MINNESOTA SITE FIGHT: LOOKING AT A REDESIGN
Vadnais Heights Wal-Mart redesign proving persuasive [Twin Cities (Minn.) Pioneer Press]
If at first you don’t succeed, do it better.
Since Wal-Mart’s attempt to expand to a supercenter in Vadnais Heights went down in flames last year, it has teamed up with a developer and a top-notch architect whose stylish plan appears to give the city most of what it wanted.
The Vadnais Heights City Council on Tuesday delayed deliberations on a proposal for an outdoor shopping mall that includes a Wal-Mart supercenter to allow more time for public input.
Council members emphasized they have not reached a decision but acknowledged the new plan is attractive. The Village at Vadnais Heights would have sculptures, a small forest and 1.7 miles of walkways in a design that ties into City Hall across the street.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Thursday, July 19 | 0 comments | Permalink
WISCONSIN SITE FIGHT: STILL FIGHTING
Group continues Wal-Mart fight [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Hartford - The opponents of a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the city’s west side are still fighting, taking their case to a three-judge state appeals panel hoping to get their “day in court.”
Meanwhile, construction of the 185,000-square-foot department store on 22 acres continues, as do the legal expenses for the city and the opposition group, Hartford Citizens for Responsible Government.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
Independent America: Life Without the Big Box
In 2005, two reporters set out to drive across America in search of Mom-and-Pop stores. Unlike those who have gone before them, this dynamic duo avoided Wal-Marts, chain hotels and side-of-the-road fast food joints in hopes of gaining a better understanding of how Small Town America is reacting to changing economic situations, and what people are doing about it.
From YouTube:
Visit http://www.independentamerica.net/ for more, and be sure to catch the movie on the Sundance Channel on July 30th.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
MICHIGAN SITE FIGHT: HASTINGS-AREA WAL-MART DRAWS CLOSER
Hastings-area Wal-Mart draws closer [Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press]
RUTLAND TOWNSHIP—A conditional rezoning request clearing the way for a Wal-Mart superstore was approved on first reading Wednesday, with the Township Board agreeing with its Planning Commission’s recommendation.
Accepting the recommendation on first reading means “conceptually you agree to it,” said Township Supervisor Jim Carr. “It’s not effective until after the second reading, plus eight days after that to give (the public) time for a referendum.”
If there is no referendum, the rezoning goes into effect, Carr said. The second reading will take place at the Aug. 8 board meeting.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Thursday, July 12 | 1 comments | Permalink
Ohio: Wal-Mart Still Committed To Colerain Towne Center
Wal-Mart still returning to Colerain Towne Center [(Cincinnati, Ohio) Community Press & Recorder]
Work on the new Wal-Mart Superstore at Colerain Towne Center is slowing, but a company spokesman says the company is still committed to the project.
In June, Wal-Mart told investors that it was moderating the growth of its super centers.
Wal-Mart opened a new super center at Colerain Avenue and Ronald Reagan Highway, in the Colerain Hills Shopping Center, on Sept. 20. When it did, it closed the older store up the street in the Colerain Towne Center. The firm then announced it would build a super center on the site of the old store about five miles from the new super center.
Ron Mosby, Wal-Mart senior manager of public affairs for Ohio, said the project is still moving forward.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, July 09 | 0 comments | Permalink
MD Law Encourages Big Box Stores To Go Solar
Among the 191 new state laws that take effect in the state of Maryland today, the effects of one may not be seen for a few years. Make no mistake, however. Its sponsor believes the law could serve as a national model and could reduce the cost of electricity, as traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas become more expensive.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed Senate Bill 595, which modifies the state’s renewable energy requirement to include a minimum percentage of solar power, starting at 0.005 percent of retail electricity sales in 2008 and increasing to 2 percent of electricity sales by 2022. The law is designed to encourage the use of solar panels by big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, July 02 | 5 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Watch Report: “Work at Your Own Risk”
Wal-Mart Watch today released a new report on the retail giant’s workers’ inadequate workers’ compensation program that exposes serious risks to both its workers and the public. The report, titled “Work At Your Own Risk,” highlights ways Wal-Mart puts the health of their employees as risk while shifting the burden of caring for its on-the-job injured employees onto the taxpayer. It explains how Wal-Mart, the United States’ largest private employer, has a track record of difficulty in complying with state workers’ compensation laws, while putting its employees’ health in jeopardy. The study examines seven state case studies that have ramifications for the company’s operations in all 50 states. Key examples include:
- In 2001, the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries made the unprecedented move of threatening to seize control of Wal-Mart’s entire injured worker program, after the company showed itself “unwilling or unable to manage its workers’ compensation program as required by law.” A decertification case ultimately was settled, but Wal-Mart is prohibited from self-administering its workers’ compensation program claims in Washington until 2010.
- In 2004, Maine amended the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act and began tracking workers’ compensation payments and claims challenges, finding Wal-Mart’s challenging of workers’ compensation claims was “off the charts.”
- Class action was filed in 2007 in Oklahoma for retaliation against employees who filed workers’ compensation claims. The charges include cutting hours, transferring employees to less desirable positions, and termination. There are over 30,000 people employed by Wal-Mart in Oklahoma.
- Individual stories reflect a policy, whether formal or informal, of fighting claims regardless of validity, and delaying payments as long as possible. The result is an increase in the number of employees forced onto federal and state programs to pay for treatment and subsidize lost wages, effectively shifting the cost of compensation workers away from Wal-Mart and onto taxpayers.
Click here to read the full report.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, June 28 | 19 comments | Permalink
Illinois Comptroller Calls for Wal-Mart Investigation
Illinois State Comptroller William Atwood joins the call for Wal-Mart to release documents regarding the company’s surveillance pratices.
The head of Illinois’ state employee pension fund on Tuesday joined New York City’s comptroller in saying Wal-Mart Stores Inc. should turn over records dating to 2002 to show whether it spied on shareholders who wanted annual meetings to adopt policies opposed by management.
Wal-Mart has denied allegations by a fired former security operative that it snooped on investors. But New York City Comptroller William Thompson said he has “a credible basis” to believe the company conducted surveillance and investigations of shareholders.
William Atwood, executive director of the Illinois State Board of Investment, said Wal-Mart’s denials are not enough to lay the issue to rest.
“This isn’t going away,” Atwood said. “Let’s open up the files and let an external set of eyes look at it.”
A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company received a letter from Thompson last week. “We are studying the letter and will respond appropriately,” he said.
The Illinois state fund has total assets of $12.6 billion. Thompson oversees five pension funds for New York City worth a total of about $105 billion.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, June 27 | 7 comments | Permalink
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