| Description | Wal-Mart’s 1.3 million employees in the United States make it the country’s largest private employer. But Wal-Mart’s employment practices have an impact much broader than its own work force, because it sets the standards that many other corporation adopt. What does this mean for workers, how can they and their allies respond, and what should funders know about efforts to change what it’s like to work at Wal-Mart?
WORKING AT WAL-MART will explore these and other questions with the Honorable David Bonior, who will discuss American Rights at Work’s new report, “Wal-Mart: Rolling Back Workers’ Wages, Rights, and the American Dream.” The report documents how Wal-Mart routinely violates the rights of its employees and how its managers work relentlessly to intimidate and eliminate employees who speak out against the mistreatment they and their fellow “associates” experience.
Also joining us will be Wade Rathke, who has organized living wage campaigns across the country. Wade will discuss his ideas for a Wal-Mart Workers Association, which could revolutionize efforts to organize Wal-Mart workers. In the current environment, in which workers have seen their rights steadily eroded, this model offers an intriguing alternative to the traditional, store-by-store approach to organizing. Wade will also brief us on efforts in Florida by ACORN and others to organize just such an association.
For more information or to register for the audio conference, send your name and contact information to Debby Goldberg at debbygoldberg@juno.com by COB on 1/6/06.
WORKING AT WAL-MART is the second in a series of audio conferences about Wal-Mart sponsored by the NFG Working Group on Labor & Community. Future calls in the series will explore in depth such topics as the impact of Wal-Mart on local communities and Wal-Mar’s global impact. |
