Activists Call On the FEC to Investigate Wal-Mart for Electioneering

If you haven’t already, we encourage everyone to sign American Rights at Work’s petition asking the Federal Election Committee to investigate Wal-Mart’s possible electioneering. More than 24,000 people have already signed on, and the more support for the petition, the better. In a post today on the Huffington Post, Michael Whitney from American Rights at Work takes a look at why Wal-Mart’s political involvement in this case should be considered illegal, as well as why the Employee Free Choice Act is so important.

Time To Investigate Wal-Mart’s Anti-Democrat Electioneering [Huffington Post]

When the news broke earlier this month that Wal-Mart started organizing its store supervisors against Barack Obama and other pro-worker candidates who support the Employee Free Choice Act, there was widespread outrage—and rightly so.

According to the Wall Street Journal:
“The meeting leader said, ‘I am not telling you how to vote, but if the Democrats win, this bill will pass and you won’t have a vote on whether you want a union,’” said a Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri. “I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote,” she said.
Yikes! This obviously raises a lot of questions, but let’s start with two I want to specifically address: Is this legal? And what is Wal-Mart afraid of?

But before we begin - more than 24,000 people have already signed a citizen petition to the Federal Election Commission asking for an investigation into Wal-Mart’s electioneering. Can you add your name to our letter?

Question one: Is this legal?

In two days, workers’ rights advocacy group American Rights at Work and others will ask the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether Wal-Mart broke any laws. You can join the complaint by signing a petition to be submitted on Thursday.

A labor law expert says that the law “provides multiple layers of protection to insulate workers from any possible pressure to mold their political behavior to suit the boss’ desires.” Not only should Wal-Mart employees need to feel free to vote how the please in November, but other companies need to be discouraged from doing the same as Wal-Mart. Our petition to the FEC will try to bring some resolution to this issue.

Unfortunately for Wal-Mart workers, this kind of intimidation is nothing new. It’s actually part and parcel for Wal-Mart’s business plan. When Wal-Mart employees stand up for themselves and try to form a union, they face threats, propaganda, discrimination, intimidation, and even firings in retaliation.

What Wal-Mart is doing for November’s political elections is what it, and hundreds of other anti-union companies, do all the time when workers say they want a union: intimidate workers to go against their own self-interests.

This isn’t Wal-Mart’s first foray fighting the Employee Free Choice Act. As the largest member of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Wal-Mart is vicariously supporting and funding a $30 million campaign attacking pro-worker candidates who support the Employee Free Choice Act. Additionally, Wal-Mart has a working relationship with the leader of another $30 million anti-union operation.

While the Bentonville behemoth denied funding this group, Wal-Mart does admit it “exchanges union information” with the group, and apparently collaborates on “‘special projects’ related to defending Big Tobacco, defending mercury poisoning, and other right-wing causes.”

Question two: What, exactly, is Wal-Mart afraid of?

Wal-Mart is afraid of the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to join unions. The bill does what it name says: it gives employees a free choice if they want to join a union. For decades, that choice has rested only with employers like Wal-Mart. You can guess what their answer usually is.

Why is the Employee Free Choice Act so important for regular Americans? It’s plain as day: workers are struggling in this country. Today’s workplaces are tilted in favor of lavishly paid CEOs, who get golden parachutes while middle-class families struggle to get by. The Employee Free Choice Act will restore balance in the workplace, giving more workers a chance to form unions and get better health care, job security, and benefits.

Corporate interests are fighting the Employee Free Choice Act with everything they’ve got. They’re protecting the status quo—a rigged system that allows employers to intimidate, harass, and even fire workers who try to form a union. We’re not talking about isolated incidents: 30 percent of employers fire pro-union workers during union organizing drives.

More than half of U.S. workers--60 million--say they would join a union right now if they could. Why? They know that coming together to bargain with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions is the best path to getting ahead. Without labor law reform, economic opportunity for America’s working families will continue to erode.

So join our complaint to the Federal Election Commission and demand accountability from the world’s largest employer. Let’s take this first step to bring back fairness to America’s workplaces.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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COMMENTS

walmart wants to control every employ thinking about things you have no right to say a thing because you will loose your job.

patsy whetsell in knoxville, tenn
Thursday, August 14 at 09:04 AM

walmart wants to control every employ thinking about things you have no right to say a thing because you will loose your job.

patsy whetsell in knoxville, tenn
Thursday, August 14 at 09:04 AM

walmart wants to control every employ thinking about things you have no right to say a thing because you will loose your job. you have no free choice

patsy whetsell in knoxville, tenn
Thursday, August 14 at 09:04 AM

walmart wants to control every employ thinking about things you have no right to say a thing because you will loose your job. you have no free choice

patsy whetsell in knoxville, tenn
Thursday, August 14 at 09:04 AM

The funny thing about this sight is there is no balance. Everyone just pitches a fit and probably still shops there to obtain good priced items. Walmart is a business and operates on low profit margins to obtain higher profit dollars through volume. If Obama is elected, he will raise the federal corporate tax which is already high and force Walmart to raise their prices - making the company lose it’s nitch and make it harder for lower income families to purchase essentials. Then everyone on this sight will complain about Walmart’s high prices. It is hard to win with people who want to just complain about how they are constantly taken advantage of. Have some accoutability and realize Walmart isn’t responsible for your health benefits or retirement. You solely are. Not the government or any business.

Michael in Houston, TX
Thursday, August 14 at 04:04 PM

..make it harder for lower income families to purchase essentials.

You have no faith in the free market, Michael. Should Wal-Mart lose it’s grip on the throat of “lower income families” there is sure to be someone to fill the niche. Dollar Stores, for example, are an excellent way for poor folks to avoid Wal-Mart.

What’s good for Wal-Mart is BAD for America!

Ken V in Texas
Thursday, August 14 at 08:44 PM

Dollar Stores, for example, are an excellent way for poor folks to avoid Wal-Mart.

Would anyone buy a used car from this man?

Really…

bbrd in
Thursday, August 14 at 09:16 PM

“there is sure to be someone to fill the niche”

Isn’t that what the anti people here have been complaining about, one business putting another ‘higher priced’ business, out of business, by filling a niche, by having ‘lower prices’?

RDS in
Thursday, August 14 at 11:36 PM

<i>Isn’t that what the anti people here have been complaining about,,,(?)

No.

Ken V in Texas
Friday, August 15 at 05:43 AM

“<i>Isn’t that what the anti people here have been complaining about,,,(?)

No. “

Don’t you know stores are supposed to be able to have low prices while paying $15 an hour with free medical insurance that covers everything and are supposed to have all their products made in America by union workers making $20 an hour.

Dave in
Friday, August 15 at 07:15 AM

Dave: Sounds like a plan!

ddrb in
Friday, August 15 at 11:27 AM

Yeah in a fantasy world that would be great, but in the real world it’s just not possible.

Dave in
Friday, August 15 at 07:56 PM

Dave: I believe that 50 years ago most Americans would have believed today’s economy and administration would have been an impossible fantasy,also. Subprime meltdown,race to the bottom,jobs outsourced and lied into war,the first generation of Americans who now expect that there children will be worse off than they were!

ddrb in
Saturday, August 16 at 09:43 AM

..but in the real world it’s just not possible.

But it is possible to sell enough cheap crap so Bentonvillie executives can have obscene compensation packages.

You can’t create a team spirit when the situation is so one-sided, when management gets so much and workers get so little of the pie. Some of these salaries I see out there are completely out of line, and everybody knows it. ~ Sam Walton

Ken V in Texas
Monday, August 18 at 06:19 AM

Yeah lets bring up the executives making too much money again. If we split up all their money each employee could get another $100 a year. Wow they would be rich. I’m not sure anyone would want to run the company for free though. So I guess after being rich from the extra $100 they would all be unemployed, but maybe they could retire with the $100.

Dave in
Monday, August 18 at 11:52 AM

If we split up all their money each employee could get another $100 a year.

Of course, that’s pre-tax right, Dave?

Shave-off federal taxes, state tax (where applicable), and (if some people’s dreams come true) union dues, and you’ll be left with about half that amount…

bbrd in
Monday, August 18 at 01:44 PM

No, no. You totally misunderstand. What I’m saying is the amount of labor required by Wal-Mart to generate a measly 12 or 13 billion dollars just isn’t worth it. A few people get rich and the rest get tired. I say shut them down for inefficiency.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that more than half of corporate profits ultimately accrue to the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers, while only about 8 percent go to the bottom 60 percent.

Ken V in Texas
Monday, August 18 at 02:28 PM

Ken V,

“<i>Isn’t that what the anti people here have been complaining about,,,(?)

No.”

Gee, then I must have misunderstood, I thought people here were saying that some businesses went out of business when Wal-Mart came to town and Wal-Mart filled the niche that the former business had!! So, they claimed that Wal-Mart shouldn’t have replaced the former businesses!!

RDS in
Tuesday, August 19 at 01:15 AM

So, they claimed that Wal-Mart shouldn’t have replaced the former businesses!! RDS~~~~~~~NO!They claimed WalMart DISPLACED the competition with the UNFAIR advantage of size and the buying power that independent,small business owners don’t possess.

ddrb in
Tuesday, August 19 at 05:15 PM

ddrb,

“NO!They claimed WalMart DISPLACED the competition with the UNFAIR advantage”

If you knew anything about running a successful business, you would know that what makes a business successful , is having some sort of competitive advantage!! If they didn’t, how would they get customers to patronize their business? The term UNFAIR, is your terminology, in the case of competition, if you lack buying power, you need to find a competitive advantage of your own to hold on to customers, like better customer service, larger selection of product or free delivery and installation, etc.!!

RDS in
Wednesday, August 20 at 12:20 AM

To explain the fallacy in ddrb’s argument that small businesses are at a disadvantage to large businesses because they don’t have the same buying power.... just ask youself a question. Are there any small businesses in existance today that compete against the likes of Walmart, McDonalds, Home Depot, Best Buy and Staples? A simple answer YES! And why? Because RDS hit the nail on the hit, it’s about competitive advantage.

Start a business ddrb and you’ll figure it out.

mary in
Wednesday, August 20 at 06:44 AM

You’re denying the ‘economies of scale’, Mary?

“There are a lot of issues here, but what they add up to is the end of the age of Wal-Mart,” contends Richard Hastings, a senior analyst for the retail rating agency Bernard Sands. “The glory days are over.”

Ken V in Texas
Wednesday, August 20 at 07:58 AM

Ken what is going on with you lately? You senility is really kicking in with the dumb things you say.

Did I deny “economies of scale”? Absolutly not. It’s a given. Do you deny the concept of “competitie advantage” and that it’s the primary driver for business?

mary in
Thursday, August 21 at 08:22 AM

You’re right, Mary, I must be getting senile. Nothing you write makes any sense at all. It all seems so… um… contradictory.

Do you deny the concept of “competitie advantage”..(?)

Yeah, I do. :o)

Ken V in Texas
Friday, August 22 at 07:34 AM

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