There are already plenty of other sites that have done an enormous amount of work to record the trouble that Wal-Mart has been in but most of them have limited resources and I believe they could use some help with their research and that by providing another one that I could do my part to contribute to this. Some of what some of these researchers have been doing is keeping track of some of the stories that tend to fall down the memory hole and people forget about them so that when time p[asses Wal-Mart manages to repair it’s image without actually addressing many of the problems they have had in the past. By logging some of this I may enable a better record to be kept of it.
Also I have compiled a list of some of the other sites that I have found it could help people to sort through the other researchers that have been reporting on Wal-Mart. It will also include periodical reviews of various subjects that I might go into greater details into including Wal-Marts researching into marketing to children and how this is interfering with their education and being used to suppress creative thinking; their potential antitrust violations; the use of planned obsolescence to increase sales; their impact on the environment; and methods to encourage change at Wal-Mart.
One of the most important misconceptions about Wal-Mart that is often even repeated by their critics is the claim that their prices are "low." For the most part this claim is usually false, at least when you consider the actual value of their products. There have been some exceptions, of course, especially when it comes to price wars that they have been involved in over the years when they have competition that they want to put out of business. When this happens the consumers often do get good prices, for a little while; but as soon as they succeed in wiping out the competition and developing a monopoly in many areas they no longer have the incentive to keep their prices and the consumers lose their temporary advantage; and pay a much higher price. This is often referred to as "predatory pricing" and it has been properly described as a corrupt business practice although whether it is considered illegal may depend on the political environment at the time and whether the companies involve have political connections. As far as I can tell this no longer happens very often any more if it continues to happen at all; now that the biggest corporations have consolidated into a small number of oligarchies they no longer seem to need to do this and it has led to virtual, if not literal, price fixing or gouging by the oligarchies. The lack of sincere competition also means they don't have to try to provide durable merchandise any more to compete since most of these oligarchies don't try very hard to make things last longer than necessary to keep customers from becoming outraged; although most of them aren't as bad as Wal-Mart.
It also often seems cheap in many cases compared to many of the other products on the market; but when taking a closer look at how long these products last it becomes clear that in many cases they have cut so many corners in the manufacturing sector that their products fall apart much quicker than they used to. Some of this can be understood just by considering how much money they have been spending on activities that have little or nothing to do with the production and sales of merchandise that benefits the public.
When they close down local manufacturing plants and replace them with factories half way around the world they lose the advantage of low shipping and distribution expenses. Then they go even further and cut the wages of their workers that are making their merchandise and reducing their safety conditions to save money. This is justified as necessary to stay competitive. The problem is that these expenses that are being cut are those that are related to the quality of their merchandise. Even if you're not concerned with the human rights abuses it should be clear that if these workers aren't living in a reasonably safe environment and getting fair compensation they will be less able or motivated to manufacture quality merchandise.
Which may be exactly what Wal-Mart wants. They may not want quality merchandise that lasts a long time because they can keep selling us more products if they fall apart much quicker.
Then they spend an enormous amount of money on research into marketing to children which often involves hiring child psychologists to research how to manipulate children at a young age. This has been researched and reported in several books on the subject including "Consuming Kids" by Susan Linn and others which I will go into more detail on a future post coming soon. This is the beginning of their activities on activities that have more to do with their political agenda and their objective of increasing profits by studying how to develop more deceptive and effective advertising and how to convince people they're getting their money's worth when they aren't and how to keep it secret (although most of this hasn't been kept completely secret at all). The more they spend on advertising, lobbying, campaign contributions and many other expenses including efforts to influence the education system the less they have available to put into the quality of their merchandise and these expenses have to be passed on to consumers or to some other source which may at times include government subsidies.
One way or another these expenses for activities that are against the best interest of the public are passed on to the public.
These practices aren't limited to Wal-Mart, of course and they wouldn't have happened if not for the corruption of the political system; but Wal-Mart is one of the biggest offender, if not the biggest; and it is easier to focus on this than to keep track of all the oligarchies at the same time. Other efforts can and have been made to keep track of other offenders as well elsewhere.
The bigger problem is that the effectiveness of ant-trust laws have been eliminated and on top of that trade secrecy laws have been implemented instead of disclosure laws that are designed to protect the public from fraud. Also false advertising laws are limited or nonexistent, at least when you consider how they're enforced, or more accurately not enforced. Under the current circumstances false advertising has been protected while the truth is routinely suppressed or downplayed due to trade secrecy laws or the fact that the commercial media has overwhelming control over the press so even when many of these scams are exposed they aren't widely reported so the majority can act on them when they address or choose their elected officials.
A sincere democratic system would enable the public to have access to the information they need to make important decisions.
That isn't the system we currently have; although many people pretend that we do.
The following are a sample of some of the news samples that have been presented about Wal-Mart including recent ones as well as some that are already starting to be forgotten.
Bangladesh garment manufacturing fire
Fatal Fire in Bangladesh Highlights the Dangers Facing Garment Workers
MUMBAI, India — More than 100 people died Saturday and Sunday in a fire at a garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, in one of the worst industrial tragedies in that country. Complete article
As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to Change
When Walmart’s chief executive, Michael Duke, appeared at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting in New York this month, a raucous crowd of protesters awaited him. Walmart was confronting reports of bribery in Mexico, a wave of labor demonstrations in the United States and, perhaps most critically, questions about a grisly fire that had killed 112 workers at a Bangladeshi garment factory used by several Walmart suppliers. Complete article
Horrific Fire Revealed a Gap in Safety for Global Brands
ASHULIA, Bangladesh — The fire alarm shattered the monotony of the Tazreen Fashions factory. Hundreds of seamstresses looked up from their machines, startled. On the third floor, Shima Akhter Pakhi had been stitching hoods onto fleece jackets. Now she ran to a staircase. ....
Bangladesh is now a garment manufacturing giant, the world’s second-leading apparel exporter, behind China, which is no longer the cheapest place to make many basic goods. Bangladesh has the lowest garment wages in the world, and many of the Tazreen factory’s victims were young rural women with little education, who earned as little as $45 a month in an industry that now accounts for $19 billion in exports. complete article
Documents Indicate Walmart Blocked Safety Push in Bangladesh
Documents found at the Tazreen apparel factory in Bangladesh, where 112 workers died in a fire nearly two weeks ago, indicate that three American garment companies were using the factory during the past year to supply goods to Walmart and its Sam’s Club subsidiary. Complete article
Massive Fire Kills At Least 118 Factory Workers in Bangladesh at Wal-Mart Supplier
A clothing factory in Bangladesh that has ties to Wal-Mart suffered a massive fire Saturday that left at least 118 factory workers dead and scores injured. Wal-Mart is the largest buyer of garments from Bangladesh, which has a notoriously poor fire-safety record and has long suppressed workers’ attempts to improve their conditions. The building was a factory operated by Tazreen Fashions, a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which supplies Wal-Mart, IKEA and other major retailers in the United States and Europe. The factory made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts. We speak to Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which investigates conditions in factories around the world. Complete article
Bangladeshi Labor Activist Finds Burned Clothes with Wal-Mart Labels at Site of Deadly Factory Fire
The Bangladeshi government has declared a period of national mourning for more than 120 garment workers who died in a fire at a factory that supplied U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, among others. Joining us from Bangladesh is labor activist Kalpona Akter, who has visited the factory and took pictures of the charred clothing labels she found there — including the Wal-Mart brand, Faded Glory. She started work in garment factories when she was 12 years old. Now she campaigns for better wages, recognition of the right to organize, and higher safety standards. We are also joined by Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which investigates working conditions in factories around the world. In comparison to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, Nova says, "It really is an extraordinary achievement, in an ironic sense, that the U.S. apparel industry has managed to replicate early 20th century conditions, that were so brutal and cruel to workers, now again here in 2012 in factories in places like Bangladesh. It’s a shameful record for the U.S. apparel industry. ... And hopefully, this horror will finally galvanize a global push for genuine reform of the labor practices of the big apparel brands and retailers." Akter speaks directly to shoppers, saying, "Consumers can play a big role, because they are the most powerful player in the supply chain." Complete article
Exposé Reveals Wal-Mart Blocked Improvements Despite Vows to Improve Safety After Deadly Factory Fire
Wal-Mart has vowed to improve safety problems among suppliers who make clothes for the company after at least 111 workers died in a deadly fire at a Bangladesh garment factory. But inspection reports found inside the facility underscore fundamental problems with how Wal-Mart’s supply chain allows it to avoid improving conditions. "One of the main monitoring companies, inspection companies for Wal-Mart, admitted that 'We don't even check whether factories have emergency exits, whether they have fire escapes or fireproof, smoke-proof enclosed staircases.’ And this factory did not have outdoor fire escapes, did not have enclosed staircases," says Steven Greenhouse, labor and workplace reporter for the New York Times about his latest investigation, "As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to Change." Complete article
Report: Bangladeshi Factory Billed Wal-Mart Subcontractor on Day of Fatal Fire
Details continue to emerge on the retail giant Wal-Mart’s ties to the Bangladeshi garment factory where 120 workers died in a fire last month. The New York Times has revealed that at least two subcontractors were using the Tazreen factory to make Wal-Mart goods when the fire occurred. Wal-Mart has claimed it cut ties to a lone company that had used the factory before the fire. But documents recovered in the fire’s remains show the factory had billed one of the two Wal-Mart subcontractors on November 24, the very day of the fire. Previously recovered documents have shown that five of the factory’s 14 production lines were devoted to making Wal-Mart apparel. Two people involved in worker safety oversight in Bangladesh have also revealed that Wal-Mart played a key role in blocking the improvement of electrical and fire safety at Bangladeshi factories during a 2011 meeting. Complete article
Protests Continue in Bangladesh as Factory Fire Death Toll Tops 120
Protests are continuing in Bangladesh after more than 120 workers were killed in a factory fire over the weekend. On Monday, thousands of garment workers blocked roads, causing some factories to shut down. As mourners gathered outside the gutted factory, one survivor described the fire. Complete article
Protesters in New Jersey Picket Wal-Mart Cargo from Bangladesh
Dozens of protesters have turned out at a New Jersey port to picket a container ship from Bangladesh carrying goods for the retail giant Wal-Mart. The demonstration was called in the aftermath of last month’s Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh that killed 112 workers. The factory had been used to make Wal-Mart apparel, and the company allegedly played a role in blocking the improvement of safety conditions there. Homeland Security and port police blocked the demonstrators from approaching the ship as it unloaded its cargo. The action came as the Bangladeshi government recommended criminal charges against the Tazreen factory’s owner for "unpardonable negligence" leading up to the fire. Complete article
Bangladesh: Garment Workers Stage Mass Hunger Strike over Pay, Conditions
Hundreds of Bangladeshi garment workers, most of them women, have staged a massive hunger strike in the capital Dhaka to demand safer working conditions and better pay. A factory fire at a Bangladeshi plant that made goods for Wal-Mart killed at least 111 workers in November, marking the country’s worst industrial accident. The head of the National Garment Workers Federation, Amirul Haq Amin, condemned the retail giant. Complete article
MUMBAI, India — More than 100 people died Saturday and Sunday in a fire at a garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, in one of the worst industrial tragedies in that country. Complete article
As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to Change
When Walmart’s chief executive, Michael Duke, appeared at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting in New York this month, a raucous crowd of protesters awaited him. Walmart was confronting reports of bribery in Mexico, a wave of labor demonstrations in the United States and, perhaps most critically, questions about a grisly fire that had killed 112 workers at a Bangladeshi garment factory used by several Walmart suppliers. Complete article
Horrific Fire Revealed a Gap in Safety for Global Brands
ASHULIA, Bangladesh — The fire alarm shattered the monotony of the Tazreen Fashions factory. Hundreds of seamstresses looked up from their machines, startled. On the third floor, Shima Akhter Pakhi had been stitching hoods onto fleece jackets. Now she ran to a staircase. ....
Bangladesh is now a garment manufacturing giant, the world’s second-leading apparel exporter, behind China, which is no longer the cheapest place to make many basic goods. Bangladesh has the lowest garment wages in the world, and many of the Tazreen factory’s victims were young rural women with little education, who earned as little as $45 a month in an industry that now accounts for $19 billion in exports. complete article
Documents Indicate Walmart Blocked Safety Push in Bangladesh
Documents found at the Tazreen apparel factory in Bangladesh, where 112 workers died in a fire nearly two weeks ago, indicate that three American garment companies were using the factory during the past year to supply goods to Walmart and its Sam’s Club subsidiary. Complete article
Massive Fire Kills At Least 118 Factory Workers in Bangladesh at Wal-Mart Supplier
A clothing factory in Bangladesh that has ties to Wal-Mart suffered a massive fire Saturday that left at least 118 factory workers dead and scores injured. Wal-Mart is the largest buyer of garments from Bangladesh, which has a notoriously poor fire-safety record and has long suppressed workers’ attempts to improve their conditions. The building was a factory operated by Tazreen Fashions, a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which supplies Wal-Mart, IKEA and other major retailers in the United States and Europe. The factory made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts. We speak to Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which investigates conditions in factories around the world. Complete article
Bangladeshi Labor Activist Finds Burned Clothes with Wal-Mart Labels at Site of Deadly Factory Fire
The Bangladeshi government has declared a period of national mourning for more than 120 garment workers who died in a fire at a factory that supplied U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, among others. Joining us from Bangladesh is labor activist Kalpona Akter, who has visited the factory and took pictures of the charred clothing labels she found there — including the Wal-Mart brand, Faded Glory. She started work in garment factories when she was 12 years old. Now she campaigns for better wages, recognition of the right to organize, and higher safety standards. We are also joined by Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which investigates working conditions in factories around the world. In comparison to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, Nova says, "It really is an extraordinary achievement, in an ironic sense, that the U.S. apparel industry has managed to replicate early 20th century conditions, that were so brutal and cruel to workers, now again here in 2012 in factories in places like Bangladesh. It’s a shameful record for the U.S. apparel industry. ... And hopefully, this horror will finally galvanize a global push for genuine reform of the labor practices of the big apparel brands and retailers." Akter speaks directly to shoppers, saying, "Consumers can play a big role, because they are the most powerful player in the supply chain." Complete article
Exposé Reveals Wal-Mart Blocked Improvements Despite Vows to Improve Safety After Deadly Factory Fire
Wal-Mart has vowed to improve safety problems among suppliers who make clothes for the company after at least 111 workers died in a deadly fire at a Bangladesh garment factory. But inspection reports found inside the facility underscore fundamental problems with how Wal-Mart’s supply chain allows it to avoid improving conditions. "One of the main monitoring companies, inspection companies for Wal-Mart, admitted that 'We don't even check whether factories have emergency exits, whether they have fire escapes or fireproof, smoke-proof enclosed staircases.’ And this factory did not have outdoor fire escapes, did not have enclosed staircases," says Steven Greenhouse, labor and workplace reporter for the New York Times about his latest investigation, "As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to Change." Complete article
Report: Bangladeshi Factory Billed Wal-Mart Subcontractor on Day of Fatal Fire
Details continue to emerge on the retail giant Wal-Mart’s ties to the Bangladeshi garment factory where 120 workers died in a fire last month. The New York Times has revealed that at least two subcontractors were using the Tazreen factory to make Wal-Mart goods when the fire occurred. Wal-Mart has claimed it cut ties to a lone company that had used the factory before the fire. But documents recovered in the fire’s remains show the factory had billed one of the two Wal-Mart subcontractors on November 24, the very day of the fire. Previously recovered documents have shown that five of the factory’s 14 production lines were devoted to making Wal-Mart apparel. Two people involved in worker safety oversight in Bangladesh have also revealed that Wal-Mart played a key role in blocking the improvement of electrical and fire safety at Bangladeshi factories during a 2011 meeting. Complete article
Protests Continue in Bangladesh as Factory Fire Death Toll Tops 120
Protests are continuing in Bangladesh after more than 120 workers were killed in a factory fire over the weekend. On Monday, thousands of garment workers blocked roads, causing some factories to shut down. As mourners gathered outside the gutted factory, one survivor described the fire. Complete article
Protesters in New Jersey Picket Wal-Mart Cargo from Bangladesh
Dozens of protesters have turned out at a New Jersey port to picket a container ship from Bangladesh carrying goods for the retail giant Wal-Mart. The demonstration was called in the aftermath of last month’s Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh that killed 112 workers. The factory had been used to make Wal-Mart apparel, and the company allegedly played a role in blocking the improvement of safety conditions there. Homeland Security and port police blocked the demonstrators from approaching the ship as it unloaded its cargo. The action came as the Bangladeshi government recommended criminal charges against the Tazreen factory’s owner for "unpardonable negligence" leading up to the fire. Complete article
Bangladesh: Garment Workers Stage Mass Hunger Strike over Pay, Conditions
Hundreds of Bangladeshi garment workers, most of them women, have staged a massive hunger strike in the capital Dhaka to demand safer working conditions and better pay. A factory fire at a Bangladeshi plant that made goods for Wal-Mart killed at least 111 workers in November, marking the country’s worst industrial accident. The head of the National Garment Workers Federation, Amirul Haq Amin, condemned the retail giant. Complete article
Wal-Mart Mexican Bribery Case
Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart After Top-Level Struggle
Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing, an examination by The New York Times found.
MEXICO CITY — In September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an alarming e-mail from a former executive at the company’s largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico. In the e-mail and follow-up conversations, the former executive described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had orchestrated a campaign of bribery to win market dominance. In its rush to build stores, he said, the company had paid bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country.
Complete article
Wal-Mart Vows to Fix Its Controls
Allegations of widespread bribery at Wal-Mart’s Mexican subsidiary continued to reverberate on Tuesday, with the company beginning a campaign to limit the damage as its shares declined further. Complete article
WalMart's Mexican Bribery Scandal Will Sink It Like an Iceberg Sank the Titanic
WalMart’s been accused of bribing officials in Mexico to grow its business. But by and large, few in America seem to care. The stock fell only modestly from its highs of last week, and today the stock recovered from the drop off to the lows of February.
But WalMart is going to fail. WalMart is trying to defend and extend a horribly outdated industrial strategy. Complete article
Mexican Bribery Scandal Could Cost Wal-Mart $4.5 Billion; Shares Down 4.7%
8 Revelations From Walmart’s Mexican Bribery Scandal
The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Got Its Way in Mexico
Wal-Mart de Mexico was an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering large payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited, an examination by The New York Times found.
SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACĂN, Mexico — Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda’s alfalfa field. It was an ideal location, just off this town’s bustling main entrance and barely a mile from its ancient pyramids, which draw tourists from around the world. With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda’s field. Complete article
Is Anyone Surprised That Walmart Bribes the Mexican Government?
additional reports on Democracy Now!
Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing, an examination by The New York Times found.
MEXICO CITY — In September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an alarming e-mail from a former executive at the company’s largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico. In the e-mail and follow-up conversations, the former executive described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had orchestrated a campaign of bribery to win market dominance. In its rush to build stores, he said, the company had paid bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country.
Complete article
Wal-Mart Vows to Fix Its Controls
Allegations of widespread bribery at Wal-Mart’s Mexican subsidiary continued to reverberate on Tuesday, with the company beginning a campaign to limit the damage as its shares declined further. Complete article
WalMart's Mexican Bribery Scandal Will Sink It Like an Iceberg Sank the Titanic
WalMart’s been accused of bribing officials in Mexico to grow its business. But by and large, few in America seem to care. The stock fell only modestly from its highs of last week, and today the stock recovered from the drop off to the lows of February.
But WalMart is going to fail. WalMart is trying to defend and extend a horribly outdated industrial strategy. Complete article
Mexican Bribery Scandal Could Cost Wal-Mart $4.5 Billion; Shares Down 4.7%
8 Revelations From Walmart’s Mexican Bribery Scandal
The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Got Its Way in Mexico
Wal-Mart de Mexico was an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering large payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited, an examination by The New York Times found.
SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACĂN, Mexico — Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda’s alfalfa field. It was an ideal location, just off this town’s bustling main entrance and barely a mile from its ancient pyramids, which draw tourists from around the world. With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda’s field. Complete article
Is Anyone Surprised That Walmart Bribes the Mexican Government?
additional reports on Democracy Now!
Wal-Mart Worker Protests
Wal-Mart Workers in 12 States Stage Historic Strikes, Protests Against Workplace Retaliation
Wal-Mart workers have launched historic labor protests and strikes across 28 stores in 12 states, the first retail worker strike in the company’s 50-year history. According to organizers, employees are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job." We go to Bentonville, Arkansas, to speak with Mike Compton, a Wal-Mart worker protesting outside the company headquarters today just days after taking part in a successful strike at a Wal-Mart supply warehouse in Elwood, Illinois. We’re also joined by Josh Eidelson, a contributing writer for Salon and In These Times who broke the story of the Wal-Mart store strikes last week. Complete article
Additional stories at Democracy Now!
Wal-Mart Seeks to Head Off Worker Protests
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT +0.09% tried to head off worker protests at its stores over the Thanksgiving holiday by filing an unfair-labor-practice complaint against a union the company says is behind the protest plans. Complete article
Walmart Workers Plan Black Friday Protests, So Walmart Will Open on “Black Thursday”
The historic Walmart worker strikes over the past couple months built energy toward an even bigger culmination. Walmart workers, protesting low wages, erratic hours, lack of health benefits, and most importantly disrespect in the workplace, decided to speak their grievances in a series of worker-led actions. Walmart responded with retaliation, including firings, reductions of hours, and intimidation in the workplace. One organizer and former worker was handcuffed in front of his colleagues when he returned to talk to them about upcoming actions.
Complete article
Walmart workers plan Black Friday protest
Wal-Mart walkouts are just the start
A single strike on Black Friday won't dent the retailer's profits, but it could be the first of many
In the last few months, an unprecedented wave of labor unrest has shaken the retail giant Wal-Mart and its far-reaching supply chain. While the number of employees taking part in walkouts has been limited to the low hundreds, workers and labor activists are mounting pressure and threatening to stage a company-wide strike on Black Friday—the busiest shopping day of the year. Complete article
Walmart protests mark important step
For Walmart, this Black Friday--which actually started with store openings at 8 pm on Thanksgiving, disrupting family celebrations --meant not just the kickoff of its lucrative Christmas buying season, but the first truly national challenge to shake its once rock-solid control over its 1.3 million “associates. Rallies by its workers and their supporters took place at an estimated 1,000 of its stores across the nation.
The protests were hugely significant: first, as a sign of the new worker assertiveness at a corporation that had seemingly mastered the art of enforced docility among its workers; and second, because of Walmart’s powerful role in defining down wages and conditions across the globe. Complete article
Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests
Unhappy Walmart workers plan mass protests leading up to Black Friday
Wal-Mart Plays Down Labor Protests at Its Stores
Amid Black Friday crowds, Wal-Mart draws workers’ rights protesters
Walmart Workers Protest For Better Wages And Benefits On Black Friday
Wal-Mart Worker Uprising: Protests Held at 1,000 Stores on Black Friday
A wave of historic protests struck the retail giant Wal-Mart on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. Workers and their supporters demonstrated at more than 1,000 stores. The Wal-Mart protests were organized in part by OUR Walmart, an organization backed by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Nine people, including three Wal-Mart workers, were arrested at a protest in Los Angeles after they blocked traffic. We broadcast the voices of protesters in Secaucus, New Jersey, and speak to Josh Eidelson, a contributing writer for The Nation magazine. Complete article
Walmart Worker Protests Spread Globally
MIAMI—US Walmart workers were joined by Walmart workers in nine countries on Friday to call for an end to Walmart’s attempts to silence workers for speaking out for changes at the world’s largest employer. As Walmart workers and community supporters marched in front of a Walmart store in Miami, workers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Zambia and India held their own rallies, marches, and other actions at Walmart and Walmart subsidiary stores. During the protests, workers cited the negative impacts that the silencing is having on their families, the economy and the company’s bottom-line. Complete article
Walmart Workers Will Rally in Ten Countries Tomorrow
The labor campaign confronting Walmart in the United States is planning an international escalation for tomorrow. In partnership with the global union federation UNI, the union-affiliated group Making Change at Walmart is supporting a “Global Day of Action,” with participation expected from Walmart workers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Nicaragua, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zambia. The day’s main US protest will be a Miami demonstration featuring a street theater performance in the tradition of the United Farm Workers’ teatro campesino. Complete article
Wal-Mart workers have launched historic labor protests and strikes across 28 stores in 12 states, the first retail worker strike in the company’s 50-year history. According to organizers, employees are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job." We go to Bentonville, Arkansas, to speak with Mike Compton, a Wal-Mart worker protesting outside the company headquarters today just days after taking part in a successful strike at a Wal-Mart supply warehouse in Elwood, Illinois. We’re also joined by Josh Eidelson, a contributing writer for Salon and In These Times who broke the story of the Wal-Mart store strikes last week. Complete article
Additional stories at Democracy Now!
Wal-Mart Seeks to Head Off Worker Protests
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT +0.09% tried to head off worker protests at its stores over the Thanksgiving holiday by filing an unfair-labor-practice complaint against a union the company says is behind the protest plans. Complete article
Walmart Workers Plan Black Friday Protests, So Walmart Will Open on “Black Thursday”
The historic Walmart worker strikes over the past couple months built energy toward an even bigger culmination. Walmart workers, protesting low wages, erratic hours, lack of health benefits, and most importantly disrespect in the workplace, decided to speak their grievances in a series of worker-led actions. Walmart responded with retaliation, including firings, reductions of hours, and intimidation in the workplace. One organizer and former worker was handcuffed in front of his colleagues when he returned to talk to them about upcoming actions.
Complete article
Walmart workers plan Black Friday protest
Wal-Mart walkouts are just the start
A single strike on Black Friday won't dent the retailer's profits, but it could be the first of many
In the last few months, an unprecedented wave of labor unrest has shaken the retail giant Wal-Mart and its far-reaching supply chain. While the number of employees taking part in walkouts has been limited to the low hundreds, workers and labor activists are mounting pressure and threatening to stage a company-wide strike on Black Friday—the busiest shopping day of the year. Complete article
Walmart protests mark important step
For Walmart, this Black Friday--which actually started with store openings at 8 pm on Thanksgiving, disrupting family celebrations --meant not just the kickoff of its lucrative Christmas buying season, but the first truly national challenge to shake its once rock-solid control over its 1.3 million “associates. Rallies by its workers and their supporters took place at an estimated 1,000 of its stores across the nation.
The protests were hugely significant: first, as a sign of the new worker assertiveness at a corporation that had seemingly mastered the art of enforced docility among its workers; and second, because of Walmart’s powerful role in defining down wages and conditions across the globe. Complete article
Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests
Unhappy Walmart workers plan mass protests leading up to Black Friday
Wal-Mart Plays Down Labor Protests at Its Stores
Amid Black Friday crowds, Wal-Mart draws workers’ rights protesters
Walmart Workers Protest For Better Wages And Benefits On Black Friday
Wal-Mart Worker Uprising: Protests Held at 1,000 Stores on Black Friday
A wave of historic protests struck the retail giant Wal-Mart on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. Workers and their supporters demonstrated at more than 1,000 stores. The Wal-Mart protests were organized in part by OUR Walmart, an organization backed by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Nine people, including three Wal-Mart workers, were arrested at a protest in Los Angeles after they blocked traffic. We broadcast the voices of protesters in Secaucus, New Jersey, and speak to Josh Eidelson, a contributing writer for The Nation magazine. Complete article
Walmart Worker Protests Spread Globally
MIAMI—US Walmart workers were joined by Walmart workers in nine countries on Friday to call for an end to Walmart’s attempts to silence workers for speaking out for changes at the world’s largest employer. As Walmart workers and community supporters marched in front of a Walmart store in Miami, workers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Zambia and India held their own rallies, marches, and other actions at Walmart and Walmart subsidiary stores. During the protests, workers cited the negative impacts that the silencing is having on their families, the economy and the company’s bottom-line. Complete article
Walmart Workers Will Rally in Ten Countries Tomorrow
The labor campaign confronting Walmart in the United States is planning an international escalation for tomorrow. In partnership with the global union federation UNI, the union-affiliated group Making Change at Walmart is supporting a “Global Day of Action,” with participation expected from Walmart workers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Nicaragua, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zambia. The day’s main US protest will be a Miami demonstration featuring a street theater performance in the tradition of the United Farm Workers’ teatro campesino. Complete article
Justices Rule for Wal-Mart in Class-Action Bias Case 6/20/2011
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday threw out an enormous employment discrimination class-action suit against Wal-Mart that had sought billions of dollars on behalf of as many as 1.5 million female workers. Complete article
1.5 Million Female Wal-Mart Employees Lose Historic Sex Discrimination Case Before Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed the largest class action lawsuit in history filed by 1.5 million current and former female employees of Wal-Mart, who say they were allegedly paid less and promoted less often than their male counterparts. The Court found women who worked at Wal-Mart did not have enough in common to constitute a "class" in a class action lawsuit. It did not address whether Wal-Mart had discriminated against women, but in writing for the minority in part of the court’s ruling, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that the “plaintiffs’ evidence, including class members’ tales of their own experiences, suggests that gender bias suffused Wal-Mart’s company culture." We speak with former Wal-Mart employee Stephanie Odle, one of the original plaintiffs in the case. We also discuss the “limits of a courtroom remedy” in this case, and Wal-Mart’s anti-union efforts with Liza Featherstone, author of "Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker’s Rights at Wal-Mart." Complete article
Additional stories at Democracy Now!
Tennessee women file sex discrimination lawsuit against Walmart
Female ex-Walmart employees file federal discrimination suit over promotions
WEST PALM BEACH — When Boca Raton resident Christina Going asked her boss at Walmart what she could do to snare a higher-paying position, the answer sounded like it was designed to give her ammunition for a discrimination lawsuit.
“Single mothers like you don’t deserve to make as much. You should be in a two-income household,” Going remembers being told. Complete article
Walmart lawsuit: 11 Florida women sue Walmart for gender discrimination
Walmart worker, one of 11 in Florida lawsuit, tells about discrimination she felt
Meredith Boucher, Former Walmart Employee, Awarded $1.49 Million For Mistreatment
As Walmart workers across the country participate in the company’s first-ever retail worker strike, one former employee’s dispute with the big box store comes to a close.
Meredith Boucher, a former Walmart assistant manager in Canada, was awarded $1.49 million after suing for mistreatment in the workplace, the Calgary Herald reported. Boucher said she was the victim of verbal abuse for six months by her store manager in Windsor, Ontario three years ago. She was awarded more than she had originally sued for, according to the Calgary Herald. Complete article
Wal-Mart Wins Texas Lawsuit Over Gender Discrimination
Lisbon man sues Wal-Mart, alleges racial discrimination, retaliation
Wal-Mart Class: Wal-Mart Case Is Not Over; those interested in joining take notice.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday threw out an enormous employment discrimination class-action suit against Wal-Mart that had sought billions of dollars on behalf of as many as 1.5 million female workers. Complete article
1.5 Million Female Wal-Mart Employees Lose Historic Sex Discrimination Case Before Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed the largest class action lawsuit in history filed by 1.5 million current and former female employees of Wal-Mart, who say they were allegedly paid less and promoted less often than their male counterparts. The Court found women who worked at Wal-Mart did not have enough in common to constitute a "class" in a class action lawsuit. It did not address whether Wal-Mart had discriminated against women, but in writing for the minority in part of the court’s ruling, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that the “plaintiffs’ evidence, including class members’ tales of their own experiences, suggests that gender bias suffused Wal-Mart’s company culture." We speak with former Wal-Mart employee Stephanie Odle, one of the original plaintiffs in the case. We also discuss the “limits of a courtroom remedy” in this case, and Wal-Mart’s anti-union efforts with Liza Featherstone, author of "Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker’s Rights at Wal-Mart." Complete article
Additional stories at Democracy Now!
Tennessee women file sex discrimination lawsuit against Walmart
Female ex-Walmart employees file federal discrimination suit over promotions
WEST PALM BEACH — When Boca Raton resident Christina Going asked her boss at Walmart what she could do to snare a higher-paying position, the answer sounded like it was designed to give her ammunition for a discrimination lawsuit.
“Single mothers like you don’t deserve to make as much. You should be in a two-income household,” Going remembers being told. Complete article
Walmart lawsuit: 11 Florida women sue Walmart for gender discrimination
Walmart worker, one of 11 in Florida lawsuit, tells about discrimination she felt
Meredith Boucher, Former Walmart Employee, Awarded $1.49 Million For Mistreatment
As Walmart workers across the country participate in the company’s first-ever retail worker strike, one former employee’s dispute with the big box store comes to a close.
Meredith Boucher, a former Walmart assistant manager in Canada, was awarded $1.49 million after suing for mistreatment in the workplace, the Calgary Herald reported. Boucher said she was the victim of verbal abuse for six months by her store manager in Windsor, Ontario three years ago. She was awarded more than she had originally sued for, according to the Calgary Herald. Complete article
Wal-Mart Wins Texas Lawsuit Over Gender Discrimination
Lisbon man sues Wal-Mart, alleges racial discrimination, retaliation
Wal-Mart Class: Wal-Mart Case Is Not Over; those interested in joining take notice.
Wal-Mart Vs. Starbucks: In 2006 Fred Jacobs argued that Starbucks did a much better job maintaining a good reputation than Wal-Mart and implied that this was a good business strategy. this seems reasonable, to a point; however I never thought Starbucks had a good reputation either. It seems to me that the more they spend on public relations the less they have to spend on the product or service they provide. This means that if the public recognizes this then public relation campaigns will be recognized as scams and they will stop working.
Starbucks may have done a better job convincing the public that they're more responsible citizens but this will only last until the public wises up to these scams.
The fact that Wal-Mart was in trouble seven years ago for many of the same reasons they're in trouble for now may make it seem hopeless to some. If they still haven't collapsed why should people expect them to change now? there is plenty of good reason; first of all they're in much more trouble now. Second of all since they're so large people shouldn't expect them to change over night. However there are signs that things are starting to turn around \and there might be much more change coming one way or another if people keep pushing for it.
Ironically Wal-Mart has been using some of the same methods that were used over a hundred years ago by many other companies. These were changed in the past when enough people stood up to them and they can be cahnged in the future again; only this time, if precautions are taken and election and education reform is included it could be set up so that the improvements will be much more difficult to over turn by powerful businesses.
Clarence Darrow made a great speech on the subject in 1909; the following are some excerpts; simply by substituting Wal-Mart for the oligarchies of the day it will seem a lot like the tactics that are taking place today.
"Industrial Conspiracies" by Clarence Darrow
I feel very grateful to you for the warmth and earnestness of your reception. It makes me feel sure that I am amongst friends. If I had to be tried again, I would not mind taking a change of venue to Portland (applause); although I think I can get along where I am without much difficulty.
The subject for tonight's talk was not chosen by me but was chosen for me. I don't know who chose it, nor just what they expected me to say, but there is not much in a name, and I suppose what I say tonight would be just about the same under any title that anybody saw fit to give.
I am told that I am going to talk about "Industrial Conspiracies." I ought to know something about them. And I won't tell you all I know tonight, but I will tell you some things that I know tonight.
The conspiracy laws, you know, are very old. As one prominent laboring man said on the witness stand down in Los Angeles a few weeks ago when they asked him if he was not under indictment and what for, he said he was under indictment for the charge they always made against working men when they hadn't done anything—conspiracy. And that is the charge they always make. It is the one they have always made [Pg 4] against everybody when they wanted them, and particularly against working men, because they want them oftener than they do anybody else. (Applause).
When they want a working man for anything excepting work they want him for conspiracy. (Laughter). And the greatest conspiracy that is possible for a working man to be guilty of is not to work—a conspiracy the other fellows are always guilty of. (Applause). The conspiracy laws are very old. They were very much in favor in the Star Chamber days in England. If any king or ruler wanted to get rid of someone, and that someone had not done anything, they indicted him for what he was thinking about; that is, for conspiracy; and under it they could prove anything that he ever said or did, and anything that anybody else ever said or did to prove what he was thinking about; and therefore that he was guilty. And, of course, if anybody was thinking, it was a conspiracy against the king; for you can't think without thinking against a king. (Applause). The trouble is most people don't think. (Laughter and applause). And therefore they are not guilty of conspiracy. (Laughter and applause).
The conspiracy laws in England were especially used against working men, and in the early days, not much more than a hundred years ago, for one working man to go to another and suggest that he ask for higher wages was a conspiracy, punishable by imprisonment. For a few men to come together and form a labor organization in England was a conspiracy. It is not here. Even the employer is willing to let you form labor organizations, if you don't do anything but pass resolutions. (Laughter and applause). The complete speech is well worth reading!
I feel very grateful to you for the warmth and earnestness of your reception. It makes me feel sure that I am amongst friends. If I had to be tried again, I would not mind taking a change of venue to Portland (applause); although I think I can get along where I am without much difficulty.
The subject for tonight's talk was not chosen by me but was chosen for me. I don't know who chose it, nor just what they expected me to say, but there is not much in a name, and I suppose what I say tonight would be just about the same under any title that anybody saw fit to give.
I am told that I am going to talk about "Industrial Conspiracies." I ought to know something about them. And I won't tell you all I know tonight, but I will tell you some things that I know tonight.
The conspiracy laws, you know, are very old. As one prominent laboring man said on the witness stand down in Los Angeles a few weeks ago when they asked him if he was not under indictment and what for, he said he was under indictment for the charge they always made against working men when they hadn't done anything—conspiracy. And that is the charge they always make. It is the one they have always made [Pg 4] against everybody when they wanted them, and particularly against working men, because they want them oftener than they do anybody else. (Applause).
When they want a working man for anything excepting work they want him for conspiracy. (Laughter). And the greatest conspiracy that is possible for a working man to be guilty of is not to work—a conspiracy the other fellows are always guilty of. (Applause). The conspiracy laws are very old. They were very much in favor in the Star Chamber days in England. If any king or ruler wanted to get rid of someone, and that someone had not done anything, they indicted him for what he was thinking about; that is, for conspiracy; and under it they could prove anything that he ever said or did, and anything that anybody else ever said or did to prove what he was thinking about; and therefore that he was guilty. And, of course, if anybody was thinking, it was a conspiracy against the king; for you can't think without thinking against a king. (Applause). The trouble is most people don't think. (Laughter and applause). And therefore they are not guilty of conspiracy. (Laughter and applause).
The conspiracy laws in England were especially used against working men, and in the early days, not much more than a hundred years ago, for one working man to go to another and suggest that he ask for higher wages was a conspiracy, punishable by imprisonment. For a few men to come together and form a labor organization in England was a conspiracy. It is not here. Even the employer is willing to let you form labor organizations, if you don't do anything but pass resolutions. (Laughter and applause). The complete speech is well worth reading!
The following are some additional web sites that have covered much more about efforts to expose and reform Wal-Mart:
Making Changeat Walmart
Organization United for Respect at Walmart
Green America Walmart alerts and campaign
Walmart 1%
The Writing on the Wal
Walmart Subsidy Watch
Walmart Employees Speak Out
Wal-Mart Watch Videos
Wal-Mart live growth chart (slow start but then…)
Watch the Growth of Walmart and Sam's Club
