8.18.2006
Wal-Mart a Political Target Ahead of Election (Reuters.com)
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Giant retailer Wal-Mart has become a political target ahead of November's congressional election, taking fire from Democrats and labor unions for its record on health care, jobs and wages.
A cross-country bus trip drawing support from scores of big-name Democrats is the latest chapter in the year-old "Wake Up Wal-Mart" campaign, which organizers hope will put the labor and business practices of the country's biggest private-sector employer front and center in the 2008 White House race.
"Our goal from the start has been to build public and private pressure on this company and make Wal-Mart a national issue in the 2008 campaign," said WakeUp Wal-Mart spokesman Chris Kofinis.
Critics paint Wal-Mart as a national symbol of corporate irresponsibility, claiming it provides inadequate wages and health care coverage for its 1.3 million employees while shipping new jobs overseas.
"The Wal-Mart issue should be at the center of the debate about what kind of country we will be," Kofinis said. "How is it possible that companies can make this much profit and not do the right thing?"
(More ... Wal-Mart a political target ahead of election | Politics News | Reuters.com) ¶ 20:31
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Giant retailer Wal-Mart has become a political target ahead of November's congressional election, taking fire from Democrats and labor unions for its record on health care, jobs and wages.
A cross-country bus trip drawing support from scores of big-name Democrats is the latest chapter in the year-old "Wake Up Wal-Mart" campaign, which organizers hope will put the labor and business practices of the country's biggest private-sector employer front and center in the 2008 White House race.
"Our goal from the start has been to build public and private pressure on this company and make Wal-Mart a national issue in the 2008 campaign," said WakeUp Wal-Mart spokesman Chris Kofinis.
Critics paint Wal-Mart as a national symbol of corporate irresponsibility, claiming it provides inadequate wages and health care coverage for its 1.3 million employees while shipping new jobs overseas.
"The Wal-Mart issue should be at the center of the debate about what kind of country we will be," Kofinis said. "How is it possible that companies can make this much profit and not do the right thing?"
(More ... Wal-Mart a political target ahead of election | Politics News | Reuters.com) ¶ 20:31
