Please help: More information on Walmart needed

[Selwynn]

Hello,

I have a friend who wants to help get the world out on some of the nastiness associated with Walmart and its treatment of employees. I've been doing research for him and I wanted to come to YOU lovely people for assistance.

I've collected information on the class action discrimination lawsuit, the suit over violation of overtime laws, and the injured workers lawsuit. What I would really like are some more sites to articles or editorials on Walmarts exploitation of the working class. Any other good hard information on the deeds of this company would be helpful.

I realized that I had a lot of negative feelings about Walmart, but didn't really have a lot of hard info about it. I believe it based on first hand accounts alone, but I'd love it if I could get some better and more persuasive material together...

Any links to information would be delightful.
Thanks!

[IrateCitizen]

1. Check the Wal-Mart thread that is still up on the board from jiacinto

It has some excellent first-hand experiences.

ON EDIT: Link.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=608823&mesg_id=608823

[Selwynn]

5. I did - I used the one as an example... thanks

[Tansy_Gold]

11. that thread is still active, so I hope you're still looking!

eom

[JM]

2. Look up Walmart and COLI insurance

policies. If you need more info, I can fill you in.

Later,
JM

[Armstead]

3. Here's a link

http://www.sprawl-busters.com/

[Lars39]

4. Walmart and "dead peasants"

Absolutely disgusting practice of insuring their employees in order to collect when they die.

http://www.indypendent.org/webnews/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=41

[Selwynn]

6. Oh man that was exactly what I'm looking for but.....

...now I'm all PISSED OFF!!!! :mad:

[CabalBuster]

9. Nickled and Dimed

In her book Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America , Barbara Ehrenreich tried to live on low wages from Wal-Mart and other employers. Her biggest problem was in getting together enough money for deposits on housing and utilities. She often ended up paying too-costly daily rates at motels.

[Lars39]

10. Yes, it's a *winning* example, isn't it?

Trying to convince folks about the evils of Walmart, I've trotted out info about them undercutting other businesses, low wages, you name it. The dead peasant issue just shocks you into opening your eyes about Walmart's business practices.

[madrchsod]

7. i think there is a

website that has posts from people who work or have worked at walmart. check on google for such a site....

[plindner]

8. PBS Storewars

See http://www.pbs.org/storewars/ for a very interesting documentary on Walmart. A little old, but very good...

[G_j]

12. thinkng out of the box in Austin Texas

I fought the development of a WM supercenter in our city almost full time for about three years. People send me stuff all the time. I just received this today.
-----------------------
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=3652&state=44

Austin Reflects on Lessons Learned in Effort to Keep Wal-Mart Supercenter Out of Single-Family Home Neighborhood

Having inflamed Southwest Austin with a plan to build a big-box supercenter in a mostly single-family-home neighborhood -- which would have brought it truck traffic, pollution and safety hazards, while increasing runoff into the Edwards Aquifer -- Wal-Mart finally stepped back, its spokeswoman Daphne Moore citing environmental concerns, crediting the decision to talks between company officials and Mayor Will Wynn, and acknowledging that the project ''had the potential to hamper our overall efforts to serve the people of this community,'' obviously meaning Wal-Mart's plans for at least four more supercenters in the city. After the Wal-Mart decision, followed by withdrawal of the Endeavor Real Estate Group from a deal to buy 43 acres and sell two-thirds for the supercenter, the land owner, SR Ridge Limited Partnership, threatened to sue city officials for contract interference, reports Austin American-Statesman writer Stephen Scheibal. Unconcerned about the threat, Mayor Wynn stressed the need for planning efforts to protect the aquifer, including perhaps another land-conservation bond issue similar to those approved by voters in 1998 and 2000. Praising the mayor, the community, Wal-Mart and Endeavor developers for the plan cancellation, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center executive director Robert Breunig said, ''Had there not been that opposition, I don't think there would have been movement of the issue.''

One of the plan's strongest opponents, Council Member Daryl Slusher agreed, saying, ''This just shows what a determined coalition of citizens can accomplish.'' Addressing the Wal-Mart big-box battle in the broad context of urban sprawl over the past 50 years, a KLRU-TV documentary -- produced for the Austin Now weekly series and supplemented on the station Web site -- says, ''It's our choice how Austin grows in the future. Will we continue the big box development patterns we have chosen in the past or will we start thinking outside the box?'' -- Austin American-Statesman   10/2/2003