Nov 23: Walmart protest

The local Pittsburgh Walmart protest event:
http://www.corporateactionnetwork.org/campaigns/black-friday/events/black-friday-at-walmart-5339

2:30 p.m. near the Waterworks Mall Walmart.
From Joy Sabl:  Wal-Mart's founder used to be a big proponent of Made-In-USA products.
Wal-Mart used to win out against competitors by having a lower profit margin and better, more innovative tracking and ordering processes.


Since Sam Walton stepped down, Wal-Mart flourishes in other ways. It has completely abandoned the "Made-In-USA" philosophy in pursuit of cheap goods. It undercuts competitors by paying its people less, and keeping them desperate and dependent by gaming their hours and using unfair scheduling practices that prevent them from taking a second part-time job.  It leeches off taxpayers by encouraging its workers to get on food stamps and other government assistance (note that their pay is so low that even full time workers often qualify for food stamps, making Wal-Mart the largest indirect recipient of food stamp dollars in the USA). Wal-Mart fails to provide a livable wage and decent healthcare benefits, reportedly costing U.S. taxpayers an annual average of $1.02 billion in healthcare costs alone. It offends fairness by contracting with shady companies to hire undocumented workers (because they have even less of a voice), by bribing officials (as documented in their Mexico stores, and under investigation internationally--video report here--and perhaps locally, in the USA) and reportedly by underpaying and/or underpromoting women in multiple regions (regional lawsuits now in process). They are now using vague but menacing threats to pressure workers out of striking. A calculation in the links above says that Wal-Mart would still turn a profit in the billions--without having to raise prices--even if they paid their workers several thousand dollars more, each year. As a privately held company, they do not have a presumed duty to their stockholders to make the maximum profit--the family owners could simply choose to be less greedy and pathological. 

As an American, as someone who lives on this landmass, or even as a world citizen being parasitized by this international company, this IS your fight. Come join your friends in speaking out. Our largest corporation should be an economic flagship, not a bottom-sucking parasite. 

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