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Wal-Mart To Lay Off 300 At Bentonville Headquarters -02.17.10 | Arkansas Business

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Fact Sheets

The Employee Free Choice Act Legislation that will truly make a difference for Wal-Mart workers

Wage & Hour Issues Read how Wal-Mart continually fails to pay every worker for every hour worked

Health Care Wal-Mart's still insures barely over half its employees on the company plan

Always Low Wages Poverty-level wages make life extremely difficult for Wal-Mart's 1.4 million workers

The Environment How Wal-Mart's business model is detrimental for our planet

Research Center:

TITLE DATE
Sacred Lands: Wal-Mart’s Relationship with Native Americans This Wal-Mart Watch fact sheet examines Wal-Mart’s relationship with Native Americans, both in its stores and in its development practices. 09/16/08
Wal-Mart’s New Health Plan: Medicaid In the most recent report from Policy Matters Ohio, Wal-Mart tops the list of Ohio employers with the most employees receiving government health care assistance. 09/04/08
Wal-Mart: Save Money, Bust Unions Wal-Mart is on the verge of closing a garage in Gatineau, Canada, which is close to unionizing. Read about the company’s long history of anti-union behavior in our new fact sheet. 08/13/08
2005 “My Benefits” Associate Guide This book explains details of Wal-Mart’s health insurance plan as of 2005.  07/29/08
Save Money, Live Better: Wal-Mart’s State Tax Avoidance Schemes Wal-Mart, using tax avoidance schemes provided to it by the accounting firm Ernst & Young, has short-changed many states out of millions of dollars of state tax money. 07/21/08
Collective Report on Business and Human Rights Presented directly to Members of the 8th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva during the first week of June 2008, this Collective Report on Business and Human Rights aims to bring light to situations in which companies have harmed the enjoyment of human rights. 07/17/08
Resurrection of the Robber Barons: Reassessing the theory of the firm A report from Susan Clark Muntean at UC San Diego examining corporate political action using Wal-Mart as a case study. 07/07/08
Wal-Mart and the World (NOW with Bill Moyers) The debate over Wal-Mart’s effect on American towns and the American workforce is not new. “Wal-Martization” has become a code word for suburban sprawl. Yet this fall, the volume of that debate appears to have been turned up.  07/01/08
Wal-Mart’s Taxing Strategies A report that looks at Wal-Mart’s tax loophole strategies. 05/30/08
Does Wal-Mart Sell Inferior Goods? A report from Emek Basker at the University of Missouri that questions the quality of Wal-Mart’s goods. 05/30/08
Breaking from Tradition: The Unionization of Wal-Mart China A Wal-Mart Watch fact sheet on the unionized workers of Wal-Mart’s China stores. 04/08/08
U.S. and China Lose in Wal-Mart’s Global Economy Wal-Mart’s history of importing cheap goods from China and other countries, where labor costs are low and safety and environmental regulations are lax has a detrimental effect on the citizens of both the U.S. and China. 04/08/08
The Wal-Mart Debate: A False Choice Between Prices and Wages A study from the Economic Policy Institute examining Wal-Mart’s low prices, and whether the company could afford to pay its workers better. 03/31/08
Co-op America’s Guide to Ending Sweatshops Co-op America report on how to end sweatshops and building a sweatshop-free lifestyle. 03/27/08
The Impact of the Wal-Mart Phenomenon on Rural Communities A report by the Farm Foundation on the impact of Wal-Mart stores on local retail sectors. 02/05/08
Eugene Scalia: Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report Public financial disclosure from Eugene Scalia. 01/23/08
International Worker Rights Class Action Against Wal-Mart In the most comprehensive legal campaign yet, a suit was filed in September 2005 on behalf of workers from four continents for massive, systematic wage and hour violations. 01/23/08
Jared Bowen’s Complaint to the Department of Labor Jared Bowen, a young executive at Wal-Mart, was fired soon after reporting unlawful activity within the company’s headquarters. 01/23/08
What Do We Know About Wal-Mart? An Overview of Facts and Studies This report from the Brennan Center “is intended to help New Yorkers make informed policy decisions about economic development in their communities.” 01/14/08
Wal-Mart and Health Care: Condition Critical A report from the Center for a Changing Workforce on Wal-Mart’s insufficient health care policies. 01/14/08
Rhetoric v. Reality: Wal-Mart’s 2007 Holiday Sales Despite some random, recent assertions that Wal-Mart is on the right track and may outperform Target for the 2007 holiday season, Wal-Mart’s business model remains unsustainable.  01/08/08
Is Wal-Mart Really A ‘Green’ Company? While Wal-Mart has taken some commendable steps forward during the past year, the company has a long way to go to reverse the damage it has inflicted and show it is serious about its environmental efforts.  01/04/08
Wal-Mart:  A College Curriculum “Wal-Mart: A College Curriculum” is a 37-page, multi-disciplinary curriculum designed for college and university professors to incorporate into their undergraduate courses.  01/04/08
Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: Gender Discrimination At Wal-Mart The inaugural issue of Wal-Mart Watch’s issue paper, In Depth, focuses on gender discrimination at Wal-Mart and the massive class action lawsuit female employees are waging against the company. 01/04/08
Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: Sustaining Wal-Mart The March/April issue of Wal-Mart Watch In Depth examines Wal-Mart’s sustainability: not only their environmental efforts, but their business model as a whole. Articles examine Wal-Mart’s land use strategies, exhaustive labor practices and ways the company can improve its prospects. From this issue’s Letter from the Executive Director: 01/04/08
Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: Eat At Your Own Risk What lies behind the smiley face in Wal-Mart’s grocery aisle? Wal-Mart markets itself as an all-American, family-friendly grocer, but the truth behind the marketing is very different. Imported from countries with scant safety regulations, frequently-recalled and ineffectively regulated, the food for sale at Wal-Mart stores poses a threat to consumers everywhere. 01/04/08
Danger for Sale: How Wal-Mart’s Unethical Practices Endanger Consumers In this issue, “Danger for Sale,” we expose Wal-Mart’s woeful record on consumer product safety issues. Whether it is E. Coli in the meat, melamine in the dog food, or lead paint on the children’s toys – far too many dangerous products have turned up on Wal-Mart’s shelves, and far too little effort has been given by Wal-Mart to ensure the safety and well-being of its customers. 01/04/08
A Handshake with Sam An agreement of shared principles offered in good faith to the executives and board members of Wal-Mart.  01/04/08
Out with the Old: Wal-Mart’s Year-Long Pursuit of a Younger, Cheaper Workforce In October, 2005, an internal memo to the Wal-Mart Board of Directors explained the corporation’s plans to scale back employee benefits and reduce health care coverage for its employees.Out With the Old examines how Wal-Mart has changed its health care system since then, and where it is headed. 01/04/08
Wal-Mart’s Tax Avoidance Schemes How Wal-Mart’s Pursuit of Lower Taxes Has Cost States and Communities Millions 01/03/08
Results of Wal-Mart Watch/Westhill 2007 Public Opinion Survey A summary of the findings of Wal-Mart Watch’s April 2007 poll of consumer perceptions of Wal-Mart.  01/03/08
Board of Directors Profiles Want to know more about the 15 men and women steering Wal-Mart? Learn more about the company’s Board of Directors in this report. 01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Worker Compensation Program How Wal-Mart’s Workers’ Compensation Practices Are Costing Its Workers, the States and Taxpayers 01/03/08
It’s Not Easy Being Green: The Truth Behind Wal-Mart’s Environmental Makeover Wal-Mart’s impact on our states, cities and towns is felt in a multitude of ways. Of particular importance are the adverse effects that Wal-Mart imposes on the environment. 01/03/08
The Wal-Mart Fake Blog Controversy: Anatomy of a Public Relations Disaster “Richard Edelman posted the apology in his blog yesterday afternoon, roughly a week after Wal-Mart Watch and BusinessWeek, in separate events, exposed the pair behind “Wal-Marting Across America” as Washington Post photographer Jim Thresher and freelance writer Laura St. Claire.” 01/03/08
Wal-Mart: Opposed to Country of Origin Labeling Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the world, opposes legislation that would require food to be labeled with its country of origin. 01/03/08
Wal-Mart and Hazardous Waste Every Wal-Mart store uses and sells items with hazardous chemical ingredients. Wal-Mart is currently under investigation in California and Nevada for failing to dispose of these materials correctly. 01/03/08
Importing Danger: How Wal-Mart’s Massive Imports from China Threaten America’s Food Supply Wal-Mart imports the vast majority of the products it sells – including much of its food – from overseas, particularly China. 01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Flat Same-Store Sales Wal-Mart’s dwindling same-store sales are about far more than the weather.  01/03/08
Consumer Safety at Wal-Mart As the world’s largest company and the nation’s leading grocer, Wal-Mart’s actions have a tremendous impact on the health and safety of Americans.  01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Stalled GLBT Policies Information on Wal-Mart’s health benefits, discrimination policy and corporate behavior towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees. 01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Global Labor Violations Over the past few years, the retailer has accumulated a bevy of sweatshops to produce cheap goods at the cost of exploited labor.  01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Critical Role in Toy Safety Wal-Mart sells more toys than any other retailer, importing them from countries with lax oversight policies through manufacturers under pressure to keep prices - and quality - low. Wal-Mart has a history of consumer safety deception, and its current toy safety procedures do not go far enough. 01/03/08
Congressional Toy Safety Hearings: Where’s Wal-Mart? As Congressional hearings commence to investigate the dangerous Chinese toy recalls, the House and Senate are calling some of the industry’s largest players to testify about their roles in the process. 01/03/08
Wal-Mart’s Wage and Hour Violations Wal-Mart is currently facing more than 80 lawsuits at various stages of the legal process. The potential financial impact of these cases and those still to come are massive, even for a behemoth such as Wal-Mart.  01/03/08
Cutting Corners: Wal-Mart’s “Improved” 2008 Health Care Offering Falls Short Despite widespread criticism of the strategy outlined in her memo and Wal-Mart’s denial of plans to implement such a strategy, Wal-Mart is following Susan Chambers’ advice. 01/03/08
Dukes v Wal-Mart Class Action Certification Official certification of the class status of Dukes v Wal-Mart. 12/20/07
Audio: Brad Seligman argues for the Platiffs at Wal-Mart’s Appeal, Dukes v. Wal-Mart Audio of Brad Seligman, lawyer for the Plaintiffs, arguing at Wal-Mart’s appeal, Dukes v. Wal-Mart (August, 2005) 12/20/07
Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association Human Rights Watch’s first report on US-based labor violations, this report examines Wal-Mart’s systematic anti-union practices. 12/20/07
Principles for Safe, Healthy, Responsible and Toxic-Free Retail [Friends of the Earth] Thousands of toxic or untested chemicals are in the products sold in major retail stores and are placed into workers’ and communities’ environments during the production and disposal of products we buy and use every day from these stores. 12/20/07
Letter to Lee Scott Re: Organic Products [Cornucopia Institute- Mark A. Kastel] The reason for this letter is to alert Wal-Mart management, at the highest levels, of this misstep. It is not too late to turn this around for the benefit of the company and the organic community as a whole. In that regard we would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and your management team to help develop an alternative strategy that will benefit both Wal-Mart shareholders and society. 12/20/07
Wal-Mart: The Nation’s Largest Grocer Rolls-out Organic Products This spring’s announcement by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., that it would dramatically expand its product offerings of organic food has left many organic industry officials and consumers questioning the corporation’s likely impact.  12/20/07
Potential Lists for Chemical Hazard Database A list from Friends of the Earth of toxic chemicals found in consumer goods. 12/20/07
Standards for Suppliers Wal-Mart’s standards and expectations for its supplier companies. 12/20/07
Friends of the Earth Letter to Wal-Mart Executives This letter, signed by representatives from 16 environmental health groups, urges Wal-Mart to phase out toxic chemicals. 12/20/07
Wal-Mart Real Wage and Turnover Study [Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now] Through a public records request, WARN obtained copies of reports of employee quarterly earnings filed with the State of Florida by employers for purposes of determining unemployment compensation tax liability. 12/20/07
Wal-Mart 2006 Expansion Plans: New Store Openings A Wal-Mart internal document detailing all new US store openings in 2006. 12/20/07
Findings and Implications Concerning Reputation- Excerpts from Meeting with Corporate Relations Team Wal-Mart universally credited for providing low prices and good value Sincere concerns exist that Wal-Mart is not treating its employees well, is too aggressive, and is hurting local communities 12/20/07
The Impact of Substantial Labor Cost Increases on Apparel Retail Prices Workers’ Rights Consortium report on labor cost increases and how such increases would impact product prices in Wal-Mart stores. 12/20/07
Survey of Attitudes Among Voters, Staten Island, NY. Polling data on Staten Island residents’ views of a proposed Wal-Mart store. 12/20/07
Bear Sterns Report on Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (2004) This report from Bear Stearns examines Wal-Mart’s pricing strategy. 12/20/07
Asda Wal-Mart: The Alternative Report This report from War on Want reviews Wal-Mart’s record over and against its rhetoric on corporate social responsibility and recommends action, both to send a message to Wal-Mart and to redress some of the damage inflicted by the company’s operations. 12/20/07
Betty v. Goliath: A History of Dukes v. Wal-Mart A Wal-Mart Watch special report on the background of the landmark Dukes v Wal-Mart class action discrimination lawsuit. 12/19/07
ASDA Wal-Mart:  The Alternative Report In all its activities,Wal-Mart prides itself on its overriding desire to cut costs to a minimum. Yet Wal-Mart’s relentless pursuit of the lowest possible prices has taken a heavy toll on its employees and suppliers. 12/19/07
Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America? This television special from PBS’s “Fronline” examines the impact Wal-Mart has on several aspects of American life. 12/19/07
The Wal-Mart Tax: Shifting Health Care Costs to Taxpayers This report from the AFL-CIO examines Wal-Mart’s practice of shifting costs away from the company and on to taxpayers. “This abuse of poverty health care programs means Wal-Mart is directly contributing to the nation’s Medicaid crisis.” 12/19/07
Wal-Mart Exports from China, Exports Ohio Jobs More than half of the jobs lost from Ohio’s manufacturing sector were shipped overseas. Not surprisingly, as Ohio lost significant numbers of manufacturing jobs, imports from China surged. 12/19/07
Channel Blurring & Consumer Trends PowerPoint presentation from AC Neilson on consumer trends, including a section devoted exclusively to Wal-Mart. (2006) 12/19/07
Wrestling with Wal-Mart: Tradeoffs Between Profits, Prices and Wages A working paper from the Economic Policy Institute examining the costs and benefits of Wal-Mart stores.  12/19/07
Wal-Mart in Crisis: How the World’s Largest Retailer Lost Its Way This special report from Wal-Mart Watch provides insight into the dilemma Wal-Mart faces as it attempts to turn its massive ship around. 12/19/07
Competing with the Discount Mass Merchandisers University of Iowa study on discount retailers, membership warehouse clubs and the oversaturation of many US retail markets. 12/19/07
Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart Workforce This report by CSU professor (and counsel for Dukes v. Wal-Mart) Richard Drogin examines gender-based patterns in Wal-Mart’s hiring and promotion practices. 12/19/07
The Impact of Big Box Grocers on Southern California: Jobs, Wages and Municipal Finances This report, prepared for the Orange County Business Council by professors at UCLA and UC Irvine, examines the impacts - both positive and negative - of supercenters on local economies. 12/19/07
Community Benefits Agreements: Making Development Projects Accountable This report from Good Jobs First explains and describes Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) — deals between developers and coalitions of community organizations, addressing a broad range of community needs. 12/19/07
Economic Impact of Wal-Mart Supercenters on Existing Businesses in Mississippi (ISU, MSU) A report from professors at Iowa State University and Mississippi State University examines the effect Wal-Mart stores have on existing businesses. 12/19/07
Shopping for Subsidies (Good Jobs First) How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never-Ending Growth 12/19/07
Neither Global Nor Standard: Corporate Strategies in the New Era Of Labor Standards This report from Cornell University examines the implications of regulating labor standards through corporations, rather than national law. 12/19/07
Wal-Mart: An Example of Why Workers Remain Uninsured and Underinsured (AFL-CIO) This report from the AFL-CIO examines why fewer than half of Wal-Mart’s employees are insured under the company plan. 12/19/07
A Downward Push: The Impact of Wal-Mart Stores on Retail Wages and Benefits This study from U.C. Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education examines Wal-Mart stores’ effect on local wages and employee benefits. 12/06/07
University of Pennsylvania: Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty Wal-Mart unequivocally raised family poverty rates in US counties during the 1990s relative to places that had no such stores. 12/05/07
UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research: Living Wage Policies and Wal-Mart Wal-Mart could increase its minimum wage to $10 per hour and greatly boost the well-being of its low-income workers with little financial impact on most shoppers. 12/05/07
Social Movements as Extra-institutional Entrepreneurs A look of how outsiders gain corporate influence through the lens of social movement theory 11/28/07
Labor Rights are Human Rights A review of Canadian labor rights from a human rights perspective. 11/26/07
Campaign to Organize Wal-Mart in Canada A look into UFCW’s attempts to organize Wal-Mart Canada. 11/26/07
UK Competition Commission on ASDA A report from the British competition watchdog about concerns regarding ASDA and other local retailers’ retail practices. 11/26/07
ASDA Employees in Wal-Mart Wal-Mart’s takeover of ASDA was a “meeting of cultures.” 11/20/07
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 2007 Sustainability Report “We have found that there is no conflict between our business model of everyday low costs and everyday low prices and being a more sustainable business.” 11/19/07
2008 Wal-Mart Associate Benefits Book View the 2008 Wal-Mart Associate Benefits, which clearly delineates workers’ rights and a “fair” healthcare plan. 10/19/07
The Pirate Bay Wal-Mart advertises on an illegal file sharing website known as Pirate Bay 01/22/07
Foreign Ventures Come to Terms with China’s Labor Unions An article from The New Republic on Wal-Mart’s co-operation with labor unions at its Chinese stores.  12/15/06
Wal-Mart’s Health Plan Changes in 2006 In 2006, as a result of pressure from outside groups, Wal-Mart made minor changes in its health-care plans. 11/23/06
Lee’s Garage Examples of internal correspondence between Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott and his managers. 11/03/06
Bank of Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart attempts to open an industrial loan corporation 11/02/06
Wal-Mart and Walton Family Lobbying Billions of dollars can buy political influence 11/01/06
Issue Background Documents Background information on various issues related to Wal-Mart 11/01/06
Out with the Old—Wal-Mart’s Year-Long Pursuit of a Younger, Cheaper Workforce Wal-Mart Watch explores the changes made by Wal-Mart a year after the release of the controversial Chambers Memo. 10/30/06
Shameless: How Wal-Mart Bullies Its Way Into Communities Across America This special report reviews Wal-Mart’s bullying tactics through a series of local case studies. 10/17/06
Wal-Mart Television Ads Wal-Mart Television Ads 10/16/06
Wal-Mart Annual Reports Wal-Mart Annual Reports 1972-1990 10/16/06
Wal-Mart Training Manuals Wal-Mart Cashier Training Manuals 10/16/06

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