‘The High Cost of Low Prices’ Airs on Starz
Brave New Films’ “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices” will be airing throughout July on the Starz network. It’s a great chance to see the movie if you haven’t already, or to introduce friends and colleagues to the issues raised in the film.
The director’s cut of the film will be airing on the following dates:
| Starz Cinema July 25, 11:15 am | Starz Cinema July 25, 8:20 pm | |
| Starz Cinema July 26, 3:14 am | Starz Cinema July 30, 6:00 pm | |
| Starz Cinema July 31, 4:00 am | Encore Drama August 21, 2:20 am |
Be sure to also check out some of the bonus scenes that were not included in the film.
Click here for more info on the screening.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, July 17 | 13 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart To Carry Faith-Based Toys
In a new attempt to merchandise to children, Wal-Mart manages to commercialize Christianity and Christianize commerce in one fell swoop.
Wal-Mart To Carry Faith-Based Toys [Arkansas Morning News]
Wal-Mart, often portrayed as the big, bad giant when it comes to David vs. Goliath tales in the business world, is taking on the good guy role by offering biblically based toys at some of its stores next month.
The Bentonville-based retailer will begin carrying a line of biblical action figures from One2believe, a California company that makes faith-based toys.
The line will be offered at 425 Wal-Mart stores across the country, including two Supercenters in Bentonville and Fayetteville and one in North Little Rock, said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, July 17 | 0 comments | Permalink
A Wal-Mart Fourth of July
How will Wal-Mart celebrate this Fourth of July? The company that lauds its founder - an inspirational “self-made” man - has turned its back on the country.
In 1985, Sam Walton committed himself and his business to buying American made goods. His “Buy American” program promised:
“We cannot continue to be a solvent nation as long as we pursue this current accelerating direction. Our company is firmly committed to the philosophy by buying everything possible from suppliers who manufacture their products in the United States.”
Wal-Mart has since abandoned that policy, sourcing the vast majority of its products from overseas. 70% of the company’s goods come from China alone. This means lost jobs for Americans. For every store Wal-Mart opened in America, 336 jobs were lost to China. This is close to 60,000 jobs every single year that Wal-Mart sends overseas.
This July 4th, we’re thinking about equality in America. We’re thinking about how all Americans are equal under the law - but Wal-Mart is thinking how that might cost them. Wal-Mart is defending itself in the largest workplace class action suit in US history. Nearly 2 million women are suing, saying that they were treated unfairly, were paid less and not given promotions as often as men. This kind of treatment is not only illegal - it violates the rights we celebrate on July 4th and every day.
Wal-Mart takes advantage of Uncle Sam by exploiting tax loopholes, abandoning employees to rely on state-provided medical coverage and keeping able workers at part-time hours. Is this the prosperity the founding fathers had in mind in 1776?
From sea to shining sea? Not if Wal-Mart has anything to say about it. Even though the company touts its environmental steps forward, little has actually been accomplished and there is still much more to do. Perhaps that’s why Wal-Mart still hasn’t released its overdue sustainable values network report it promised this spring.
Wal-Mart keeps the American Dream out of reach for thousands of people - not only its employees, but in the communities it builds in, the countries it sources from and ultimately the customers it claims to serve.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, July 03 | 60 comments | Permalink
Think Wal-Mart Isn’t a Civil Rights Issue?
Wal-Mart pushed to improve poor civil rights record [Workday Minnesota]
Community, faith and union leaders gathered Thursday at the Wal-Mart store in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood to denounce the retailer’s poor civil rights record.
The action was one of 13 taking place across the country to call attention to the employment practices of the nation’s largest employer. The theme of the protest: “Think Wal-Mart Isn’t a Civil Rights Issue? Think Again.”
Currently, more than 2 million female Wal-Mart employees or former employees are part of the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history. In addition, some 10,000 African-American truck drivers are suing the company for racial discrimination.
In addition to discrimination, all Wal-Mart workers are suffering from economic inequality at the company, the demonstrators said. The average full-time Wal-Mart worker earns $2,000 below the poverty line for a family of four, according to data compiled by the website, http://www.wakeupwalmart.com
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, June 29 | 1 comments | Permalink
Religious Community Worries About Wal-Mart’s Influence
Fearing Wal-Mart Will Bring Too Much of the Outside In [New York Times]
It seems whenever Wal-Mart proposes a new store, controversy sprouts. Across the country, environmentalists, unions, civic associations and churches have objected to the retailer’s plans to drop anchor in their communities, citing concerns about traffic and crime, merchandise and employment policies and the overall quality of life.
But the protest of a planned 215,000-square-foot store here has a decidedly religious overtone.
When residents talk about traffic, they are fearful for the safety of families walking to synagogue on Saturdays. When they fret about merchandise, they wonder if frowned-upon items like bikinis and lingerie will be on display for everyone to see. And when they imagine the outsiders who would shop at the store, they worry that their presence could transform the town’s pious, sheltered atmosphere.
“The reason a lot of us came to live in Monsey is because we wanted to raise our families in a safe place, away from the influences of the outside world,” said Yossi Weinberger, 30, a father of four who works at a local travel agency. “I’m not sure it will be easy to do it if we have such a gigantic piece of the outside world move to our town.”
Philip H. Serghini, a public affairs manager for Wal-Mart, has visited the community of 28,000, most of them Hasidic Jews, at least six times since October. He has met in private with about two dozen rabbis to explain the company’s proposal to turn a shuttered drive-in theater on Route 59 into a retail magnet for miles around.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, June 25 | 7 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart’s Stalled GLBT Policies
Wal-Mart’s lack of support for the GLBT community starts isn’t just a matter of political funding: it starts within the stores themselves. Our newest fact sheet examines Wal-Mart’s employment policies regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees, and the ways in which the company continues to lag behind its competitors in equality standards. From the fact sheet:
- Wal-Mart remains one of the few national retailers that do not extend health care and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners.
- Wal-Mart has yet to expand its non-discrimination policy to include gender identity.
- While Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in America, they have yet to reach the same standards regarding GLBT issues as its competitors and the majority of the Fortune 500.
Click here to download the fact sheet.
Posted by Media Team on Friday, June 22 | 20 comments | Permalink
New Report from Wal-Mart Watch: Wal-Mart in Crisis
At its annual shareholder meeting earlier this month, Wal-Mart announced plans to slow construction of new domestic stores, a first in the company’s history. Wal-Mart’s business model has depended on new store construction to remain successful, and this announcement has major implications for the company. Our new report, “Wal-Mart in Crisis: How the World’s Largest Retailer Lost its Way,” examines what these developments mean for Wal-Mart. From the introduction:
Wal-Mart’s attempts to sustain its growth during the past few years have been met with enormous challenges and setbacks. Its same-store sales numbers are down, its stock is flat, its growth has leveled off and it is continuously plagued by self-inflicted public relations problems. While other large U.S. retailers like Target and Costco are prospering, Wal-Mart is floundering…
This special report from Wal-Mart Watch, “Wal-Mart in Crisis: How the World’s Largest Retailer Lost Its Way,” provides insight into the dilemma Wal-Mart faces as it attempts to turn its massive ship around. It examines the immediate and long-term growth problems of the company and offers evidence that Wal-Mart must re-examine its business model to sustain itself and adequately address upcoming challenges.
Click here to download the full report (PDF) >>
Posted by Media Team on Wednesday, June 20 | 8 comments | Permalink
What do Wal-Mart Employees Have to Cheer For?
Comparing the cheering crowds at today’s shareholders meeting with the recent class action lawsuit certified against the company, CNBC asks, “Are Wal-Mart’s workers happy?”
Worker Wars at Wal-Mart [CNBC]
A number of unions dislike Wal-Mart for what some call unacceptable working conditions. But some of Wal-Mart’s 1.3 million US workers are celebrating the company at today’s annual shareholder meeting. So, does Wal-Mart really treat its employees fairly or not? Joining me now is Judith Spanier, plaintiffs’ attorney and partner at Abbey, Spanier, Rod and Abrhams. She won a verdict - a $78 million verdict - for employees who sued Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania and now has a similar case in New Jersey, the case that was certified yesterday, I believe. And Eliza Herzberg is partner and employment lawyer at Olshan, Grundman, Frome. Nice to have you back here, ladies. Pleasure.
SPANIER: Nice to be here.
HERZBERG: Nice to be here.
CNBC: Judith, let me start with you if I could. Obviously, given your background of winning a case once and getting this case certified you do not believe that Wal-Mart treats its employees fairly - specifically, why?
SPANIER: Wal-Mart’s workers really have no voice except for litigation. The only thing that Wal-Mart fights harder than class certification of lawsuits is the unionization of its workers. Wal-Mart’s efforts against unions, against what it refers to as “third party representation,” are really endless and very hard-fought. They’ll close a store if they think a union has even the most remote chance of succeeding rather than permitting union organization in its stores. Wal-Mart has a policy called the “open door” policy, but, as a practical matter, you open the door to complain I think you’re going to be shown the door. That is certainly what we’ve seen in the context of the litigation of these lawsuits.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, June 01 | 34 comments | Permalink
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