Wal-Mart Watch Supporters Call On Wal-Mart Directors to Help Change Retail Giant
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 30, 2007 – On the eve of Wal-Mart’s annual shareholder meeting on Friday, Wal-Mart Watch last evening sent letters from more than 7,500 concerned citizens in all 50 states to Wal-Mart’s board of directors. The letters, solicited online by Wal-Mart Watch, call on board members to address “real and imminent threats to its growth and sustainability” and “compel the company to make meaningful changes to its business practices.”
Wal-Mart’s 14 directors will each receive a packet today that includes the letters signed by 7,526 Wal-Mart Watch supporters, and a DVD compilation of personal appeals to board members. Below are excerpts, the full letter and the video:
Eric Miller from Athens, Ohio writes: “Sam Walton was revolutionary in his ideas and commitment to corporate responsibility. He would be very disappointed in what his company has become.”
Kristen Osman from Upland, California, writes: “Wal-Mart can be about so much more than making money. It can be about leading the industry in fair labor practices. It can be about leading the field in environmentally sensitive causes. To many that I know, Wal-Mart has become a symbol of all that disturbs them about big business. You CAN change their minds and get them back into your stores by showing the kind of compassion for the world around you that wins the hearts and minds of your customers.”
Beth from Brooklyn, New York, writes: “It is unethical and unconscionable that a corporation as large as Wal-Mart does not provide health insurance for all its employees. It is unacceptable that your employees are eligible for Medicaid and that the rest of the employers in this country are paying for your increased profit. It is a simple matter of taking responsibility for your share of society’s burdens.”
Chris Penner from Santa Barbara, California writes: “I respect your right to make a profit. As a fellow member of the human race, I implore you to consider the whole picture of the impacts of your company on communities, individuals, local economies, workers’ quality of life around the globe, and the environment. A company as large as yours has the potential to do good around the world, and still make a profit. It is grossly apparent that profit trumps humanity at Wal-Mart.”
The full text of the letter is available at: http://walmartwatch.com/letter
The video compilation of the letter’s contents is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J27E6eszoFM
Wal-Mart Watch’s updated 2007 Board of Directors Report is also available at:
http://walmartwatch.com/img/blog/BOD_profiles_2007-2008.pdf
