Walmart

Sonoma County Says ‘No’ To Walmart

July 19, 2014 Martin J. Bennett, www.beyondchron.org Resist! Inequality, Resistance, Walmart

Wal-Mart has again submitted a proposal to expand its existing discount store in Rohnert Park into a supercenter, selling both general merchandise and groceries. In 2010, widespread organized opposition across Sonoma County and a successful lawsuit derailed the project. Much has changed since Wal-Mart first proposed a supercenter five years ago in Rohnert Park–and the ongoing campaign by a broad coalition of labor, faith, environmental, and community-based organizations to oppose the project has implications for the entire state, if not the nation. For the past five quarters Wal-Mart has experienced falling sales. The retail giant is desperate to expand its market share in large metropolitan regions like the greater San Francisco Bay area. To penetrate metro regions Wal-Mart seeks to increase both the number of supercenters with groceries and to construct 40,000-square-foot ‘Neighborhood’ grocery stores—as Wal-Mart’s grocery sales climbed from 7 percent nationwide in 2002 to 18 percent in 2011. Hence, in addition to proposing the first supercenter in the North Bay (i.e. Marin and Sonoma counties), Wal-Mart is building a ‘small mart’ grocery store in Rohnert Park, also the first in the two counties.

Walmart Moms On Strike

June 6, 2014 Making Change At Walmart, www.makingchangeatwalmart.org Resist! Activism, Labor, Moms, Strike, Walmart

Walmart moms—members of OUR Walmart—have been walking off the job since Friday in protest of the company’s illegal silencing of their co-workers who have been calling for better pay. Walmart mom Evelin Cruz of the Pico Rivera, CA store says: “I’m striking for Barbara, for Tiffany and for other moms who Walmart has tried to silence. Our families cannot continue to struggle on Walmart’s poverty pay and constantly changing schedules while Walmart and the Walton family make billions from our work.” The majority of Walmart moms are paid less than $25,000 a year – forcing many to rely on food stamps and other taxpayer-supported programs to survive. Working women – increasingly the breadwinners and decision makers in households – make up the majority of Walmart’s workforce and are often hit hardest by the company’s poverty pay. Walmart moms walked off the job this morning in Orlando (see photo), joining moms who have already walked off the job in Dallas, Pittsburgh, Southern California and the Bay area. More are expected to strike outside their stores in 20 cities today, including Tampa, Miami, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and the Bay area. The National Labor Relations Board’s historic trial prosecuting Walmart – which includes the illegal firing of moms like Barbara Collins – is currently underway. Barbara was trying to get more hours to put a few dollars aside for her daughter to go to college – when she was fired for striking against Walmart’s illegal retaliation against workers.

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Celebrating Our First Year

May 31, 2014 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Climate Change, Economic Democracy, Monsanto, Walmart, Wars and Militarism

Tomorrow, June 1st, is the 1st anniversary of Popular Resistance. The goal of Popular Resistance is to help grow a mass movement for social, economic and environmental justice. We do this by covering the wide range of both protest movements and those working to create alternative systems in the US and around the world; connecting issues (or sub-movements) so we become a 'movement of movements'; and providing tools and information for everyone who seeks to participate in this movement. We are all in this together. We want to thank you for your participation in Popular Resistance. Please help us celebrate by growing the movement – share Popular Resistance with your friends and family. Consider using the articles for discussion groups. Use the tools and information on the “Organize” “Strategize” “Resist” and “Create” pages. And use Popular Resistance to share your work, tools and events by emailing info@popularresistance.org.

Walmart Moms’ Plan Strikes In 20 Cities Nationwide

May 31, 2014 Karen McVeigh, www.theguardian.com Resist! Activism, Moms, Strike, Walmart

Walmart workers and supporters in the trade union movement say they intend to stage a new series of protests over wages and conditions at America's largest private employer, in which they will target the firm's family-friendly ethic ahead of its annual shareholders meeting next week. Hundreds of so-called “Walmart moms” who work at stores across the US plan a number of strikes in 20 cities nationwide. Others will travel to Arkansas, the company’s home state, to provide a visual presence to shareholders, workers’ rights groups said on Thursday. The actions will follow a series of “Black Friday” rallies last year, which came after a House of Representatives committee report found taxpayers were subsidising workers at just one Walmart store to the tune of $1m a year in food stamps and other public-assistance programmes, because of the low wages they took home.

Walmart Workers Launch Effort To Unseat Rob Walton

May 30, 2014 Claire O'Connor, www.forbes.com Resist! Walmart, Worker's Rights

Walmart has a new CEO in Doug McMillon, a one-time warehouse worker who took over the top job this year. Is it time for a new chairman, too? A coalition of Walmart workers believe so, and they’re mobilizing fellow shareholders in an effort to boot billionaire Rob Walton off the board at the big box giant’s annual meeting on Friday, June 6. Last week, union-backed employee group Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) sent a letter and voting guide to shareholders asking that they vote against Rob Walton’s re-election as chair. The letter, signed by three store-level Walmart workers, also suggests shareholders vote for an independent chair proposal that would bar Walton family members from leading the board at the world’s largest retail chain. “Over the last decade or more, Wal-Mart Stores , Inc. has experienced a series of internal control and legal compliance breaches, and a number of investors have expressed concerns that these breaches have created risks for shareholders,” reads the letter, which can be seen in full here along with the voting guide.

Portland Is First U.S. City To Divest Funds From Walmart

May 18, 2014 Laura Garcia and Molly Rusk, www.yesmagazine.org Organize! Divestment, Walmart

On Thursday, May 15, the city of Portland got rid of $9 million, or 25 percent, of its investments in Walmart. This marks the beginning of a divestment program that will purge Portland's investment portfolio of $36 million in Walmart bonds by 2016, according to a press release. The divestment plan is part of the city's responsible investment initiative, introduced by City Commissioner Steve Novick, and adopted in October 2013. The initiative also prohibits the city from purchasing Walmart bonds in the future. Portland is not only discontinuing its investments in Walmart, but has set up a committee to advise it on making socially responsible investments in the future. The committee will address issues like abusive labor practices, corruption, and health concerns, among other things. During a press conference on May 15, Commissioner Novick encouraged other cities to adopt similar initiatives. From what I can tell, no other U.S. city has looked at socially responsible investing in quite the same way as Portland. I’m hopeful other cities and states take note and adopt similar investment principles to hold companies accountable and align our investment policies with our values.

Hundreds Protest Obama’s Energy Speech At Walmart

May 12, 2014 Sarah Lazare, www.commondreams.org Resist! Barack Obama, Environment, Walmart

Obama's decision to stage his much-touted energy speech Friday at a northern California store of Walmart—one of the most notorious purveyors of wealth inequalities, union-busting, and "greenwashing" in the country—was met with hundreds of protesters from labor and environmental organizations. Over 30 civil rights, environmental, and labor groups released a statement blasting the choice of venue by a president who has vowed to tackle wealth inequalities and climate change. “It’s hard to understand why President Obama, who has stated that inequality is the ‘defining issue of our time’ and stressed the need to tackle climate change, has decided to visit Walmart—a company known for paying low wages and doing little to address its poor environmental record," they declared. Obama took the occasion to praise Walmart for its supposed renewable energy track record and touted his own administration's commitment to solar power. Yet protesters at the Mountain View, California Walmart say the speech was more empty rhetoric from a president who can't tell talk from action. Green groups have slammed Walmart as a "greenwasher" more concerned with improving its image and turning a profit than implementing real sustainable practices.

Walmart Still Shirks Responsibility For Supply Chain Catastrophes

April 25, 2014 Erica Smiley, www.jwj.org Organize! Bangladesh, Walmart, Worker Rights and Jobs

April 24 marks the one-year anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, where at least 1,138 people were killed and more than 2,500 were injured. Known as the worst garment industry catastrophe in history, the building collapsed only months after the deadliest factory fire in Bangladesh’s historydestroyed the Tazreen factory in Dhaka, killing at least 117 people. Both tragedies occurred at facilities manufacturing garments for highly profitable western brands, including Walmart. Many think these tragedies could have been prevented if the companies had enforced stricter safety protocols and improved working conditions. Walmart had previously demonstrated some willingness to take responsibility for the conditions along its supply chain. The company moved $200,000 to Cambodian workers after a supplier abruptly closed down operations without paying them, signed on to the Fair Food Program with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to boost wages for farmworkers in Florida, and cut its contract with C.J.’s Seafood, a Louisiana seafood supplier, after workers there went on strike to protest forced labor conditions.

Our Walmart Delivers $7.8 Billion Tax Bill To Walmart

April 16, 2014 OUR Walmart, www.http://forrespect.org/ Resist! Taxes, Walmart

Walmart workers and taxpayers in Phoenix delivered a $7.8 billion tax bill to Rob Walton, Walmart Chairman, in reaction to the news that the country’s largest retailer and richest family received an estimated $7.8 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in 2013. A report released yesterday by Americans for Tax Fairness showed how Walmart and the Waltons dodged taxes, exploited loopholes and took advantage of taxpayer subsidies, while many of its workers were forced to rely on taxpayer-funded programs like food stamps and Medicaid. The taxpayers hand-delivered the bill to Walton’s home in Paradise Valley, outside Phoenix. “Like most Americans, I work hard, pay my taxes and play by the rules. Why can’t America’s richest family do the same?” said Venanzi Luna, a Walmart worker who undersigned the bill. “Our economy is out of balance and workers are struggling because people like the Waltons don’t pay their fair share.” Walmart made a $16 billion profit in 2013, and the six Walton heirs, who own more than 50 percent of Walmart shares, saw their wealth grow to $148.8 billion—more wealth than 49% of American families combined.

Walmart Admits Public Assistance For Workers Needed For Their Profits

March 27, 2014 Angelo Young, www.ibtimes.com Educate! Food and Agriculture, Walmart

Nestled in the latest annual report from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is a line that underscores just how much the world’s largest general merchandise retailer and its shareholders have depended on public assistance programs in recent years. A couple of items stand as newcomers to Walmart’s menu of risks. Here’s what the annual report released on Friday says: “Our business operations are subject to numerous risks, factors and uncertainties, domestically and internationally, which are outside our control ... These factors include ... changes in the amount of payments made under the Supplement[al] Nutrition Assistance Plan and other public assistance plans, changes in the eligibility requirements of public assistance plans, ...”

If César Chávez Were Alive Today, He Would Join the Resistance Against Walmart

March 22, 2014 Sarita Gutpa www.alternet.org Educate! Cesar Chavez, Walmart

Many other workers along Walmart’s supply chain have followed suit and called on the company to address working conditions. In 2012, Mexican guestworkers at a Walmart-contracted crawfish processing plant in Louisiana went on strike after being beaten and required to work 24-hour shifts. They were threatened with deportation if they spoke up and faced what the New York Times described as “forced labor on American shores.” Walmart attempted to cover up the abuse and falsely claimed they were “unable to substantiate” the workers’ allegations. But thanks to the workers — no doubt emboldened by César Chávez and the history of farmworker justice — the contractor was eventually found guilty for willful violations of labor law and fined by the Department of Labor.

This Depressing Animated Map Shows Walmart Taking Over America

March 17, 2014 Holly Richmond, www.grist.org Educate! Walmart, Worker Rights and Jobs

Here’s an unsettling look at the Walmart-ification of the U.S., starting in Arkansas in 1962 and ending with total domination more than 3,000 stores across the country. First the chain spreads throughout the state, then the Southeast. Then Walmart crawls north and west, looking for all the world like an invasive species. If you can believe it, there are even more Walmarts today. That map, by Excel guru Daniel Ferry, only goes through 2006; for a similar map that shows Walmart’s growth through 2010, when it hit 4,393 stores in the U.S., check out Nathan Yau’s version.

Study: Cheap China-Manufactured Goods Pollute US Air

January 23, 2014 Brandon Baker, www.nationofchange.org Educate! China, Consumerism, Environment, Walmart

Aside from the extra day of smog, as much as one quarter of the sulfate pollution on the West Coast is tied to Chinese exports on some days. All the contaminants tracked in the study are key ingredients in smog and soot. As much as 36 percent of various air pollutants in China in 2006 were related to the production of goods for export, according to the report. One-fifth of that pollution was specifically tied to trade between the U.S. and China. “This is a reminder to us that a significant percentage of China’s emissions of traditional pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions are connected to the products we buy and use every day in the U.S.,” Alex L. Wang, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, told The New York Times after looking at the study.

Hackers Leak Secret Walmart Internal Documents

January 18, 2014 JWJ, www.jwj.org Educate! Minimum Wage, Walmart, Worker Rights and Jobs

The files are rife with misleading claims about OUR Walmart, the association of current and former Walmart employees who have gained attention through recent protests demanding better wages, adequate hours and respect on the job. One document clearly instructs supervisors to immediately report “early warning signs” such as “speaking negatively about wages and benefits” to the company’s so-called Labor Relations Hotline.

Walmart Trying To Profit From Occupy Movement

December 18, 2013 Irene Plagianos, www.dnainfo.com Educate! Occupy, Walmart, Worker Rights and Jobs

Walmart has a gift idea for 99 percent of the people on your Christmas list: posters of Occupy Wall Street. The mega chain — one the world's biggest corporations, which has come under fire from Occupy Wall Street for unfair labor practices — has become an unlikely promoter of panoramic posters featuring scenes of the movement’s Lower Manhattan encampment. Walmart now sells the posters online at Walmart.com. OWS supporters spent months encamped in Lower Manhattan in a bid to call attention to economic inequality and corporate greed in the capitalist system before being ousted by the NYPD and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Walmart's massive color posters, which show two Occupy Wall Street scenes at Zuccotti Park, are priced at $52.25 for the larger 36-by-12-inch image, or $42.75 for the 27-by-9-inch size — and can make it to your doorstep in time for Christmas, according to the website. Occupy Wall Street is currently raising its own funds for Walmart workers who are striking in protest of substandard working conditions at the chain — by selling an anti-Walmart shirt for $25.

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