Following is a statement by Paul Blank, campaign director,
WakeUpWalMart.com, regarding the New York Times article on an
internal Wal-Mart memo:
"An internal Wal-Mart memo, released by the New York Times this
morning, exposes what a farce the last two days have been.
Wal-Mart's CEO had the gall to come out this week and try to
spin Wal-Mart as a company changing. Wal-Mart is not a company
trying to change. Today's memo proves Wal-Mart's announcements
are nothing more than a publicity stunt by exposing the truth
behind Wal-Mart's culture of greed and moral corruption.
"The memo, authored by Susan Chambers, Executive Vice President
for Benefits, robs Wal-Mart workers of their human dignity and
instead treats them like products in their stores. It is simply
appalling that Wal-Mart's senior management would actually write
a memo suggesting not to hire certain workers because they may
be unhealthy or obese.
"Most startlingly, Wal-Mart, for the first time, admitted there
is a Wal-Mart health care crisis in America. The memo
specifically states, 'Wal-Mart has a significant percentage of
associates and their children on public assistance.' In fact,
Wal-Mart revealed 46 percent of the children of Wal-Mart
employees are either uninsured or on taxpayer funded public
health care programs. No wonder Wal-Mart so vehemently opposes
legislators' efforts to expose the truth about the true cost of
the Wal-Mart economy. It is inexcusable and unconscionable for a
company, with $10 billion in profits, to know 1 out of every 2
of their employees' children has no health care or is forced to
rely on our public safety net and do nothing about it.
"The key question becomes: What else does Wal-Mart know and when
will they reveal it? Wal-Mart's great American deception of the
past two days will not stand and Lee Scott ought to be ashamed
of himself for perpetuating such a fraudulent image to the
American people."
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=55611