Our Challenge to Wal-Mart for Substantive Change

Wal-Mart has profoundly changed working America.

From where we shop to where we work, the types of jobs we do and the workplace benefits we earn, from the source of the products we buy to threats to our health and our environment, Wal-Mart has transformed our lives and is increasingly defining our possibilities as workers, consumers and communities.

No other private, profit-making enterprise in the history of our country has had the economic scope and impact of Wal-Mart.

It is the largest private employer in the U.S. and is the largest private employer in more states than any other corporation. Its labor market impact has placed steady downward pressure on wages, benefits and conditions.

It is the largest retailer. It has shifted shopping from the town square and from local and regional stores to mega-centers supplied from around the globe. Small shop owners and regional chains are becoming extinct. In some areas, it has become the only retail option. More than 150 million Americans visit Wal-Mart each week.

It is the largest single outlet for imported goods from entire nations, and the largest retailer for a vast array of the products produced by the U.S. Fortune 500. No vendor or supplier can negotiate with Wal-Mart on an equal footing.

Its wage rates and benefit levels set the standard across the labor market. Its demands on suppliers to reduce their cost to Wal-Mart has brought repeated cuts in wages, forced domestic companies to move overseas and has driven foreign suppliers from country to country seeking the lowest wages, the least environmental protection and the most compliant governments.

Its 1.4 million U.S. workers face poverty-level wages, inadequate benefits and insufficient work hours to support families or sustain a modest middle class standard of living. Its failure to provide quality, affordable health care to hundreds of thousands of workers has worsened our health care crisis and driven other employers to reduce or eliminate benefits.

It has completely mismanaged the workplace with 1.6 million women suing the company for systematic sex discrimination, with hundreds of thousands forced to court to obtain overtime pay they worked to earn, with repeated violation of basic workplace standards, and with a policy of massive resistance to the basic human and legal right of workers to organize for a voice in the workplace.

Its global supply chain threatens our environment with the largest single carbon footprint of any private commercial entity. In seeking lower wages, and taking advantage of lax environmental regulation, it needlessly imports goods that are manufactured a world away from the ultimate point of sale forcing vast, wasteful consumption of resources shipping goods around the globe that could be supplied locally. Its supply practices have exposed our families to unsafe and potentially deadly products imported from nations without effective product safety regulations.

It has disregarded its responsibility to our communities. It has engaged in tax avoidance scams that have cost our states and localities billions in lost tax revenue, effectively raising our taxes and straining basic community services from schools to roads to police protection.

Its claims of change ring false. And its claims of providing a better standard of living for working families are hollow. It has made the Walton family the single richest family in the world with accumulated wealth of $158.4 billion.

Wal-Mart's operation is not about lower prices, it is about more and more wealth for the Waltons.

And we have paid a terrible price. Working America has lost jobs and health benefits, suffered reduced pay and opportunity, seen our town and neighborhood stores abandoned, our environment degraded, unsafe products brought into our homes, and experienced widespread violation of basic worker rights.

Wal-Mart is America's store.

Wal-Mart is America's workplace.

Wal-Mart is America's town center.

Wal-Mart must reflect America's values.

Hard work should bring pay and benefits that can support families.

Workers have rights that even the largest employer must recognize and respect.

Our nation, our states and our localities have standards that must be obeyed regardless of the size or wealth of the corporation.

Our environment must be protected and products must be sustainable for our families and our future.

We challenge Wal-Mart on Labor Day 2009 to an American Values Agenda for Change.

* Worker Rights: Workers must have the right to self-organization to promote positive and productive workplace practices. No worker should have to go to court to get her pay. No worker should have to file suit to stop discrimination or harassment. And no worker should have to suffer in silence while being denied opportunity, overtime pay, a break or even safe working conditions. Wal-Mart must cease its policy of massive resistance to the exercise of worker rights.

We challenge Wal-Mart to work with us---labor, civil rights, women's, minority and faith organizations---to develop a code of conduct for Wal-Mart to protect the rights of workers consistent with legal and human rights standards.

* Quality Jobs: Wage and benefit levels should be designed to maximize economic security and stable jobs for the community. Training to increase productivity, equal opportunity and reduced turnover can all contribute to higher pay and better benefits, while at the same time maintaining low prices for consumers. Where workers choose, wages and benefits should be subject to good faith negotiations between workers and Wal-Mart. The current low wage/high turnover strategy will only impoverish our families and our communities.

We challenge Wal-Mart to work with us to develop pay and benefits programs that promote the economic well-being of working families and communities.

* Workplace Fairness: Equal opportunity must be promoted. It is a core American value and allows workers to realize their potential for themselves, the company and the consumer. Wal-Mart has failed after numerous lawsuits and complaints to effectively remedy the problem of discrimination.

We challenge Wal-Mart to work with us to develop workplace practices that will end discrimination and promote a workplace culture of opportunity.

* Corporate Responsibility: Responsible corporate behavior is key to developing prosperous and vibrant communities. For too long, Wal-Mart's size and power has exempted them from those responsibilities. It has devised tax avoidance schemes that shortchange our towns and states at a time when budgets are stretched to the breaking point. Wal-Mart has allowed taxpayers to shoulder the burden of its associates' coverage through Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Plans.

We challenge Wal-Mart to work with us to become the kind of neighbor that is welcomed with open arms and rises to the challenges faced by the community, rather than compounding them by failing to shoulder their share of the burden.

* Healthy Environment: Local sourcing should be the standard practice for stocking Wal-Mart stores in order to reduce the environmental impact and to create local jobs. Technology allows the sourcing of products from virtually anywhere---including areas in close proximity to Wal-Mart stores. Many products produced and shipped from around the world could be produced here in the U.S. Competition for sourcing should be based on quality, productivity, and product safety---not on poverty-level wages, absence of environmental regulation or authoritarian governments.

We challenge Wal-Mart to work with us to develop sourcing protocols that will reduce Wal-Mart's environmental footprint and create local jobs.

We are eager to work with Wal-Mart to create a better workplace, healthier planet, and more vibrant community. In the coming months, we will take several important steps in this effort:

1) We will establish an accountability project to keep Wal-Mart honest. We will commission reports from the country's leading environmental, economic and labor experts to explore where Wal-Mart is living up to its claims, and where the retail giant could be doing more. It is impossible to change unless you know the truth, and it is sometimes difficult to discern myth from reality when it comes to the retail giant.

2) We will continue to support, and grow Wal-Mart Workers for Change, an organization of associates who have realized the power they have to change their company from within when they speak with a united voice.

3) We will build local community coalitions to develop and implement a set of minimum community standards for Wal-Mart's corporate conduct. These coalitions will enforce the core American values of worker rights, quality jobs, workplace fairness, corporate responsibility and a healthy environment by informing consumers, supporting workers and engaging local elected officials.

4) We will convene a summit of Wal-Mart associates, industry experts, community activists, former Wal-Mart managers, economists, academics, and consumers to address, develop and advance the American Values Agenda for Change at Wal-Mart.

Our nation is facing a moment of intense challenges, but also great opportunities. Because Wal-Mart is a presence in so many of our communities, because it employs so many, because it affects the lives of working families across the country and around the world, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful force for change.

We challenge Wal-Mart, on Labor Day 2009, to join with us and work to create the vibrant workplace, the healthy planet and the thriving community that we all want and are willing and ready to work for.

With 1.4 million Americans working in its stores, Wal-Mart bears a unique responsibility to its workers and our communities--which is why as Labor Day approaches, SEIU is part of a coalition of labor, environmental, consumer protection, and community groups led by UFCW that are challenging Wal-Mart to start practicing common-sense core American values like workers' rights, corporate responsibility, equal opportunity, quality jobs and environmental stewardship.

No other private, profit-making enterprise in the history of our country has had the economic scope and impact of Wal-Mart. "When a company gets to be as big as Wal-Mart and employs so many workers - more than any other private enterprise in the world - it is no longer a 'private' entity," said Neal Lichtenstein, author of The Retail Revolution: How Walmart Created a Brave New World of Business. "[Wal-Mart] sets the wage and benefit standard for every other mass retailer and influences the business practices of just about every firm in America's huge service sector. So Wal-Mart is part of this country's debate: on health care, wages, equal employment, and the role of trade unionism in our democracy."

Wal-Mart needs to change. Here's a simple breakdown of reasoning behind this campaign to hold Wal-Mart accountable for those challenges, and to the ideals it puts forth in its advertising:

Wal-Mart is America's store.

Wal-Mart is America's workplace.

Wal-Mart is America's town center.

Wal-Mart must reflect America's values.

Hard work should bring pay and benefits that can support families.

Workers have rights that even the largest employer must recognize and respect.

There are two new "Common Sense Economics" TV ads to go along with the launch of the American Values Agenda for Change at Wal-Mart. Watch them here (Ad #1, Ad #2):

SEIU's Walmart Watch recently joined WakeUpWalmart.com to hold America's largest private employer accountable. Learn more about how you can help challenge Wal-Mart to embrace the American Values Agenda for Change at WakeUpWalmart.com.

Read the American Values Agenda for Change here.

With 1.4 million Americans working in its stores, Wal-Mart bears a unique responsibility to its workers and our communities--which is why as Labor Day approaches, SEIU is part of a coalition of labor, environmental, consumer protection, and community groups led by UFCW that are challenging Wal-Mart to start practicing common-sense core American values like workers' rights, corporate responsibility, equal opportunity, quality jobs and environmental stewardship.

No other private, profit-making enterprise in the history of our country has had the economic scope and impact of Wal-Mart. "When a company gets to be as big as Wal-Mart and employs so many workers - more than any other private enterprise in the world - it is no longer a 'private' entity," said Neal Lichtenstein, author of The Retail Revolution: How Walmart Created a Brave New World of Business. "[Wal-Mart] sets the wage and benefit standard for every other mass retailer and influences the business practices of just about every firm in America's huge service sector. So Wal-Mart is part of this country's debate: on health care, wages, equal employment, and the role of trade unionism in our democracy."

Wal-Mart needs to change. Here's a simple breakdown of reasoning behind this campaign to hold Wal-Mart accountable for those challenges, and to the ideals it puts forth in its advertising:

Wal-Mart is America's store.

Wal-Mart is America's workplace.

Wal-Mart is America's town center.

Wal-Mart must reflect America's values.

Hard work should bring pay and benefits that can support families.

Workers have rights that even the largest employer must recognize and respect.

There are two new "Common Sense Economics" TV ads to go along with the launch of the American Values Agenda for Change at Wal-Mart. Watch them here (Ad #1, Ad #2):

SEIU's Walmart Watch recently joined WakeUpWalmart.com to hold America's largest private employer accountable. Learn more about how you can help challenge Wal-Mart to embrace the American Values Agenda for Change at WakeUpWalmart.com.

Read the American Values Agenda for Change here.

Finally, Wal-Mart is doing the right thing by distancing itself from Glenn Beck and his hateful rhetoric. Yesterday, Wal-Mart and 7 other advertisers confirmed they were pulling their support from Glenn Beck's show.

That brings the number of advertisers who've decided to stop financing Beck's rhetoric of fear-mongering paranoia in the last two weeks to a grand total of 20. The straw that broke the camel's back? When Beck declared that President Obama is "a racist" who harbors a "deep-seated hatred for white people" on July 28.

Watch Media Matters' collection of "Glenn Beck Moments" for a quick recap of Glenn Beck's inflammatory, televised hate.

ColorofChange.org has been at the forefront of those leading the call to boycott Beck and Fox News. From their press release:

Twenty companies have pulled their ads from Beck's show in just the last two weeks. The moves come after the Fox News host called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends. Previous companies who pulled their ads include ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

"We are heartened to see so many corporate citizens step up in support of our campaign against Glenn Beck," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. "Their action sends a clear a message to Glenn Beck: Broadcasters shouldn't abuse the privilege they enjoy by spewing dangerous and racially charged hate language over the air. No matter their political affiliation, hate language doesn't belong in our national dialogue."

More than 14,000 people (and counting) have written Wal-Mart demanding an end to their support of Glenn Beck. However....it appears like the move by Wal-Mart could accurately be categorized as "baby steps." While Wal-Mart may have pulled its ad dollars from the Glenn Beck Program, the retail giant still advertises on his parent station. We need to keep the pressure on Wal-Mart to commit to keeping the airwaves free from offensive hate-mongering.

What you can do to help right now, via WakeUpWalmart.com:

« Write Wal-Mart and demand they pull all ads from Fox until Glenn Beck apologizes for his absurd remarks about President Obama.
« Make sure your friends and family know where Walmart's ad dollars are really going.

Finally, Wal-Mart is doing the right thing by distancing itself from Glenn Beck and his hateful rhetoric. Yesterday, Wal-Mart and 7 other advertisers confirmed they were pulling their support from Glenn Beck's show.

That brings the number of advertisers who've decided to stop financing Beck's rhetoric of fear-mongering paranoia in the last two weeks to a grand total of 20. The straw that broke the camel's back? When Beck declared that President Obama is "a racist" who harbors a "deep-seated hatred for white people" on July 28.

Watch Media Matters' collection of "Glenn Beck Moments" for a quick recap of Glenn Beck's inflammatory, televised hate.

ColorofChange.org has been at the forefront of those leading the call to boycott Beck and Fox News. From their press release:

Twenty companies have pulled their ads from Beck's show in just the last two weeks. The moves come after the Fox News host called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends. Previous companies who pulled their ads include ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

"We are heartened to see so many corporate citizens step up in support of our campaign against Glenn Beck," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. "Their action sends a clear a message to Glenn Beck: Broadcasters shouldn't abuse the privilege they enjoy by spewing dangerous and racially charged hate language over the air. No matter their political affiliation, hate language doesn't belong in our national dialogue."

More than 14,000 people (and counting) have written Wal-Mart demanding an end to their support of Glenn Beck. However....it appears like the move by Wal-Mart could accurately be categorized as "baby steps." While Wal-Mart may have pulled its ad dollars from the Glenn Beck Program, the retail giant still advertises on his parent station. We need to keep the pressure on Wal-Mart to commit to keeping the airwaves free from offensive hate-mongering.

What you can do to help right now, via WakeUpWalmart.com:

« Write Wal-Mart and demand they pull all ads from Fox until Glenn Beck apologizes for his absurd remarks about President Obama.
« Make sure your friends and family know where Walmart's ad dollars are really going.

Quick hits: Around the union this week...

• Tea-bagging conservatives continue blaming SEIU for perpetrating the violence surrounding a St. Louis health care town hall--but now you can finally hear both sides of the story. Listen to SEIU staffer Reverend McCowan's interview correcting the record on incidents surrounding a Missouri town hall.

• Spread the truth about the right-wing's fear campaign being funded by anti-healthcare forces: SEIU counters "death panel" noise with real facts about healthcare.

• SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger took the main stage at the Netroots Nation Convention this weekend to talk about building a 21st century economy that works for all Americans. More here about other SEIU panels at the annual gathering of progressive activists and political bloggers.

• Watch three short videos of Workers United members who are dealing with John Wilhelm, UNITE HERE's raids, and interference in their workplaces.

• "We spend more time at patients' bedsides than anyone else in the hospital, and have a better understanding of patient needs than hospital executives. Despite this, our executive officers essentially refuse to include us in discussions regarding patient care." In a Billings Gazette op-ed, registered nurse J. Curt Jensen makes the case for why nurses and all Montana workers need the Employee Free Choice Act.

• Will American children grow on "fat, salt, and corn-sweetener-laden government subsidized surplus"? Read Iowa City chef Kurt Michael Friese's commentary at Grist Magazine.

• Check out the story of a Detroit college freshman fighting to stay in the U.S. and find out how you can help defer her deportation.

• Major advertisers like Geico, Proctor and Gamble, and Lexis Nexis are pulling their ads from Glenn Beck's show in response to his disgraceful rhetoric...but not Wal-Mart! Tell Wal-Mart to end their financial support of Glenn Beck's televised hate.

• Be a part of SEIU's mobile alert list. Text SEIU to 787753 (PURPLE) right now, or click here to sign-up for our new mobile alerts program.

Wal-Mart has a longtime record of harassing and intimidating workers who have called for union representation; the giant corporation has even gone so far as to shut down stores where workers voted for a voice on the job. It's bad enough Wal-Mart fights workers' efforts to organize...now they're trying to stifle freedom of speech too?

It appears that way - Wal-Mart has filed an injunction against a website critical of its Canadian business practices, and their "legal basis" will outrage you. Wal-Mart wants to stop WalmartWorkersCanada.ca--a popular website dedicated to helping Wal-Mart 'associates' understand and exercise their rights as workers in Canada--from using the word "Wal-Mart" either "alone or with other words... in a color scheme of blue, white and gold." Even more ridiculous, the company wants to restrict the usage of circular shapes on the group's website! Says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley:

"This injunction request is an over the top assault on freedom of speech and on our ability to effectively communicate with Wal-Mart workers," "It's a kneejerk response by Wal-Mart to the idea of its employees trying to understand their options as workers, and trying to share experiences with other 'associates'."

Walmart's response to the success of www.walmartworkerscanada.ca is just another outrageous example of how the largest retailer in the history of the world will use its bottomless legal budget to manipulate the collective bargaining process and do just about anything to discourage its 'associates' from joining the union."

You can take a stand against Wal-Mart's censorship threat and stand up for internet Democracy. Tell Walmart to respect free speech: sign UFCW's petition today.

If we let Wal-Mart set the standard for free speech online, there is no telling where the company's absurd demands will end. Can you imagine a world where Wal-Mart has exclusive rights to blue, white, gold, and abstract geometrical shapes? Please take a moment to show your solidarity for the activists at WalmartWorkersCanada.ca.

Help stop Walmart's war against the freedom of expression online.

Wal-Mart has a longtime record of harassing and intimidating workers who have called for union representation; the giant corporation has even gone so far as to shut down stores where workers voted for a voice on the job. It's bad enough Wal-Mart fights workers' efforts to organize...now they're trying to stifle freedom of speech too?

It appears that way - Wal-Mart has filed an injunction against a website critical of its Canadian business practices, and their "legal basis" will outrage you. Wal-Mart wants to stop WalmartWorkersCanada.ca--a popular website dedicated to helping Wal-Mart 'associates' understand and exercise their rights as workers in Canada--from using the word "Wal-Mart" either "alone or with other words... in a color scheme of blue, white and gold." Even more ridiculous, the company wants to restrict the usage of circular shapes on the group's website! Says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley:

"This injunction request is an over the top assault on freedom of speech and on our ability to effectively communicate with Wal-Mart workers," "It's a kneejerk response by Wal-Mart to the idea of its employees trying to understand their options as workers, and trying to share experiences with other 'associates'."

Walmart's response to the success of www.walmartworkerscanada.ca is just another outrageous example of how the largest retailer in the history of the world will use its bottomless legal budget to manipulate the collective bargaining process and do just about anything to discourage its 'associates' from joining the union."

You can take a stand against Wal-Mart's censorship threat and stand up for internet Democracy. Tell Walmart to respect free speech: sign UFCW's petition today.

If we let Wal-Mart set the standard for free speech online, there is no telling where the company's absurd demands will end. Can you imagine a world where Wal-Mart has exclusive rights to blue, white, gold, and abstract geometrical shapes? Please take a moment to show your solidarity for the activists at WalmartWorkersCanada.ca.

Help stop Walmart's war against the freedom of expression online.

The Washington Post this week ran a headline, "Quietly, Health Care Debate Enters Crucial New Phase." Well, not that quietly. Not a single workday passed this week without major health care news spilling onto cable news networks, blogs and newspapers.

Below are just a few of the highlights from the past week:

1.   House Education and Labor Committee Approves Reform with an all-nighter. In a sign that President Obama's urgency is being felt throughout Congress, the Education and Labor Committee debated amendments until about 6 a.m. Friday morning and resumed mere hours later for a final vote. Two of the three committees reviewing the legislation have now voted for its passage. Next up: the House Energy and Commerce committee, which is voting on amendments now, and is expected to vote on the draft legislation next week.

2.  In the Senate, we had major progress with the landmark vote in the Senate HELP Committee. "The Senate health committee approved a massive health care overhaul bill in a party-line 13-10 vote Wednesday morning, a major step in the push to create a government-run health insurance plan.  The partisan approval of the $600 billion health bill in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was a landmark moment in the 60-year push by the Democratic Party for national health care," reports Politico.

3.    The New York Times declared in its lead editorial, "[America's Affordable Health Choices Act] is worth fighting for."  The NY Times continued, "While the Senate continues to struggle over its approach to health care reform, House Democratic leaders have unveiled a bill that would go a long way toward solving the nation's health insurance problems without driving up the deficit. It is already drawing fierce opposition from business groups and many Republicans. This is a bill worth fighting for. ...The bill makes a mockery of Republican claims that the Democrats are pushing a hugely costly government takeover of medicine." 

4.  The American Medical Association (AMA) endorsed the House health care bill, undermining Republican arguments implying (and sometimes alleging) that doctors were opposed to the Democratic plan to fix health care.  "This legislation includes a broad range of provisions that are key to effective, comprehensive health system reform. We urge members of the House Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means Committees to favorably report H.R. 3200 for consideration by the full House."

5.  Target joins with Wal-Mart in rebuffing the Chamber of Commerce's staunch opposition to health care reform.  The AP reported, "Wal-Mart is the latest in a line of traditionally Republican-leaning businesses to embrace key portions of President Barack Obama's bid to overhaul health care, a trend that could complicate opponents' efforts to build a united front when Congress ramps up its work on the issue this summer."'

The Chamber of Commerce's veneer of unity on health care is beginning to fade.

In the latest blow to the Chamber's "Just Say No!" strategy on health care reform, Wal-Mart joined with SEIU and the Center for American Progress today in announcing support for an employer mandate on health coverage.

An excerpt of the letter is below:

As the nation's largest private employer, the nation's largest union of health care workers with over one million members, and a think tank that has been a leader on health care policy...we are coming together to advance what we believe are important proposals that should be included in the current efforts to reform our nation's health care system.

[...] We are for shared responsibility. Not every business can make the same contribution, but everyone must make some contribution. We are for an employer mandate which is fair and broad in its coverage... Support for a mandate also requires the strongest possible commitment to rein in health care costs. Guaranteeing cost containment is essential.

Read coverage of this letter, here. Praise from the White House Office of Health Reform on this strong support for health care reform--including an employer mandate--here.

The Chamber of Commerce's veneer of unity on health care is beginning to fade.

In the latest blow to the Chamber's "Just Say No!" strategy on health care reform, Wal-Mart joined with SEIU and the Center for American Progress today in announcing support for an employer mandate on health coverage.

An excerpt of the letter is below:

As the nation's largest private employer, the nation's largest union of health care workers with over one million members, and a think tank that has been a leader on health care policy...we are coming together to advance what we believe are important proposals that should be included in the current efforts to reform our nation's health care system.

[...] We are for shared responsibility. Not every business can make the same contribution, but everyone must make some contribution. We are for an employer mandate which is fair and broad in its coverage... Support for a mandate also requires the strongest possible commitment to rein in health care costs. Guaranteeing cost containment is essential.

Read coverage of this letter, here. Praise from the White House Office of Health Reform on this strong support for health care reform--including an employer mandate--here.

In recent Wal-Mart news, a really disturbing precedent: A Canadian court overturned the UFCW certification granted to Wal-Mart workers in December 2008, keeping alive a five-year-old battle between Wal-Mart and the union.

Workers in Saskatchewan, Canada first voted for union representation over four years ago, and Wal-Mart stalled and threw up every road block they could to keep the workers from getting a fair deal. And now, a Canadian judge has essentially ruled that because labor laws have changed since the Weyburn Wal-Mart workers legally won union representation, these workers are no longer represented by a union. According to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, the UFCW applied for union certification in 2004 after a majority of workers in the proposed bargaining unit signed union cards. A vote by secret ballot was not required under labor laws in effect at that time. Changes to provincial labor law implemented in May 2008 now require a vote by secret ballot to certify a union--and Justice Peter Foley ruled this past week that the labor relations board erred in certifying the union at the Wayburn Wal-Mart.

Kevin Groh, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada, said workers now employed at the store "cheered" when they were told of the latest court ruling. This seems like an odd reaction, since Wal-Mart is not exactly known for offering generous salaries. Business Week reported in April, 2008, that Wal-Mart workers earn an average of $22,500 annually. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the threshold of poverty in 2006 for a family of four was $21,200.

In this dismal economy, low-wage workers are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. If they had a union, these Wal-Mart employees would be able to negotiate better health benefits, working conditions, and wages above the poverty line. This issue also speaks to the greater problem of the long and arduous process workers are forced to endure to gain union representation and a first contract. Our current labor system for workers trying to form a union has proven its inability to defend workers' rights in a timely manner time and time again. Sadly enough, the 4+ years these Wal-Mart workers endured in their fight for a union is not uncommon. Two years after first voting to form a union, a whopping 37 percent of workers still have no contract.

What do you think of this ruling? Was the Canadian court's decision to overturn the UFCW certification justified?

In recent Wal-Mart news, a really disturbing precedent: A Canadian court overturned the UFCW certification granted to Wal-Mart workers in December 2008, keeping alive a five-year-old battle between Wal-Mart and the union.

Workers in Saskatchewan, Canada first voted for union representation over four years ago, and Wal-Mart stalled and threw up every road block they could to keep the workers from getting a fair deal. And now, a Canadian judge has essentially ruled that because labor laws have changed since the Weyburn Wal-Mart workers legally won union representation, these workers are no longer represented by a union. According to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, the UFCW applied for union certification in 2004 after a majority of workers in the proposed bargaining unit signed union cards. A vote by secret ballot was not required under labor laws in effect at that time. Changes to provincial labor law implemented in May 2008 now require a vote by secret ballot to certify a union--and Justice Peter Foley ruled this past week that the labor relations board erred in certifying the union at the Wayburn Wal-Mart.

Kevin Groh, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada, said workers now employed at the store "cheered" when they were told of the latest court ruling. This seems like an odd reaction, since Wal-Mart is not exactly known for offering generous salaries. Business Week reported in April, 2008, that Wal-Mart workers earn an average of $22,500 annually. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the threshold of poverty in 2006 for a family of four was $21,200.

In this dismal economy, low-wage workers are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. If they had a union, these Wal-Mart employees would be able to negotiate better health benefits, working conditions, and wages above the poverty line. This issue also speaks to the greater problem of the long and arduous process workers are forced to endure to gain union representation and a first contract. Our current labor system for workers trying to form a union has proven its inability to defend workers' rights in a timely manner time and time again. Sadly enough, the 4+ years these Wal-Mart workers endured in their fight for a union is not uncommon. Two years after first voting to form a union, a whopping 37 percent of workers still have no contract.

What do you think of this ruling? Was the Canadian court's decision to overturn the UFCW certification justified?

"Name a successful unionized company. Think. You're gonna go to break before you come up with one."

Today, SEIU International President Andy Stern made the following statement in response to comments by New York Times reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin and MSNBC's "Morning Joe" cast on the effectiveness of unionized companies.

"Unionized companies are a driving force in our economy, from Kaiser Permanente to Securitas. The bigger question this country is really asking right now is how do we define a successful company? Is it a company that turns a profit by driving down employee wages successful?  Is cutting off benefits or putting people out of work to improve the bottom line for shareholders a business model we as Americans want to embrace? Are we going to embrace the Wal-Mart model as the standard of success, or are we going to raise the bar and rebuild the middle class in this country?

"We think it's time to have a serious national discussion about what we want the future of our economy to look like--and the voices of women and men who work are critical to that conversation.  That's why we're supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill to help create an economy in which companies succeed based on the quality of their services, not on their willingness to exploit or silence workers."

How much is a worker's life worth? Answer: $7,000

Remember back in November of last year when we told you the tragic story of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary worker at a Long Island Wal-mart who was crushed to death by a mob of shoppers storming the store for Black Friday deals?

The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, [Nassau County police Detective Lt. Michael] Fleming said.

"Several minutes" passed before others were able to clear space around the man and attempt to render aid. Police arrived, and "as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed," he said.

"Shoppers ... were on a full-out run into the store," he said.

OSHA's inspection found that the store's employees were exposed to being crushed by the crowd due to the store's failure to implement reasonable and effective crowd management principles. This failure includes providing employees with the necessary training and tools to safely manage the large crowd of shoppers.

So what's the punishment for shocking corporate negligence that results in the death of a worker? OSHA hit them with the maximum fine allowable by law -- $7,000.

That's right. Seven thousand dollars.

How much is a worker's life worth? Answer: $7,000

Remember back in November of last year when we told you the tragic story of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary worker at a Long Island Wal-mart who was crushed to death by a mob of shoppers storming the store for Black Friday deals?

The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, [Nassau County police Detective Lt. Michael] Fleming said.

"Several minutes" passed before others were able to clear space around the man and attempt to render aid. Police arrived, and "as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed," he said.

"Shoppers ... were on a full-out run into the store," he said.

OSHA's inspection found that the store's employees were exposed to being crushed by the crowd due to the store's failure to implement reasonable and effective crowd management principles. This failure includes providing employees with the necessary training and tools to safely manage the large crowd of shoppers.

So what's the punishment for shocking corporate negligence that results in the death of a worker? OSHA hit them with the maximum fine allowable by law -- $7,000.

That's right. Seven thousand dollars.

A recent editorial in The Times Record shows that Mainers are sick and tired of listening to lies from big business about the Employee Free Choice Act. From veterans speaking out in favor of the act to everyday citizens writing in to their local papers people across the state are standing up against big business, and for an economy that works for everybody.

The biggest opponents to the Employee Free Choice Act, are, not surprisingly, big business. From the Times Record editorial:

"We like driving the car and we're not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us." --former Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott.

Beneath Scott's bravado lies fear -- a fear that if the playing field is leveled to give workers an equal footing, Wal-Mart could see its 1.4-million American work force unionize to receive higher wages, health-care benefits and pensions commensurate with the Bentonville, Ark.-based company's 2008 earnings of $12.73 billion on $374.53 billion in sales.

Big business, with no real evidence to back them up, has turned in their desperation to a campaign based on fear: a fear of workers with the right to form a union when they choose, without harassment or intimidation. A fear unsupported by the facts that prove how unionization will only improve Maine's economy through higher wages for workers, and increased benefits from employers such as health insurance and pensions.

But we've talked a lot about what the Employee Free Choice Act and increased unionization can do. The Times Record editorial clearly outlines what it will not:

This bill does does not "silence" employers or require them to remain neutral about unions, so long as they do not threaten their employees.

The oft-publicized charge that unions will coerce employees to sign a union authorization card is a canard: In the first 70 years of the National Labor Relations Act, only 42 cases found fraud or coercion by unions in the submittal of authorization cards; by contrast, in 2007 alone, there were 29,000 documented cases of intimidation or coercion by employers.

Forty-two cases of fraud, versus 29,000 documented cases of intimidation or coercion. When you look at the numbers, it's no wonder why big business is running scared.

Fight the Fear: Join the campaign to support the Employee Free Choice Act today: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/millionforfreech

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that more and more Wal-Mart employees want a union. The distorted "big bad Union vs. Company" image of organized labor depicted in the story is typical of the bias that is promoted by mainstream media. But it is not the real story--the real story is the workers on the ground who are desperate for change.

A new documentary by UFCW that tells the story of Wal-Mart's war on their own workers. In the video, ten workers from coast-to-coast detail the company's response to their organizing efforts (hint: it's not exactly warm and fuzzy).

After watching this video, doesn't Wal-Mart's slogan of 'Save Money, Live Better' seems particularly accurate? These workers need your support to affect real change at Wal-Mart.

Spread the word about Wal-Mart employees' collective struggle for dignity at work - tell your friends about Wal-Mart's anti-worker policies and add your signature to the growing list of activists who support rights in the workplace for hardworking Wal-Mart employees.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that more and more Wal-Mart employees want a union. The distorted "big bad Union vs. Company" image of organized labor depicted in the story is typical of the bias that is promoted by mainstream media. But it is not the real story--the real story is the workers on the ground who are desperate for change.

A new documentary by UFCW that tells the story of Wal-Mart's war on their own workers. In the video, ten workers from coast-to-coast detail the company's response to their organizing efforts (hint: it's not exactly warm and fuzzy).

After watching this video, doesn't Wal-Mart's slogan of 'Save Money, Live Better' seems particularly accurate? These workers need your support to affect real change at Wal-Mart.

Spread the word about Wal-Mart employees' collective struggle for dignity at work - tell your friends about Wal-Mart's anti-worker policies and add your signature to the growing list of activists who support rights in the workplace for hardworking Wal-Mart employees.