.........................
......
|
LiverpoolFIRST is not inherently anti-Wal-Mart. We believe there is a place for Wal-Mart, but not in this already-congested part of the greater Liverpool area. Many of us shop at the Wal-Marts that we already have nearby. Virtually all of the sites below are anti-Wal-Mart. What they offer is highly educational, amusing at times, horrifying at others. Please read these sites with an open mind and then decide whether or not you want this company to open a supercenter in the heart of our community. |
The
Wal-Mart You Don't Know
"The
giant retailer's low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart's
relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and
force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight
to the unemployment line?" Read this fascinating article at
the Fast
Company magazine website.
WAL-MART
DRAINS TAXPAYERS--Because of
Wal-Mart's low wages and inadequate benefits, each of its stores with
at least 200 employees costs taxpayers an estimated $420,750 annually
in public social services such as housing subsidies, children's health
insurance and reduced-cost or free lunches, according to a new report
from the Democratic staff of the House Education and Workforce
Committee. The report, "Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay
for Wal-Mart," is available online at http://edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/WALMARTREPORT.pdf.
"There's no question that Wal-Mart imposes a huge, often hidden, cost
on its workers, our communities and U.S. taxpayers," said ranking
Democratic committee member George Miller of California.
At the
same time, "Wal-Mart is in the driver's seat in the global race to the
bottom, suppressing wage levels, workplace protections and labor laws,"
Miller said.
Manatee
rejects Wal-Mart Supercenter
Sarasota
Herald-Tribune, January 23, 2004
"MANATEE COUNTY -- More than a year of hard work paid off Thursday for University Park Country Club residents when the County Commission voted unanimously against letting Wal-Mart move in next to their upscale community.
"More than 400 University Park residents exploded into cheers after the county commissioners made their 7-0 vote at the meeting, held at the Manatee Civic Center because of the large crowd...."READ ENTIRE STORY
Beyond McDonalds, Comprehensive Anti Wal-Mart Info Digest
Wal-Mart Watch - a serious site well worth the visit
Stopping The Big Boxes: Eighty-six communities across the US have stopped Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and other big box retailers from locating in their town. Here’s how they did it.
Chestertown:
Battle of The Big Box
Wal-Mart liked to say, "We
don't lose." Think again.
The ice cream man says "No sweat!" You can buy clothing inexpensively and stay on the moral high ground.
Eight Ways to Beat A Wal-Mart "This article contains ideas that, while originally aimed at preventing Wal-Mart from exploiting small communities, apply to other corporate developments. It appeared March 28, 1994 in The Nation."
Jane Doe v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., etc. A legal opinion from 2001 enlightens us as to how Wal-Mart typically reacts to crime on its property and how it behaves in court. Some samples:
- "...Wal-Mart, an institution with significant power and financial resources, uses obstructive tactics to make litigation difficult for injured victims and their attorneys..."
- "Wal-Mart parking lots are a virtual magnet for crime. A host of rapes, robberies and murders have occurred in the past few years which resulted in litigation against Wal-Mart."
- "Wal-Mart appears to have just out-and-out hidden evidence from the plaintiff. A standard technique for Wal-Mart is to suggest to trial courts that the plaintiff's cause of action is unique -- even though Wal-Mart's legal department may have handled dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of identical cases. And then Wal-Mart “accidentally” fails to produce important documents which pertain to the plaintiff's lawsuit -- even though it may have already produced those documents in another lawsuit, and even if the plaintiff specifically asks for the documents."
- "In several cases, Wal-Mart has been compelled -- usually after extensive litigation -- to produce a list showing more than 18,000 falling merchandise incidents over five years."
- "'...80 percent of crimes at Wal-Mart were occurring not in the stores, but outside their walls, either in the parking lots or around the exterior perimeter of the stores.” The crimes ranged from “theft, break-in and vandalism of cars” to “purse snatches, muggings, and assaults.'"
- "Wal-Mart was fined $15,000 when a Nevada federal court found that it had destroyed photographs of an accident scene. ...One court noted that “Wal-Mart has chosen extreme discovery abuse as a litigation strategy” and fined Wal-Mart $104,120 plus $1,000 for every day that Wal-Mart failed to comply."
"Wal-Mart named Sweatshop Retailer of the Year" and other stories of the human cost of your purchases at Wal-Mart.
Sweatshop Myth-busters at sweatshops.org "Most consumers don’t willingly purchase goods made in sweatshops or with child labor, so it’s impossible to blame consumer demand for exploited workers. Since 1995, three separate research organizations have conducted surveys on consumer attitudes toward purchasing products made under sweatshop conditions. The surveys consistently find that the average consumer would pay up to 28 percent more for an item if s/he knew it wasn’t made in a sweatshop." How about you?
Wal-Mart
Prevails Over Foes: Front Royal Approves Rezoning for Store Along the Shenandoah
By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2003;
Page B02
Read this, then plan on
getting to know your town councilmen! Will Liverpool be ignored
as Front Royal, VA, was? We think more highly than that of our
town board. Remember, they stood up to Flying J.
Wal-Mart accused by women: Discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart supported in rally (dated May 22, 2003)
"The Best Anti-Wal*Mart Links On The Web" - so they claim.
Activists Prepare for Anti-Wal-Mart Demonstration (August, 2002, Florida)
Hel*Mart Links to
Anti-Wal-Mart Sites & Articles
| How Wal-Mart Destroys America (book review) "The well-devised mass destruction of free enterprise in America by this company goes clearly beyond the concerns of unions. It affects every single working American." |  |
Community Comments
"1) Wal-Mart pays wages too low for most workers basic living expenses, such as rent, mortgages or health insurance. These workers then must turn to programs funded by your tax dollars to survive.
"2) Wal-Mart discriminates agaist workers who are women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people
"3) Wal-Mart bullies employees by forcing them to work extra hours without overtime pay, firing them without just cause, refusing to pay medical bills for work related injuries, denying them the right to organize, and creating an atmosphere of intimidation
"4) Wal-Mart violates human rights and anti-discrimination laws
"5) Wal-Mart regularly does business with foreign countries and suppliers that commit human rights abuses
"6) Wal-Mart destroys the fabric of communities by displacing family owned businesses, dispersing their customers and eliminating job (for every two jobs Wal-Mart creates, the community loses three)
"7) Wal-Mart shows contempt for the law by hiding or failing to produce evidence, doctoring evidence, and presenting false evidence
"8) Wal-Mart worsens sprawl, which destroys the beauty of the environment and aggravates pollution
"9) Wal-Mart barges into communities that do not want them by manipulating municipal officals and legal systems"
"To give proper credit, most of this information I obtained from the United Food and Commercial Workers."
-
Mark A. Spadafore
Field
Coordinator
Central
NY Labor Federation, AFL
824
Second Street
Liverpool,
NY