March 2012
22 posts
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Walmart warehouse workers fired en masse in what... →
A Walmart distribution center in Mira Loma, California, has laid off a group of Inland Empire warehouse workers. Workers say the decision was made because they’re trying to gain higher wages and safer working conditions.
It’s the latest dispute at a facility that’s become the focal point for labor complaints in the warehousing business. Read the full story.
This retaliation is yet another sign...
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“We have tried to begin a constructive dialogue with Walmart by reaching out to...”
– Walmart Free NYC’s statement to Walmart board member M. Michele Burns. Upon attempting to deliver this letter, Walmart has chosen to sit behind locked doors and refuse the sincere requests of Walmart Free NYC and OUR Walmart members to open a dialogue
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Walmart NYC: It’s Getting Personal →
* It’s getting personal: Walmart opponents are taking their battle to keep the retail giant out of New York City to the doorstep of one of its board members. Walmart Free NYC plans to leaflet outside the Sixth Avenue office of M. Michele Burns, who works for insurance firm Marsh & McLennan, and try to deliver her a letter asking her to meet with Walmart workers. (They’ve tried twice before...
Are Walmart's Chinese Factories as Bad as Apple's? →
motherjones:
On a warm, sticky winter morning, I waited nervously in a parking lot in Foshan, a city in southeastern China’s smog-choked Pearl River delta, for a man I’d never met. His name was Mr. Ou, and he ran the sprawling factory in front of me, a jumble of offices, low-slung buildings, and warehouses. Though the factory was teeming with workers, a Subaru SUV and BMW coupe were the only...
RWDSU Endorses Rory Lancman for New York’s 6th... →
rwdsu:
Lancman Scores Crucial First Labor Endorsement in Campaign for NY-6
Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) today was endorsed by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, giving him the crucial first labor endorsement in the campaign for New York’s 6th Congressional District….
Lancman has been a champion for RWDSU workers in their struggle against Walmart,...
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“Walmart costs taxpayers an estimated $1 billion per year subsidizing low wages...”
– from the “Taxes & Subsidies” fact sheet, Making Change at Walmart. This is just one of the reasons we need to remind our elected officials and community leaders to ask follow-up questions of Walmart and not simply accept at face value the company’s claims.
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Walmart backs anti-environmental lawmakers while... →
Although Walmart has heavily promoted its sustainability initiatives, the company has given millions to lawmakers who oppose stricter environmental regulations.
“Walmart talks big about sustainability, but doesn’t put its campaign money anywhere near where its mouth is,” states a report (PDF) by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Whatever the company may say about the importance of...
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Walmart puts the screws on suppliers - again →
There are reports that Walmart is putting pressure on its food suppliers to keep their wholesale prices down. Lower prices every day at your local Walmart would be very good news for cash-strapped shoppers, it’s not such a good thing for the suppliers that will have to cut their profit margins in order to keep the chain and its 3,868 stores as a customer. It’s also not so good for the other...
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Contradictions in the Anti-Hunger Movement →
Walmart spends $2 billion a year to fight hunger. This sounds impressive until you hear the grim truth - that the average Walmart worker, of which there are 1.4 million in the US, earns $8.81 per hour. At this pay rate, a single parent with one child working full time would qualify for food stamps.
In other words, the public is subsidizing Walmart billions of dollars annually to keep its...
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Occupy Takes on Wal-Mart →
The estimated 118,000 Walmart warehouse workers in California are fighting back: “In an open letter to the Occupy movement, workers employed by Rogers in a Schneider-run warehouse handling Walmart’s goods told of ‘working up to 72 hours straight [and] not receiving even minimum wage after working 16 hour days consistently for years.’” But the battle going on at the Walmart...
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Walmart CEO earns 994 times more in total... →
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player
Danny Stauffer of Milwaukee has been working as a baker at Walmart for almost five years. His salary is $9.40 an hour, up from a starting wage of $7.11.
Stauffer, 26, said has tried to work full-time at the company but hasn’t had success.
“I actually like the work I do,” he said. “The people I work with, the work...
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Walmart pays $13.5 million to employees charged... →
Wal-Mart paid $13.5 million to settle claims the retailer’s employees were charged excessive 401(k) fees. This comes as no surprise to us, as Walmart has a strong history of mistreating its workforce. Worker mistreatment is not something New York City needs, and it’s not something we can afford. Read more on the settlement.
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What Walmart CFO Charles Holley Won't Tell You:...
For some time, Walmart’s US same store sales have been disappointing. Recently that metric turned positive, but it’s still well below competitorslike Target, Costco and Kroger, and still below where they were two years ago. In fact it appears that Walmart has been losing market share for the past two years. Given that challenging backdrop, one area of potential growth that has been...
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What Walmart CFO Charles Holley Won't Tell You:...
For Immediate Release: March 7, 2012 Contact: Jaclyn Kessel, BerlinRosen, 646-452-5637
At Bank of America Conference, Group Warns of Trouble Ahead for Retail Giant
New York- As Walmart Chief Financial Officer Charles Holley prepares to share key company insights in his keynote address this morning at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2012 Consumer and Retail Conference, members of Walmart Free...
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Walmart: Low Prices, But At What Cost? →
“Wal-Mart is now pushing its grocery suppliers harder to offer consistently low prices, instead of timed promotions or ‘rollbacks.’ That means food companies are unlikely to be able to pass through more price increases and will be forced to pull other levers, such as cost-cuts to protect margins or product innovation to drive sales,” writes Reuters. Would this be good for...
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Warehouse workers say abuses are systemic →
Workers at three California warehouses that handle Walmart goods are suing the company, alleging widespread wage fraud. Wage fraud is definitely not the kind something we need in New York. Read the full story here.
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Take Action! Tell Related "Walmart Is Not Welcome...
We’re asking tenants of Related to send a message to Steve Ross, head of Related, urging him to stop negotiating with Walmart and focus on other retailers that will be better for NYC. Protect the city you love and take action!
