in American politics - the very people who have made a career out of personally and politically attacking Bill Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry.

Wal-Mart and Wages

• The average Wal-Mart employee earns $2,200 below the poverty-level.
• All 1.39 million Wal-Mart employees now face a salary cap - meaning either today or at some point, employees who are already paid poverty-level wages will never receive a raise again for the rest of their lives.
• Wal-Mart is cutting over 200,000 full-time jobs and shifting these workers to even lower paid, part-time positions.

Wal-Mart and Health Care

• Wal-Mart fails to provide company health care coverage to 54% of its employees (that’s 775,000 families and children without company health care).
• 46% of Wal-Mart workers’ children are left uninsured or on public health care assistance.
• In 18 out of 19 states, where data has been released, Wal-Mart leads all employers with the greatest number of employees on public health care assistance.
• Wal-Mart will cost taxpayers an estimated $9.1 billion over the next 5 years because so many of its workers are forced onto public health care assistance.
• Just last month, Wal-Mart eliminated all of its low-deductible health care coverage plans for its employees; Wal-Mart now offers only catastrophic health care coverage and George Bush-inspired Health Care Savings Accounts.

Wal-Mart and Discrimination/Abuse

• Wal-Mart has broken child labor laws multiple times in the United States and abroad, including twice this year.
• Wal-Mart faces the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history, affecting over 2 million former and current women workers who are suing the company for wage and promotion discrimination.
• Wal-Mart faces over 57 wage and hour lawsuits, including one in Pennsylvania where Wal-Mart was found guilty of denying workers rest breaks, costing them $78 million.
• Wal-Mart has lobbied, most recently in California, against legislation that would have made it illegal to lock employees in its stores and currently still locks employees in its stores.

Wal-Mart and National Security

• Wal-Mart lobbied against strengthening America’s port security.
• Wal-Mart is the single biggest factor in the loss of American manufacturing jobs, shipping millions of good paying, family supporting jobs to China.
• Wal-Mart continues to utilize sweatshop labor among its foreign suppliers, employing children and young adults in the most adverse conditions.

With respect to your award, although steps taken to improve the environment are always to be applauded, the facts are quite clear, and we know you must now agree, that Wal-Mart and Lee Scott must also clean up its act in how they treat its employees, their families, and the American people.

Most importantly, we would hope you would never let yourself be used by Wal-Mart, a company with over $11.2 billion in annual profits, to greenwash a record of exploitation that is a national disgrace.

Let us put it another way, would either one of you ever treat one of your employees or their families this way - of course not. So, why does Lee Scott treat his employees this way? It is a question we hope you will ask Lee Scott before honoring him with any award.

In the end, we are confident that as producers of such an important film, like Fahrenheit 9/11, that you will join with WakeUpWalMart.com and our over 281,000 supporters in telling Wal-Mart that it’s time to be responsible and that it’s time to change.

We look forward in the coming days for you to join with us in our movement to change Wal-Mart and change America for the better.

Sincerely,

Paul Blank
Campaign Director
WakeUpWalMart.com

LETTER TO WAL-MART ANALYSTS

ATTENTION WAL-MART ANALYSTS: WAL-MART’S DECLINING PUBLIC OPINION AND RIGHT-WING POLITICAL AGENDA THREATEN TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT ITS BUSINESS MODEL

Dear Analyst,

The national campaign to change Wal-Mart into a better, more responsible business is gaining unprecedented momentum across the entire country. Now, not only are we the fastest growing social movement in America, with over 281,000 grassroots supporters in all 50 states, but elected leaders, such as Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Evan Bayh and Sen. Joe Biden, are joining with us in calling on Wal-Mart to change.

Unfortunately, rather than heed the calls of the American public and these real leaders, Wal-Mart has chosen to defend the indefensible and, as a consequence, has suffered a huge blow to its public image. According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, Wal-Mart’s favorability rating is now 45% favorable, 31% unfavorable, and 22% neutral (only a 14% spread between favorable and unfavorable). Compare that to Wal-Mart’s key competitor, Target, which, in the same poll, had a favorability rating of 51% favorable and only 10% unfavorable (a 41% spread between favorable and unfavorable).

The bottom line is this - despite selling to 90% of America’s consumers, a solid one-third of the American public now has a negative view of Wal-Mart. In other words, Wal-Mart is sitting on a huge ‘ticking time bomb’ as it faces the risk of unfavorable Wal-Mart shoppers deciding to change their behavior. And, unlike, other unfavorable retailers, such as the oil companies where people have no alternative (either they are going to drive or not drive, but if they drive they must buy gas), Wal-Mart has a number of similarly priced competitors with very different public opinion profiles.

In addition, to counter Wal-Mart’s declining image, the company, in an act of desperation, has hired a team of right-wing operatives whose tactics could prove to be disastrous for Wal-Mart. For example, in response to Democratic candidates calling on Wal-Mart to pay a better wage, provide more affordable health care and treat its employees with dignity and respect, Wal-Mart chose to attack those candidates and potentially alienate millions of Democratic voters, many of whom shop at Wal-Mart.

The truth is, no matter what Wal-Mart may claim, our campaign will not stop, rest or go away, until Wal-Mart changes. We hope, on behalf of Wal-Mart’s employees, Wal-Mart’s shareholders and the country, you will join with us in calling on Wal-Mart to change for the better. Together, we can help Wal-Mart expand into new markets, appeal to higher income customers and grow into an even more profitable business.

Thank you,

WakeUpWalMart.com