Wal-Mart Critics Launch Halloween Health Care Fundraising Drive
WASHINGTON -- WakeUpWalMart.com, a union-led initiative to change Wal-Mart's employee relations practices, said Friday it was holding a series of public actions at Wal-Mart locations in 84 cities and 26 states as part of the "Nothing's Scarier than Not Having Health Care" campaign to help uninsured Wal-Mart workers.
Ending today, the campaign includes distribution of flyers about the "Secret Wal-Mart memo" that the group made available to The New York Times last week.
"It is a national tragedy that Wal-Mart, a company with $10 billion in profits, has such poor health care benefits that one out of every two children of Wal-Mart workers either has no health insurance or relies on a public program," said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com. "In fact, as Wal-Mart's internal memo proves, this company is determined to cut its health care costs by shifting more workers to part-time, making it more expensive for spouses and even not hiring unhealthy or obese workers. Our hope is that through the generous donations of the American people, we can help at least a few Wal-Mart workers have the health care they deserve and need."
In the coming weeks, WakeUpWalMart.com said that it and other organizations will help organize "Wal-Mart Week" -- an unprecedented national week of action from Nov. 13-19, beginning with the national release of the movie by Robert Greenwald, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."
Ending today, the campaign includes distribution of flyers about the "Secret Wal-Mart memo" that the group made available to The New York Times last week.
"It is a national tragedy that Wal-Mart, a company with $10 billion in profits, has such poor health care benefits that one out of every two children of Wal-Mart workers either has no health insurance or relies on a public program," said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com. "In fact, as Wal-Mart's internal memo proves, this company is determined to cut its health care costs by shifting more workers to part-time, making it more expensive for spouses and even not hiring unhealthy or obese workers. Our hope is that through the generous donations of the American people, we can help at least a few Wal-Mart workers have the health care they deserve and need."
In the coming weeks, WakeUpWalMart.com said that it and other organizations will help organize "Wal-Mart Week" -- an unprecedented national week of action from Nov. 13-19, beginning with the national release of the movie by Robert Greenwald, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."