About Us
In Spring 2005, Wal-Mart Watch began a nationwide public education campaign to challenge the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen.
Wal-Mart Watch aggressively tells a new, more truthful Wal-Mart story. We bridge the gap between ordinary citizens and community organizations concerned about Wal-Mart's unchecked growth and negative impact on our society. We challenge Wal-Mart to embrace its moral responsibility as the nation's biggest and most important corporation.
Our aim is real change—transparent and lasting—to benefit Wal-Mart communities. To date, we have made remarkable progress in getting Wal-Mart to respond to a wide array of concerns about its business practices. Wal-Mart has acknowledged the harm it causes by providing poor health benefits that force its employees to seek taxpayer-supported public assistance. It has taken some promising first steps on a long road toward creating a more environment-friendly business. We are hopeful the company is serious when it acknowledges that change is necessary, and we will continue to push Wal-Mart forward.
As our nation's largest employer and most successful company, Wal-Mart is most certainly an American institution. Wal-Mart occupies a unique position in our world by virtue of its size, reach and responsibility for the livelihoods of millions of workers and the needs of billions of consumers. And with such overwhelming influence come certain moral responsibilities.
In 2006 we launched A Handshake with Sam, seven moral principles that reflect sound business practices and responsible corporate behavior in the twenty-first century. Our mission is to persuade Wal-Mart to assume its leadership role as America's largest corporation and enact positive change. If Wal-Mart commits to these principles and assumes the moral responsibility we expect of our biggest and most important American corporation, it will have proven worthy of America's admiration.
Read more about our campaign in our Media Archive here.
WHO WE ARE
Wal-Mart Watch is a joint project of The Center for Community & Corporate Ethics, a 501c3 organization devoted to studying the impact of large corporations on society, and its advocacy arm, Five Stones.
The Center’s Board of Directors includes:
- Andrew Stern, President, Service Employees International Union
- Judy Lichtman, Founder, National Partnership for Women & Families
- Chellie Pingree, President and CEO, Common Cause
- Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
- Roger Wilkins, George Mason University
Contributions to Five Stones are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
INFORMATION
Click here (PDF) to read The Center for Community & Corporate Ethics 2007 IRS Form 990.
Click here (PDF) to read Five Stones' 2007 IRS Form 990.
RECOMMENDED ORGANIZATIONS
Wal-Mart Watch works with countless national, local, and international organizations who support and compliment our work. Please learn more about the work of our partners by reading more about them.
Click here to learn more about our recommended organizations.
CONTACT US
Click here to contact us online or:
1130 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 430
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 557-7440
