April 2012
37 posts
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Inside Walmart's slow, quiet campaign to crack New... →
This week, following a report in the Times on a bribery scandal in Mexico involving Walmart, the mayor weighed in in favor of Walmart’s right to come to New York, the governor took a pass on the question, and several Democratic office-seekers, mindful of the strong opposition to Walmart by organized labor, weighed in, strongly, against.
Before this renewed debate, Walmart had been out of...
TODAY: Walmart Free NYC Seeks Answers from Walmart...
WALMART FREE NYC TO SEEK ANSWERS ABOUT COMPANY’S ACCOUNTING CONTROLS FROM WALMART BOARD MEMBER
Walmart Board Member Michelle Burns Sat on Audit Committee During Company’s Reported Corruption Scandal and Cover-up
New Yorkers Will Ask What She Knew, and When She Knew it
New York, NY- Today, members of Walmart Free NYC will visit the offices of Walmart Board member Michelle Burns to...
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The Wall Street Journal: City’s Wal-Mart Foes... →
Opponents to Wal-Mart’s entry into New York City are pouncing on allegations of bribery in Mexico to fuel a long-running fight to keep the retailer out of the five boroughs.
Anti-Wal-Mart groups gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday, backed by elected officials and union supporters, to draw attention to alleged violations of U.S. foreign corruption and bribery laws. Two likely mayoral candidates,...
Reuters: Wal-Mart appoints global anti-bribery... →
In New York on Tuesday, a group of 35 or so people, including members of a coalition called Walmart Free NYC and union activists, protested at City Hall, joined by politicians who said the scandal proved Wal-Mart was unworthy of operating stores in New York.
“This is not how we roll in New York,” Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer told Reuters before the protest began....
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Capital New York: Mayoral candidates denounce... →
A negative report about the business practices of Walmart, combined with fierce opposition from organized labor to Walmart’s longstanding attempts to open up an outlet in New York, have produced what amounts to a contest among Democratic candidates to denounce the corporation in the most memorable possible terms.
At a press conference outside City Hall this afternoon, former city...
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NY1 News: Opponents Demand Withdrawal Of Walmart’s... →
Following reports of the Justice Department’s inquiry into Walmart’s bribery scandal, elected leaders will join with members of Walmart Free NYC to demand Walmart halt its NYC expansion plans until the full scope of the company’s wrongdoing is revealed and adequate steps are taken to ensure the retailer doesn’t engage in any illegal activity to enter New York City.
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Politicker: Watch New York City Politicians Call... →
Opposing Wal-Mart was already a pretty easy position to take in New York City Democratic politics, but thanks to The New York Times‘ report of an extensive bribery scheme on the part of the company in Mexico, and similarly extensive efforts to cover it all up, that position just got a whole lot easier.
At a press conference earlier today, a plethora of officials, including three top tier...
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WNYC: Walmart May Lose Traction in NYC After... →
Opponents of Walmart locating anywhere in New York City are wasting no time trying to link their “Stop Walmart” campaign to expose on the retail titan’s legal troubles regarding bribes the company’s Mexican subsidiary allegedly paid out.
The New York Times reported Sunday that Walmart’s top corporate leadership engaged in an elaborate cover-up of an internal company probe...
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NYC Politicians Pile On Wal-Mart: "Mexico Is Only... →
With Wal-Mart’s alleged bribery in Mexico now being investigated in the U.S., a whole slew of politicians and labor representatives showed up at City Hall this afternoon to essentially tell the company—which can’t stop sniffing around the New York market—to shove off. “We say no to Wal-Mart,” was the key phrase repeated regularly.
With placard-bearing protesters behind...
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HuffPost: Walmart Critics In New York City, L.A.... →
Walmart’s bribery scandal in Mexico is turning into fresh meat for its opponents in the United States. Labor unions and activist organizations fighting the big box retailer’s push into New York City and Los Angeles are drawing parallels between the company’s domestic expansion strategies and its alleged illegal tactics in Mexico.
In New York City on Tuesday afternoon, some 50...
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Crain's: Local pols step up anti-Wal-Mart pressure →
Some call for City Council hearings to probe the retailers’ New York City business practices, including a full disclosure of the company’s philanthropic spending here.
The pressure is mounting on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to abandon its long-running plans to enter the New York City market. In the wake of the weekend’s revelations of alleged bribery and cover-up in the retail...
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Is Walmart Finished in New York? Greg David Seems... →
Walmart is in a pickle, and not the kind that can be found in the canned goods aisle. Following the Mexican bribery scandal, pols high and low have reaffirmed their opposition to the store. But they are not the only ones. Even some of the big box retailers staunchest supporters have come out against the company, namely Greg David.
The Crain’s columnist and former editor for three decades of the...
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Time: How Big a Deal Is Walmart’s Mexico Bribery... →
“Frankly, it’s hard to image how Mike Duke can remain a credible CEO, given the report in the Times,” John Marshall, an analyst for the United Food and Commercial Workers capital stewardship program, told Reuters. “It appears that during key moments he was aware of what was going on and apparently may have participated in the cover-up.” Read the full story.
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New York Times: Wal-Mart Stock Falls Nearly 5% →
Wal-Mart’s stock fell almost 5 percent on Monday, accounting for about one-fifth of the losses in the Dow Jones industrial average, as investors reacted to a bribery scandal at the retailer’s Mexican subsidiary and a report that an internal investigation was quashed at corporate headquarters in Arkansas.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Wal-Mart investigators had found credible...
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How Walmart may have blown it in NYC →
Walmart certainly makes it hard for people who want to support the giant retailer— especially those of us (ranging from the mayor to major business groups to me) who have argued that it should be allowed to do business in New York City.
A huge scandal exploded over the weekend when The New York Times wrote that Walmart may have not only systematically bribed Mexican officials to ease its...
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TODAY: Walmart Corruption On Trial At City Hall
Media Release for Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Contact: Raymond Rodriguez, 646-200-5309/305-992-1809, raymond@berlinrosen.com
WALMART CORRUPTION ON TRIAL TODAY AT CITY HALL
Following Reports of Justice Department Inquiry Into Bribery Scandal, Electeds Join With Walmart Free NYC To Demand Walmart Withdraw Plans For NYC Market
New York, NY- Today, following reports of the Justice Department’s...
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Crain's: Despite scandal, Wal-Mart pushes on in... →
Its shares plummeting and executives reeling in the wake of bribery allegations in Mexico, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. won’t alter its quest for a city location.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will likely forge ahead with plans for a New York City store despite heavy fallout from bribery allegations at the retail giant’s Mexican division.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based company is already facing a...
Wall Street Journal: Mexican retailer seen as... →
Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke said that the retailer’s Mexican business is an example to be emulated at the global level by other Wal-Mart divisions.
MEXICO CITY (Dow Jones)—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) investors might do well to pay more attention to Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB (WALMEX.MX, WMMVY), a high-growth emerging market play in which Wal-Mart owns 69% that offers solid returns...
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“Corrupt” Wal-Mart’s NYC Plan: 159 stores, growth... →
Walmart was again in headlines this weekend for allegedly covering up widespread, prolonged, top-level corruption in their foreign practices after a major NY Times story examined massive evidence of bribery cover ups going back to September 2005. For the biggest, worst-paying employer in the US, the news seems only to be beginning, but their plan is simple, operating on a five decade model of...
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Wal-Mart's Green Drive Damaged Long Before Mexico... →
When it rains, it pours…and with Walmart, the runoff is toxic. Read more.
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DEAR WALMART: If The Bribery Story Is True, You... →
Walmart’s stock is getting hammered following allegations that the company engaged in systematic bribery in Mexico for several years and then covered it up.
If true, the allegations are a huge black eye for the global retailing leader, which prides itself on its reputation for integrity and transparency.
Read more.
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Politicker: Quinn Reaffirms Commitment to Stopping... →
After The New York Times uncovered the internal reaction of Wal-Mart’s top executives to an extensive bribery scheme in Mexico, depicting the company in a fairly negative light, a variety of New York City politicians latched onto the report in order to further their arguments against the superstore ever setting up shop in the city. The group of elected officials who have sent out statements on...
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The New York Observer: If Walmart Is Bad for the... →
We bet all Walmart wants to do right now is sink down into one of its faux leather recliners and watch some stupid rom-com on a $199.98 flat screen. It’s been kind of a rough weekend for America’s favorite mega-retailer.
First, there was the New York Times story about executives hushing up a vast Mexican bribery conspiracy to win market dominance. And now, in celebration of Earth Day, a local...
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Capital New York: A Walmart-bribe story set in... →
Local opponents of Walmart are seizing on allegations that the company paid bribes in Mexico for building permits and other government approvals to bolster their argument that opening a store here would be bad for New York.
The union representing retail workers, RWDSU, issued a statement in response to yesterday’s Times story about the alleged bribes.
Minutes later, Public Advocate Bill...
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New York Post: City pols in Wal Mex vex →
Reports that Walmart bribed Mexican officials gave new ammunition yesterday to local mayoral hopefuls opposed to the chain coming here.
“The corporation’s tactics of bribery, scheming and corruption are the latest in a litany of despicable business practices,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called again for...
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Wal-Mart Accused Of Bribing Its Way Into... →
According to the NY Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Barstow, Wal-Mart paid millions of dollars in bribes to Mexican authorities to expedite the company’s rapid growth in the country, then conducted an internal investigation that served as a cover-up. Wal-Mart’s policy on ethics states, “Never cover up or ignore an ethics problem,” but presumably...
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New York Times: Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up... →
Former Walmart executive Sergio Cicero Zapata, who resigned from Wal-Mart de Mexico in 2004, said the growth strategy in Mexico was to build hundreds of new stores so fast that competitors would not have time to react. Bribes, he explained, accelerated growth. They got zoning maps changed. They made environmental objections vanish. Permits that typically took months to process magically...
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For Immediate Release: Walmart Accused of...
NYT Reports Pay-Offs, Followed by Cover-ups, at Retailer’s Highest Levels In Mexico and U.S.
Walmart Free NYC Says Latest Allegations Prove Walmart Can’t Be Trusted To Play By the Rules; Urges New York Lawmakers to Conduct Sweeping Investigation Into Retailer’s Practices, including Charitable Contributions
New York- Following major breaking news that Walmart de Mexico...
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Wal-Mart's CEO paid $18.1 million in 2011 →
CEO Mike Duke earns $18 million. With this kind of money, @Walmart can certainly afford to stay out of NYC! Read more.
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DC Coalition Contributes to Delay of Multiple...
Walmart announced that the company will delay construction on five of the six proposed stores in the District of Columbia. This news is a direct response to the hard work of the Respect DC campaign, which has been tireless in its efforts to raise awareness in D.C. about Walmart’s poverty jobs and broken promises. The trend of victories for local community groups seems to have continued into this...
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Eco Brooklyn: No To Walmart in NYC →
Eco Brooklyn says they do not want Walmart in New York because “Walmart’s business model is not conducive to the small neighborhood shopping experience that makes New York and Brooklyn so special.” All the more reason to keep NYC Walmart-Free! Read more.
California: Quartz Hill claims victory in fight to... →
After a six-year court battle, the town of Quartz Hill in southern California declared victory in blocking a proposed Walmart store. The efforts were led by a community group called Quartz Hill Cares. This should serve as an important reminder that Walmart will never back down – and that we can’t afford to be complacent. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to make real, lasting change at...
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Celebrate Walmart at 50: Tell us why YOU think...
As Walmart celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we will paint the true story of Walmart and how they undermine our values and re-write the rules of our society. Now, more than ever, Walmart must change. It’s up to us to share our stories and set the direction for next 50 years.
The multi-faceted, interactive “50 Years of Walmart” website (walmartat50.org) will highlight people from across...
Walmart (and Pathmark) branded WORST grocery... →
Walmart and Pathmark have placed last in a new ranking of the best supermarkets in America.
Three-quarters of the 24,000 shoppers polled by Consumer Reports reported at least one major complaint about the worst-performing chains.
Read more.
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Newsday: Woman, 73, sues Walmart, alleges age bias →
A 73-year-old South Setauket grandmother has filed a discrimination complaint against the mega store Walmart, alleging her supervisors there fired her because of her age.
Anne Squatrito said for the past eight years she was continually pressured to retire from her job at the chain’s East Setauket store, and was asked to do heavy manual labor that was not in her job description as a...
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L.A. council votes too late to block Chinatown... →
The council votes to draft a law temporarily banning large chain stores from opening in the neighborhood. But the firm had obtained permits a day earlier. The near-miss in LA should serve as a reminder for us all to act quickly when a new Walmart is proposed in our neighborhoods.
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Discrimination at Long Island Walmart? →
An ailing 73-year-old Long Island grandmother filed a discrimination complaint against retail giant Walmart — claiming she was fired after she failed to move a heavy truckload full of goods on her own at the Nesconset store. “It’s outrageous,’’ said her lawyer. “They were just trying to get rid of her. It’s blatant age discrimination.” Read more.
