The New York Observer: If Walmart Is Bad for the Environment, What About New York? Nevermind the Bribes

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 opposition group is going after the company’s environmental record.

Walmart Free NYC is calling on Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Related Companies to withdraw support for the mega-retailer’s first store in the city—Walmart is currently in advanced lease negotiations with Related for a 150,000 square foot space at the Gateway II shopping center in East New York.

Read more.

Walmart pays $13.5 million to employees charged for excessive 401(k) fees

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.

What’s Causing Walmart’s Woes

Walmart may promise “Low Prices. Every Day. On Everything” but it was particularly aggressive about offering discounts at holiday time – and now it’s paying the price. Read more in “What’s Causing Walmart’s Woes” from The Fiscal Times.

Walmart can reverse its decline by treating associates with respect. That means giving more hours to those who want to work full time. Walmart has to realize that a “slash and burn” tactic to economic growth is simply not going to work.

Why Walmart Can’t Fix the Food System


Walmart is the biggest company in the United States and the country’s largest food retailer. Walmart is so big that it has an unprecedented amount of power in all sectors of the economy. Food is no exception. When there is one player this large connecting food producers and food consumers, consumers are no longer the food industry’s customers — Walmart is. And the saying “the customer is always right” has never been more appropriate.

Food & Water Watch’s report reveals how Walmart’s PR efforts on healthy food access, nutrition, sustainability fall short of reality. Read the full report.

Source: foodandwaterwatch.org

Crain's Insider: Where the Walmarts Aren't

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Ripco Real Estate—which is hoping to bring a Walmart to Gateway II in Brooklyn’s East New York—is simultaneously luring other retail giants to the Bronx’s new Throggs Neck Shopping Center by billing that site as Walmart-free. “One can safely predict a successful shopping center,” says the commercial real estate broker’s website. “There are no Walmarts.” An insider opposed to Walmart opening in New York scoffed. “This is pretty ironic and proves what we are saying,” he said. “Walmart puts nearby retail stores out of business.” A spokesman for the retail giant declined to comment. Read the original post from Crain’s Insider.

Walmart Blacklisted By Major Pension Fund Over Poor Labor Practices

A major pension fund and longtime investor in Walmart has blacklisted the retailing behemoth, citing poor labor practices and the company’s anti-union stance as the driving force behind its rejection.

Walmart typically shrugs off criticism of its labor practices as union-driven propaganda and insists that its employees are happy and well-managed, but investing experts say that when one of the largest pension funds in the world divests, the company would be wise to listen to the message. It’s the same message the American labor movement has been pushing for decades. Click here to read the full story in the Huffington Post.

Source: The Huffington Post