Wednesday, October 28, 2009


AMERICAN LABOUR:
WORKING FOR WALMART-NOW THAT'S SCARY:
This one is mostly for our American readers who live in a country where health care insurance is, if it exists at all, is at the whim (or forced and grudging agreement) of employers. Employers such as Walmart whose 'generosity' is as bone thin as a Halloween skeleton. The following from the Wake Up Walmart group is asking you to protest the grinning toothed pumpkin behind the Walmart happy face mask. Walmart, of course, is hardly restricted to the USA, and I'm sure that many of us out here in the colonies would see fit to join this protest as well.
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What Is Behind Walmart's Mask?:‏
Apparently, every day is Halloween at Walmart headquarters. For months, Walmart has been dressed up as a health care champion: trumpeting support for the employer mandate and running ads about how "proud" it is of its health care record. In truth, Walmart's talk simply masks the reality of its health care failures.

Behind Walmart's PR mask is something uglier and scarier than anything you will see this Halloween. Behind the mask is the harsh reality of Walmart's notion of health care: unaffordable and inadequate coverage, nearly half of its employees without company health care, and staggering amounts of workers forced onto taxpayer-subsidized programs like Medicaid.

This Halloween, we want to do something a little different. We want to take off Walmart's mask and challenge the company to live up to its own rhetoric on health care. Join us. Take action, and help us "remove Walmart's mask" in time for Halloween.
Sign our open letter to Walmart CEO Mike Duke, calling for better coverage for employees and support for real heath care reform

Walmart claims it "won't be 100% satisfied until every American has quality affordable health coverage." Meanwhile, nearly 50% of its own employees are forced to look elsewhere for health insurance.

Walmart claims it offers quality plans. Yet, an average full-time Wal-Mart employee on the least expensive family coverage plan must spend over 20% of their yearly income before the health insurance provides any reimbursement.

When it comes to health care, Walmart is still part of the problem. Help make it part of the solution. Take action today: Tell Mike Duke to change Walmart's health care rhetoric into health care reality.
Sign our open letter and "take the mask off Walmart"
Thanks for all that you do,
The Team,
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THE LETTER
Please go to THIS LINK to read more and send the following letter of protest to WalMart
management.
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Dear Mr. Duke,
You have said Walmart cares about health care coverage. You have said Walmart claims to want reform. Last year, your company made $13 billion in profits. Yet, nearly 700,000 of your workers still go without company health care. That’s wrong.

Walmart claims that costs need to be controlled, but your own plans are unaffordable for many of your employees. These high costs force approximately 13% of your employees onto state health care programs like Medicaid and SCHIP in at least 8 states where data is available.

Mr. Duke, it’s your responsibility to lead Walmart toward better health care coverage. Do the right thing, make your actions match your words: your employees deserve the quality, affordable health care coverage you claim all Americans should have.

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