Secret Deal Between Bush Gov't And Wal-Mart Exposed!

[Itsthetruth]

International Labor Communications Association
February 14, 2005

Secret Deal With Wal-Mart on Labor Violations Needs Investigating
By Office of Congressman George Miller

So-called ‘compliance agreement’ gives preferential treatment to major Republican donor.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After disclosure of a secret agreement between the U.S. Department of Labor and Wal-Mart giving the giant retailer the authority to conduct its own investigations of employee wage and hour complaints, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) today requested an investigation by the DOL’s Inspector General to determine whether the arrangement represents a sweetheart deal between the Bush Administration and one of the nation’s most frequent violators of labor laws.

Under the arrangement, disclosed by The New York Times on Saturday, Wal-Mart will be allowed 15 days to investigate and rectify employee complaints before DOL conducts any investigation. Upon receiving a complaint about a potential violation of wage and hour laws, DOL’s field offices around the country are now instructed to notify the DOL office in Little Rock, Arkansas, which will then notify Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas of the complaint. The Department will not launch its own investigation during that time and it remains unclear under what circumstance it would launch an investigation after the 15 day period ends.

Miller said that such an arrangement could allow the giant employer to cover up evidence of a violation and would discourage aggrieved employees who might fear retribution from the company. Miller also sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao today asking for more information about the arrangement.

“I am very concerned about this secret arrangement between Wal-Mart and the Bush Administration,” said Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “This is a company that has been accused of a lengthy list of labor violations. Wal-Mart does not have the credibility to serve as an impartial investigator of accusations of labor violations against itself. I intend to find out how this arrangement was reached and, if appropriate, I will consider asking Congress to rescind the agreement if it cannot be justified.

“Once again, it looks like the Bush Administration is doing a favor for a powerful friend and contributor at the expense of workers who do their jobs and still cannot get fair treatment in the workplace.”



http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1818&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[cthrumatrix]

1. like a cop telling a robber ..."we'll give an hour's notice"

[Walt Starr]

12. Yep, Wal-Mart bought off the regulatory commission

in essence, the cops have been bought and paid for!

[Oreo]

2. Can you say floodgates?

May be wishfull thinking but I think the drips are getting faster

[realFedUp]

3. Was this in the LA Times?

Gads, I'm starting to count the number
of stories NOT in that paper..and this
is a California Congressman requesting
an investigation.

[crispini]

4. Oh. My. God.

I was just having a converation with someone about how Wal-Mart is this totally bogus monopoly. Here's hoping this gets bigger and bigger...

[havocmom]

5. Criminals covering other criminals' asses

Attention all American workers: If you sit still for this, your workplace will be next. All are slaves if any are slaves.

Edited to add this little tidbit, showing that they mean to be able to know who is complaining about labor violations:

<snip> Miller said it was also unusual for the Department to keep secret the fact that a compliance agreement that had been signed. This agreement, reached on January 6, 2005, only became public because of a reporter’s query to the Department. Miller said it was unclear whether Wal-Mart was required to notify its employees of the new arrangement. He said it was possible that employees had continued to file complaints with DOL without knowing that those complaints would be forwarded to Wal-Mart headquarters without an investigation.*

*bold face mine to get your attention to a very bad possibility/likelihood

[WLKjr]

6. I was told the other day they were closing the Canada store

not becuase it tried to unionize, but because the store was "Under preforming" and that Wal-Mart tried to negotiate 9 times with that union.


All I could thing was BS!

[Straight Shooter]

7. bush admires big criminals. He let Osama get away, didn't he?

The bigger the crime, the better the reward by bush. Just track his history. It's the little fish he likes to fry. bush, honest to God, admires the criminal mentality, especially when it eats the poor.

[TrogL]

8. Walmart closed a store in Quebec because it went unionized

[okieinpain]

9. well I'll be damn....we are truly living in bushler country. how will

they explain this shit away. but of course I just saw a post were the repugs in texas want to create a new office that can tell the D.A., hey nothing to see here, move on.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1239116

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. Labor lawyers say it sets a disturbing precedent

"What's very unusual about this agreement," he continued, "is that while it's based on a child labor violation, it applies to any kind of investigation. It not only applies to cases with potential child labor violations, but to minimum wage, the Family Medical Leave Act, investigations of any alleged or suspected violations of any of the laws over which the wage and hour division has authority."

Labor lawyers who have worked with the Department of Labor in the past also say the arrangement sets a disturbing precedent for future investigations.

"It seems to me that for the sum of $135,000, which is very small for Wal-Mart, they've bought better laws than any other company in the country," said Douglas Steele, a partner at Washington-based Woodley & McGillivary, which represents federal employees in labor cases.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-walmart0215.artfeb15,0,7085078,print.story?coll=hc-headlines-business

[SmokingJacket]

11. ... and HOW much did WartMart give to Shrub's campaign?

from Frontline:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/secrets/lobby.html

"In 1998, Wal-Mart hired its first lobbyist, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Norm Lezy, and created a political action committee (PAC), called the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. PAC for Responsible Government. According to published news reports, in 1999, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott met with Wal-Mart executives and urged them to increase the company's political profile. In six years, the company has grown from having no lobbying presence in Washington to employing six external lobbying firms (in addition to its internal operation), and becoming one of the top 20 PAC contributors to federal candidates in the 2004 election cycle. Donations to federal candidates have grown from $135,750 in 1998, to $1,606,000, as of Nov. 2, 2004.

Wal-Mart says that it supports pro-business candidates and its political contributions on the national level overwhelmingly tilt Republican. In the 2004 cycle, the company gave $5,000 to President Bush's reelection campaign, and nothing to John Kerry's campaign. In May 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney praised the company in an economic policy speech at Wal-Mart's distribution center in Bentonville, Ark, saying: "The story of Wal-Mart exemplifies some of the very best qualities in our country -- hard work, the spirit of enterprise, fair dealing, and integrity."

In the 2004 cycle, Wal-Mart gave $1,050,500 to Republican House candidates and $195,000 to Republican Senate candidates, as compared to $273,500 to Democratic House candidates and $76,500 to Democratic Senate candidates. In 2002, 78 percent of the PAC's donations went to Republicans; in 2000, 85 percent went to Republicans; and in 1998, 93 percent went to Republicans."

[Coexist]

13. I do hate Wal-Mart.

[paineinthearse]

14. See thread from yesterday, it contains press releases from...

Rep George Miller
Secretary Email Chow

...and recent developments by Connecticut attorney general.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3113372

Rep. Miller Calls For Inv. Admin’s Sweathrt Deal Wal-Mart Labor Violations

Mon Feb-14-05 08:52 PM

[Itsthetruth]

15. Thanks

Thanks. I'll do that.

[gorbal]

16. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the word out?

What are some good ways to get the word out on this? Sometimes I post articles on yahoo news, but I feel like I am talking AT people rather than TO people there.

[Itsthetruth]

18. Here's Some Ideas On How You Can Help

Here's some ideas from the UFCW union website on how people can help:

Talking to Wal-Mart Workers

Wal-Mart inundates its workers with misinformation and propaganda, especially with regards to their labor rights and unions. In order for them to exercise their democratic right to choose, workers need to know what their options are. While Wal-Mart has done everything in its power to ensure that its employees are insulated from all but the company line, the power of person to person interaction is unmistakable.

The message we want to deliver is simple. Wal-Mart is a highly profitable company, and we believe that Wal-Mart workers deserve better. Wal-Mart workers should know that union members, supporters, and allies are on their side.

For some facts about Wal-Mart check out the Facts and Figures section.

What You Can Do

Individuals

Individuals can talk with family member, neighbors, and coworkers about the real price consumers pay for Wal-Mart's so-called "Low prices -- always" slogan.
Visit the Wal-Mart campaigns websites and the resources pages for the latest information.

In general, the UFCW does not encourage or discourage anyone from shopping at Wal-Mart. We do, however, want to let the employees know that as union members, activists, and allies, we support Wal-Mart workers and are willing to help them gain a real voice on the job for fair treatment and better wages and benefits.
(Check out UFCW's position on Wal-Mart.)

Let Wal-Mart management know that union members, activists, and communities object to the company’s anti-union propaganda, pressure, and fear tactics to which employees are subjected.


Tell Wal-Mart management that unions and communities will monitor their actions and hold managers accountable for depriving employees of their right of free choice to join a union.
Organizations

Organize "field trips" to Wal-Mart stores and talk with workers. (Check out sample questions linked below)


Remember: Don’t go to your "adopted" store just once. Go on a regular schedule so the workers will get to know you.


Find out about and participate in local government meetings in communities where Wal-Mart is considering locating and where zoning, sprawl, and tax abatements are issues. (The UFCW local union in your area may be the best place to start looking for information; check the phone book.)
Tips for how to talk to Wal-Mart workers

Dialog scenarios for talking to Wal-Mart workers (example questions to get the conversation going)

Justice for Wal‑Mart workers will happen only with the combined forces of activists — and direct one‑on‑one contact with Wal‑Mart workers. Because Wal‑Mart employs more than one million people in the U.S. alone, nearly everyone has a friend, relative, or neighbor who works or has worked there at one point.

If going to a Wal‑Mart store isn’t your style, then talk with Wal‑Mart workers and friends in other settings — church, the grocery store, Girl Scout meetings, little league or PTA activities. It’s important that the truth about Wal‑Mart’s policies and practices be communicated as widely as possible.

A half‑century ago, the biggest employer in the U.S. was General Motors. There was a saying, "What’s good for GM is good for America." GM set a standard for other companies to aspire to: good wages, excellent health benefits, job security, and pensions for the workers who made the company the most profitable in the nation. The company didn’t give those things to workers. Workers — members of the United Auto Workers — fought hard for those standards, and they set a goal for other companies and their workers to aspire to.

Now, the biggest employer in the U.S. is Wal‑Mart. Wal‑Mart pays substandard wages, offers inferior health benefits that most people can’t afford anyway, and virtually freezes its workers out of pensions. Is this the standard we want for American workers? Is this the standard we want other employers to emulate? NO!

That’s why this isn’t just a fight for unions — or even a fight only for Wal‑Mart workers. It’s a fight for all of us — because Wal‑Mart drags down the wages and economic security of every community where it operates.

Wal‑Mart’s low wages, health care cost‑shifting, lack of job security, and failure to provide pensions hurt all of us. Wal‑Mart workers — and all Americans — deserve better.

Go to this website for more information and ideas:

http://www.ufcw.org/

[gorbal]

25. Those are great ideas, thanks.

I talk to people about it often, but I am a bit selective. If I tell my republican family members they'll just shop at Wallmart more, LOL!

There is no way I will shop at Wallmart again, but it isn't just about american workers rights. It's about the rights of the small businesses that Wallmart destroys by lowering their prices until they can no longer compete , of the consumer who has to deal with lack of choice after Wallmart increases their prices again, of the rights of workers overseas that work for basically nothing so we can have cheap sneakers, and the right of Native Americans' to not have their graves disturbed.

But then, perhaps we should be talking less about what NOT to buy, and more about promoting busnesses with good ethics. That will do more in the long run.

[opihimoimoi]

17. The 3 percenters who rule are doing it to us 97 % guys...just like France

in 1770.....just before the REVOLUTION.....

"LET THEM EAT SHIT......"

[bvar22]

19. My anti-Wal-Mart campaign

MONEY SPENT AT WAL-MART KILLS
GOD'S UNBORN CHILDREN!!!

Wal-Mart supports
COMMUNIST DICTATORS!!!

I’m absolutely PRO-CHOICE, but think the Fundies need to face this disconnect. You can't be PRO-LIFE and spend money at WallyWorld!

Will the Republicans stand on Moral Values when their bank account is threatened?

[indepat]

20. Corporatism in its finest hour

[bettyellen]

21. so the DOL is outsourcing it's investigations to the

businesses it should be investigating.

[progressoid]

22. We need to spread this to everyone we know

These scandals will not see the light of day if we leave it to the Gov't or the Media. WE ARE THE MESSENGERS. We need to make a big deal about all these.

[lonestarnot]

23. See! Unions only solution to back down walmart...sam wants you! n/t

[GetTheRightVote]

24. Well, one more nail in * coffin, hurray

:kick: