Message From Wal-Mart Watch

Some rare good news, taken from Wal-Mart Watch:

On April 1, 2008, Wal-Mart dropped all pending litigation against the Shank family. Thanks in part to the hundreds of people who wrote in to the company, as well of the contribution of many major news outlets, Debbie's family will be able to keep the money currently being held in trust for her future care. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this victory possible. Click here to learn how you can help make sure this never happens to another Wal-Mart employee.

For more, watch the following clip:

Asda/Wal-Mart - They Really Hate Their Staff

Via an email alert from Wal-Mart Watch (Asda's parent company):

Today's lead story on CNN.com is about former Missouri Wal-Mart employee Debbie Shank. Debbie used to stock shelves at night for Wal-Mart. Now she owes Wal-Mart almost $500,000.

Tell Wal-Mart not to take her money:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/debbieshank

The 52 year-old was a Wal-Mart employee when she was left "brain damaged, disabled and penniless" from a car accident seven years ago. But after the Shank family received a settlement from the trucking company at fault, Wal-Mart demanded reimbursement for every cent it had paid for Debbie's medical bills - plus interest and legal fees.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Debbie Shank's case, leaving her family no choice but to pay Wal-Mart $470,000. Now her family doesn't know how they're going to be able to afford Debbie's nursing home bills.

To make things worse, the $470,000 exceeds the remaining $277,000 in Debbie's trust from the settlement, which means Wal-Mart may even go after the donations given to the Shank family for Debbie's care, including the money you helped raise in November. This is just wrong.

Wal-Mart may have won the lawsuit, but the Shank family has already lost enough. The company claims that it has to collect the money for the good of all Wal-Mart employees. But, in this particularly egregious situation, surely the largest company in the world run by the wealthiest family in the United States can give this family a break.

Write to Wal-Mart executives and ask them to tell Lee Scott to do the right thing and let Debbie Shank keep her money:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/debbieshank

This company already has a reputation for treating its employees poorly, and this tragic situation exposes the company's pure heartlessness. The Shank family is living most people's worst nightmare - and Wal-Mart is only making it worse.
Debbie's husband, Jim, told reporters:

"She's 52 and she's going to live a life in a nursing home. I just got a call today from the head nurse, and (Debbie) hasn't eaten in a couple days and she's talking about wanting to die," Shank said. "It makes the visits hard."

... "Be a human being; don't be a corporation," Shank said, "for the sake of one lady who is going to be miserable for the rest of her life. Take your victory. Let us pay some bills and get some quality of life."

Capitalist bastards.

Activism Works!

And here's the proof:

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, yesterday posted its worst monthly sales figures since its records began in 1980.

The company said same store sales fell 3.5% in April on the same month a year ago. Same store sales measure the performance of stores that have been open for at least 12 months.

Oh dear. Of course, this has nothing to do with the revelations about Wal-Mart's dubious tactics in ensuring that they remain the leading retailer in the US. It will take a lot to bring Wal-Mart down, but little by little we can do some serious damage to the biggest symbol of the evils of capitalism in the Western world. Activism does work.

"I Stole From Wal-Mart"

When I first saw this image in today's Guardian, I assumed it was part of some campaign to stick one on the mighty Wal-Mart. Good on you, I thought. I had visions of hundreds of other protesters across America with similar messages hung from their shoulders. However, I then read the accompanying article and discovered the following:

For the crime of shoplifting, a woman from Attalla, Alabama, is sentenced to spend two consecutive Saturdays standing outside a shopping plaza wearing a sandwich board sign reading: "I am a thief. I stole from Wal-Mart."

A rather draconian form of punishment last witnessed in the Middle Ages. However, I have to agree with Tim Dowling (the writer of the piece) when he writes:

In this case, however, the deterrent could be prone to backfire: in light of Wal-Mart's various crimes against small businesses, suppliers, its own labour force and the planet, wearing a sign that says, "I stole from Wal-Mart" might easily be taken as an act of political defiance worthy of imitation. What is needed is a small army of protesters to stand alongside her with similar signs in order to shield her, Spartacus-style, from further indignity. She is there all morning next Saturday, if you are in the area.

Not so much a punishment, more a badge of honour. Let's hope it catches on.

Buffett's Role in Sudan Questioned

Warren Buffett was confronted over the week-end by a Sudanese refugee and by Karuk native Americans during the annual general meeting of his business empire. The reason? Buffett continues to make money from his investments in Sudan, despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis, particularly his investments in PetroChina (which is currently hawking its Corporate Social Responsibility Report on its website). According to James Miller, from the Sudanese Divestment Taskforce, CNPC is:

"....by far the most irresponsible and abusive oil investor in Sudan. At least 70% of the funds they provide to Sudan get funnelled into the Sudanese military."

Buffett's other investments have come under scrutiny in recent weeks. A recent LA Times report exposed the true nature of much of his investments through Berkshire Hathaway. Despite pledging $31 billion of his fortune to the Gates Foundation, which was established to fight disease, poverty and illiteracy, Buffett has been caught up in some dubious investments. According to the report:

About $56.4 billion, or 87% of Berkshire's stock holdings, is invested in companies criticized by the research groups for profiting from environmental irresponsibility, human rights violations and other activities that undermine the foundation's good works or its goals of improving the lot of humankind.

The report adds that:

The holdings of Berkshire Hathaway, totaling more than $4.6 billion in eight companies, came in dead last by a wide margin in a ranking of oil and gas holdings among the 100 largest investors in the United States. The ranking was based on social, environmental and governance performance ratings developed by the investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and a related ownership analysis by Cary Krosinsky of CapitalBridge, a capital markets intelligence firm.

So just what does Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway invest in? Well, they also own shares in the notorious, union busting Wal-Mart (parent company of Asda in the UK). Berkshire currently owns shares worth $921 million in Wal-Mart Stores Inc, despite its well documented human rights abuses.

Furthermore, despite the stated goals of the Gates Foundation, Berkshire also holds:

$64 million in pharmaceutical companies, for example, whose pricing policies have tended to keep antiretroviral drugs out of reach for HIV/AIDS patients in developing nations.

And here is what the Gates Foundation has to say on Global Health:

Millions of people—most of them children—die each year in developing countries from diseases that are preventable and treatable. Moreover, tragically little research is done to prevent or cure some of the world’s biggest killers, such as malaria and tuberculosis.

The foundation is guided by the belief that all lives, no matter where they are lived, have equal value. The mission of our Global Health program is to encourage the development of lifesaving medical advances and to help ensure they reach the people who are disproportionately affected. We focus our funding in two main areas:

• Access to existing vaccines, drugs, and other tools to fight diseases common in developing countries
• Research to develop health solutions that are effective, affordable, and practical.

Berkshire's investment also include tobacco firm Altria (the parent company of Philip Morris - the passive smoking deniers), despite the fact that the Gates Foundation avoids investments in the tobacco industry due to the health implications. Perhaps someone should tell Mr Buffett of the true goals of the Gates Foundation.

During the AGM, Berkshire shareholders were addressed by a woman from the Karuk Indian reservation who explained the how her community has been destroyed by hydroelectric dams operated by PacifiCorp (yet another Berkshire subsidiary). The dams have seriously undermined the community's salmon fishing livelihood. Confronting Buffett she said:

"My people are a river people. Our entire culture, religion and subsistence is centred around the river.

Buffett, I know you care very much about humanity. There are things you can do to help us."

Buffett's response?

"The world runs on electricity and it wants more electricity. We are a public utility responsive to public policy."

Hardly in keeping with social responsibility.

It is time that Buffett put his money where his mouth is. He talks the talk, espousing his support for causes such as the Gates Foundation, yet his investments give lie to his great claim for being a supporter of ethical causes. How can anyone claim to share the same ideals of the Gates Foundation, yet support the oil industry, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, pharmaceuticals and PetroChina? It couldn't possible be because there is money to be made, could it?

Further reading: The full LA Time report - Berkshire wealth clashes with Gates mission in Sudan

Walmart & the Nuns

Oh yes, first let's see how this came to light.

Wal-Mart has won a temporary restraining order against a fired employee who spilled the beans about the company’s spying operations to the Wall Street Journal on April 4.

Bruce Gabbard told the Journal that he was part of a sophisticated company surveillance operation that spied not only on employees but on shareholders and critics. The outfit was called the Threat Research and Analysis Group.
According to Gabbard, Wal-Mart’s spies kept tabs on several groups, including the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). After the story broke, Wal-Mart said it regretted that shareholder groups had been monitored. But that’s not enough for the Interfaith Center. On April 9, it demanded a formal apology.

“We were surprised and disappointed to read the results of the Wall Street Journal investigative report,” four leaders of the group said in a statement. “We view such actions as a serious breach of the trust relationship between shareholders and their company. . . . We ask that Wal-Mart formally apologize to investors and to others whose expectations of privacy has been breached.”

Signing the letter was Sister Judy Byron of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, U.S.-Ontario Province; Sister Susan Mika, who represents the Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas; Father Michael Hoolahan, the interim executive director of the ICCR; and Mark Regier, chair of the ICCR’s governing board.

The Wall Street Journal article said that Wal-Mart had done “some preliminary background work on the potential threat assessment” of the Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas.

So Walmart has a corporate spying division that engages in surveillance and counter espionage on its critic, especially if they are that most devastating of enemies NUNS! But you know these are some admirable ladies, Sister Susan Mika is leading a campaign against evil in all its corporate forms

They say the spirit of St. Benedict's legacy of stewardship to the community and the earth drives them to file dozens of shareholder resolutions every year on a wide variety of issues, from workers' wages at Alcoa (AA) to genetically modified crops at DuPont (DD). Sister Susan has traveled several times to the U.S.-Mexican border to see the working conditions at American companies operating in special Mexican economic zones. This year as proxy season begins, Sister Susan and her order are going after Coca-Cola

Now they are asking Walmart why they have been labelled a security threat:

"In no way have we ever been a threat to the company in that sense. We might be a threat in the kind of question that we're asking, but not a security threat," Sister Mika said.

The sisters have raised questions on wages, human rights, health care and the pay disparity between CEOs and workers. They believe that's why Wal-Mart has launched a surveillance operation on the small church group.

"We wanted to find out more about what was actually happening, and did they do any surveillance on us, either personally or as a community, and to let us know what that would be, and to apologize to us," Sister Mika said.

It remains to be seen if the UK can stop ASDA from going to hell. The Nuns are watching you!

Wal-Mart Curbs Rights to Free Association

Surveillance. Harassment. Indoctrination. Human rights abuses. I could be talking about China, Iran, North Korea or (whisper it quietly) the UK. But no, I am referring to the bastard of all corporate bastards, Wal-Mart - the parent company of the Asda chain.

A report was released by Human Rights Watch detailing the lengths that Wal-Mart will go to in order to keep their workforce from organising and campaigning for better conditions. According to The Guardian, the report reveals that:

Wal-Mart...has elaborate tactics to stop staff from coming together to fight for better conditions. The company is accused of focusing security cameras on areas where staff congregate and shifting around loyal workers in "unit packing" tactics to ensure votes for union recognition are defeated.

Store managers at Wal-Mart also receive 'tool boxes' to enable them to "remain free in the event union organisers choose your facility as their next target". In what is clearly an orchestrated effort by the company to crack down on any hint of an organised workforce, managers are also advised to phone a special 'union hotline' if they suspect members of staff are organising.

The lengths that they go to to ensure that staff do not unionise is remarkable. Members of staff are rounded up and forced to watch propaganda that highlights the perils of a unionised workforce. Videos presented by Paul French & Partners besiege the viewer with various 'facts' about the disruption caused by union members and leave staff in no doubt that unionisation is a bad thing. As Carol Price, author of the report, explains:

"Wal-Mart's aggressive and sophisticated anti-union strategy is based out of its headquarters. This is not a store-by-store problem - the violations are a direct result of the company's philosophy."

Historically, Wal-Mart has always had an issue with unions. As The Guardian reports:

In a breach of US law, Wal-Mart has allegedly banned union organisers from distributing flyers outside its stores and has confiscated literature found on the premises. Since Wal-Mart began in 1962, there has only been one successful formation of a union - among meat cutters in Texas seven years ago. The department was subsequently shut down - an act ruled illegal by US labour authorities.

Wal-Mart's subsidiary in the UK has already seen a shift in tactics towards union members. They have already been fined £850,000 for offering illegal inducements to staff to disown their union. There is no doubt whatsoever that Asda will try to follow the same policies of the parent company, and we can expect many more examples of union busting in the future. However, the findings of this report might just start a backlash against the unfair practices of a company that is the largest company in the latest Fortune 500 rankings. It is time to up the pressure on Asda and force them to change their business practices. It is only by hitting them where they hurt that we can make an example out of Wal-Mart and send a warning to all corporations that the workforce has rights that need protecting.

Read the full report here.

From Wal-Mart Watch...........

Dear Friend,

Next time you talk on the phone, you may want to say “Hello” to Wal-Mart.

After all, recent news stories revealed they've been wiretapping phone conversations between their own PR staff and a New York Times reporter. Think about that for a second: Wal-Mart can't even trust its own spokespeople to "stay on message" with the media.

What’s more, Wal-Mart spies also intercepted text messages from people with no connection to the company at all.

Who knows who else they're listening to?

America's news reporters need your help. Send a letter to the editor of your local paper, and warn them that if they talk to someone from Wal-Mart, someone else might be listening.

http://action.walmartwatch.com/WarnThePress

Wal-Mart has always been about control -- control of their employees, control of their suppliers, control of government officials, and control of their image. That's why they've assembled a massive corporate intelligence operation, headed by a former CIA official.

Why is Wal-Mart so paranoid? If they go to such lengths to monitor and control their employees, what are they trying to hide from news reporters?

Right now, other reporters are surely working on their own stories about Wal-Mart -- maybe even in your community. Make sure they know by warning your local newspaper about Wal-Mart's wiretapping.

http://action.walmartwatch.com/WarnThePress

Thank you for your help, and remember to be careful what you say. Wal-Mart may be listening.

Sincerely,

David Nassar

P.S. You can find excepts of the article and links to the full text here:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/WalMartIsWatching

For All You Asda Fans

Remember, Wal-Mart is Asda's parent company:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. watchdog group has called on Wal-Mart Stores to put a stop to what it says is worker abuse at a factory in the Philippines that makes apparel for the retailer.

The Worker Rights Consortium said the Chong Won factory, which primarily makes clothing for Wal-Mart supplier One Step Up, has engaged in labour rights violations including forced overtime and minimum wage violations. The WRC has 167 U.S. college and university affiliates.

The WRC has accused the factory's management of colluding with government agents in violence against striking workers and said it based its charges on an on-site investigation from October 28 to November 2. WRC said it notified Wal-Mart in November.

Another reason not to shop at Asda.

Wal-Mart Face Prosecution For Discrimination

From Wal-Mart Watch:

Dear Friend,

Wal-Mart may have the best legal team money can buy -- but even the fanciest of corporate lawyers can't stop the largest class-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

Thanks to the determination of current and former Wal-Mart employees, their dedicated counsel and the judicial wisdom of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the world's largest employer will face allegations that it actively discriminated against its female employees. This case could cost them close to $20 billion.

This is a historic day for all of us who believe that women deserve equal pay, equal promotions and equal treatment at work.

Tell your friends and family that Wal-Mart's day in court has come:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/dukesvwalmart

The charges against Wal-Mart are severe -- but not surprising. They claim that Wal-Mart:

* Advances male employees more quickly than female employees;
* Denies female employees equal job assignments, promotions, training and compensation; and
* Retaliates against those who oppose Wal-Mart's unlawful practices.

Wal-Mart did everything in its power to keep this case out of court. Filed originally in 2001, yesterday's ruling upheld the 2004 class certification of Dukes v. Wal-Mart -- and exhausted the corporate giant's options to appeal.

Only two real choices remain for Wal-Mart: settlement or trial. Not surprisingly, they will continue to take the cowardly approach and appeal again. Any settlement could be enormous, and a loss at trial could amount to damages in the billions of dollars -- including what the company could be forced to pay to equalize inequitable salary scales. So they will avoid the inevitable for as long as possible, forcing millions of women to wait.

But there is more at stake than settlement numbers. Shareholder anger and damage to the Wal-Mart brand could cost the company far more than the punitive damages from a lawsuit.

Make Wal-Mart pay for its disgraceful treatment of women. Spread the word about the Dukes v. Wal-Mart case:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/dukesvwalmart

This case only confirms what many of us have claimed for years: Wal-Mart must fundamentally change the way it treats its employees, and set an example for labor practices worldwide.

The facts remain:

*Women comprise only 37.6 % of Assistant Managers, 21.9% of Co-Managers, and 15.5% of Store Manager positions at Wal-Mart.
*About 65% of hourly employees are women, compared to about 33% of management employees.
*From date of hire until being promoted into an Assistant Manager position it took on average 4.38 years for women, compared to 2.86 years for men. To reach Store Manager, the average male needed 8.64 years compared to 10.12 years for a female.

The numbers don't lie. Spread the word about Wal-Mart's immoral business practices, and the tremendous consequences behind yesterday's ruling:

http://action.walmartwatch.com/dukesvwalmart

For the past 25 years, Wal-Mart built its empire on the backs of its exploited employees. Now they'll have to justify it.

Sincerely,

David Nassar
Wal-Mart Watch

Wal-Mart Update

Dear Friend,

Here we go again.

Just last week, the state of Wisconsin launched an investigation into charges that Wal-Mart fraudulently puts the organic label on products that don't meet USDA standards for these sorts of items. It's another example of how Wal-Mart says one thing and does another.

Surprise, surprise.

Wal-Mart's dishonesty hurts consumers, suppliers, and investors who believed Wal-Mart's hype that they were moving into the growing market for organic food. And it's not just Wisconsin -- this sort of shell game could be happening in your own back yard.

It's time to stop them -- and that's where you come in.

We've identified the person at the USDA who handles product marketing and has the power to launch a nation-wide investigation of Wal-Mart. She can help us get to the bottom of this, but we have to get her attention first. Let her know that Wal-Mart's organics program is all sizzle and no steak:

http://walmartwatch.com/pages/write_the_usda

Whether you shop organic or not, this issue matters to you. Time and again, Wal-Mart says one thing and then does another. To them "standards" and "customer care" are nothing more than a PR smokescreen -- all that really matters is profit, and that's why we have to stay vigilant.

When we released the Chambers memo we proved that Wal-Mart executives know their healthcare plan isn't affordable to a large portion of employees. When we identified the hired PR guns running a fake "grassroots" campaign on the web, it became clear that Wal-Mart has to pay people to support the company.

It's time to take action again and pressure the USDA to look into Wal-Mart's organic labeling and get the truth that we all deserve. Take a moment to read up on the case and send an email here:

http://walmartwatch.com/pages/write_the_usda

As the new executive director of Wal-Mart Watch, I am determined to bring change to America's largest retailer. Your support and commitment is the only way we can make that possible.

Thank you,

David Nassar

Executive Director