Wal-Mart Watch Statement in Response to Chicago Shutting Out Wal-Mart
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 09, 2008
In response to today’s Chicago Tribune story, “A closeout for Wal-Mart” regarding the final derailment of Wal-Mart’s expansion in Chicago, Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director David Nassar released the following statement:
“Wal-Mart’s defeat in Chicago, a city at the center of Wal-Mart’s urban expansion plans, is a victory for all those who took a stand against Wal-Mart’s low wages and poor benefits. Wal-Mart’s unwillingness to do the right thing and pay its workers a living wage led to the ultimate downfall of its expansion in the Chicago market.
“It’s particularly ironic that this news comes on the same day Wal-Mart executive Eduardo Castro-Wright is bemoaning the paycheck-to-paycheck economy. The fact is that Wal-Mart’s labor practices have contributed to the nation’s weakened economy. The company refuses to pay its 1.4 million U.S. workers a living wage - often forcing them to live in poverty and on public assistance.
“The average Wal-Mart worker makes less than $20,000 annually - below the federal poverty level for a family of four. If Wal-Mart wants to stimulate the economy and move into major urban markets, it should raise the wages of its workers to increase their spending power and quality of life.
“The company may currently be benefiting from a weak economy, but it is short-sighted for Wal-Mart not to improve wages and benefits for its employees and will continue to impede its ability to expand into new markets, as our research and Chicago’s actions have shown.
“A recent study also shows that Wal-Mart - which made more than $12 billion in net profit last year - is well positioned to raise wages and help its employees live better. With its low prices at-all-costs focus, Wal-Mart may appear to help the U.S. economy. But the reality is that with its poor wages and benefits, Wal-Mart makes its workers and the communities where it operates poorer.”
