Monday, November 24, 2008


AMERICAN LABOUR:
HELP WAL-MART EMPLOYEES DURING THE HOLIDAYS:

The merry jingle of cash register bells may be a little muted this holiday season in deference to our present recession (depression?), but you can be assured that the world's big box retailers are going to be trying their hardest to grind out yet more profit, often on the backs of their employees. None more so than the king of Cut Rate and Cut Throat, Wal-Mart.




No doubt you will be getting many appeals for help this season, but have a look at the following one, from the Wake Up Wal-Mart team, working to make life a little more tolerable for those who have to work for the world's biggest retailer.
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SHOW WAL-MART SOME REAL HOLIDAY SPIRIT:
This holiday season, every employee at Wal-Mart is projected to generate more than $2,000 in pure profit for the company. The numbers are staggering: from the work of 1.4 million Americans, Wal-Mart will reap billions of dollars in sales. But, is Wal-Mart holding up its end of the bargain?

We don't think so.

Wal-Mart is thriving in today's faltering economy, yet its employees struggle to keep their heads above water. Instead of giving back to working families, Wal-Mart is lobbying against overtime regulations aimed to benefit working Americans. Instead of giving business to America's struggling manufacturers, Wal-Mart continues to import over 70% of its goods from China. And, of course, Wal-Mart still pays poverty wages and offers unaffordable health care benefits.

If Wal-Mart won't give back to its hard working employees, we will. We're on a mission to give financial support to struggling Wal-Mart employees this holiday season, but we can't succeed without your help. Please contribute to our new Wal-Mart Workers' Holiday Fund today and give struggling Wal-Mart workers a chance at the kind of holiday they deserve.

While Wal-Mart's lavishly overpaid executives can afford to spend the holidays at ease, the average Wal-Mart worker will scrape by on poverty-level wages. Each week between now and the new year, we will shine a light on this inequity, beginning with the story of Beth Woods.

As a full-time Overnight Stocker, Beth has given Wal-Mart nearly three years of her working life, yet she makes only $10.47 an hour. Even with a full-time schedule, she can not afford to keep the health insurance her family needs. Wal-Mart's coverage is so expensive, she had to drop her plan after just two months of enrollment.

Now, just in time for the holidays, management has slashed Beth's schedule to 15-16 hours per week. Thanks to Wal-Mart, Beth may be spending her holiday season at the unemployment office. She has been forced to apply for state benefits in order to support her family.

We can't let Wal-Mart cast a shadow on Beth's holiday season. The hard working employees at Wal-Mart deserve better than poverty wages and unemployment lines. If you take action, you can give workers like Beth what Wal-Mart will not: hope.

Together, we can show Wal-Mart some real holiday spirit.
The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com
P.S. Thanks for kicking off our 2008 Holiday Campaign. Stay tuned for new actions, videos, and more stories from the aisles of Wal-Mart.

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