Women’s Organizations Call on Wal-Mart to Reform

14 Women’s Groups Send Wal-Mart Mother’s Day Challenge [YubaNet]

Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, many of the nation’s most influential women’s groups, including the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the National Organization of Women (NOW), CODEPINK, National Congress of Black Women, National Committee on Pay Equity, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), National Women’s Conference, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, International Women’s Democracy Center, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Black Women United for Action, National Women’s Political Caucus, Veteran Feminists of America, and the Dolores Huerta Foundation signed a joint letter that calls on Wal-Mart to address its record of mistreating women workers and help “make this Mother’s Day the best ever for Wal-Mart’s Associates and mothers all across our country.”

The joint letter, which is part of WakeUpWalMart.com’s 2007 Mother’s Day Campaign, entitled “Moms Deserve Better Than Wal-Mart,” challenges Wal-Mart’s CEO Lee Scott to address the company’s record of discrimination, poverty-level wages, unaffordable health care, and anti-family policies that negatively impact its women workers, many of them moms.

Today’s joint Mother’s Day initiative between WakeUpWalMart.com and the 14 women’s groups, representing well over 10 million women, is not only the largest number of women’s groups to ever speak out against Wal-Mart’s record of exploiting its women workers, but is also the most significant Mother’s Day campaign launched by WakeUpWalMart.com since the group’s inception in April 2005.

The letter from the 14 women’s groups to Wal-Mart’s CEO makes it very clear why Wal-Mart’s record is an issue of great concern as we head into Mother’s Day. As the letter states, “To some rich and powerful corporations, these mothers are invisible, representing mere numbers on a balance sheet whose hours, wages, and benefits can be cut without thought or consideration of their endless and tireless work to support not only themselves, but their entire families. It seems that Wal-Mart, more than any other company, sees these women workers as invisible.”

“On behalf of the over 10 million women represented by our member organizations, the National Council of Women’s Organizations calls on Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott to provide family-friendly wages, benefits, and policies for its women workers. Wal-Mart’s women associates deserve a workplace free of gender discrimination and a wage that will support their families. Women deserve better from U.S. corporations—especially from Wal-Mart, with over $11 billion in profits last year,” said Kimberly Otis, Executive Director of the National Council of Women’s Organizations.

The 14 women’s groups call on Wal-Mart to “lead by example” and announce “on Mother’s Day, that Wal-Mart will pay its workers a real living wage, provide good and affordable health care, end its anti-family policies, adopt a zero tolerance policy on child labor, and make a public commitment to a truly diverse and just workplace.”

In addition to the Mother’s Day letter signed by 14 of the nation’s largest women’s groups, WakeUpWalMart.com also launched a Mother’s Day campaign initiative which includes grassroots actions in 43 cities and 19 states. During the upcoming events, which officially launch today, WakeUpWalMart.com supporters will distribute over 100,000 Mother’s Day Cards at metro stops, outdoor markets, and in front of Wal-Mart stores.

Also, as an effort to make families aware of why Wal-Mart must treat its women workers better, WakeUpWalMart.com will launch a “Million Moms Call” that will reach out to over one million families and ask them to “pledge not to buy their Mother’s Day gift at Wal-Mart this year” unless Wal-Mart promises to make substantive changes that improve the lives of its women workers, many of them Moms.

“There is no greater moment for Wal-Mart to announce real and substantive changes that would improve the lives of its women workers, many of them moms, than on Mother’s Day. We all love our moms for their sacrifices, now its time for Wal-Mart to “lead by example” and sacrifice for the betterment of its women workers and society,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, May 15, 2007