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Wal-Mart Watch Statement Regarding Wal-Mart Worker Tragedy On Long Island
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
PRESS INQUIRIES
For press inquiries, contact us at (202) 557-7440.
In response to the tragic death of New York Wal-Mart worker Jdimytai Damour on Black Friday, Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director David Nassar released the following statement:
“Wal-Mart Watch extends our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Jdimytai Damour, who was killed last Friday while working at a Wal-Mart on Long Island.
“While Mr. Damour’s death was an accident, Wal-Mart Watch believes it can be attributed to Wal-Mart’s blatant disregard for the concern and safety of its workers and customers. Already, many news reports have exposed Wal-Mart’s failure to provide adequate security staff and appropriate training for its employees in anticipation of the Black Friday crowd.
“Unfortunately, this disregard is not an isolated situation, but an everyday occurrence. In fact, we receive disturbing workplace accounts from Wal-Mart workers every day and post them on our walmartspeakout.com website. Over the last three and a half years we have exposed the company’s poor treatment of its workers and tried our best to get Wal-Mart to hear the message that the company was putting its workers at risk.
“Wal-Mart has largely responded to criticism with public relations campaigns attempting to improve its poor image and quell critics. But, the company ultimately refuses to listen to its employees or its critics and refuses to change. The result is a dangerous situation for Wal-Mart workers. Like Mr. Damour, they have no voice and no seat at the table to determine how they are treated.
“Wal-Mart’s stubbornness makes the Employee Free Choice Act the next best alternative. The legislation will make it easier for workers to form unions should they choose to do so - and more difficult for Wal-Mart to thwart the process, which it has done time and time again.
“Workers should have had a voice in setting policy for Black Friday operations across the country. We believe that if they had, it is doubtful that an untrained, temporary worker with little support would have been required to hold back 2000 customers, putting employees’ and customers’ lives at risk and ultimately ending in tragedy.”
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