RWDSU Local 338 members and community supporters protest the opening of a Walmart Neighborhood Market to protect the local economy, small businesses, and jobs.

On June 12, RWDSU Local 338 joined dozens of Long Island community and labor organizations to protest the grand opening of a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Levittown, the first of its kind in the Long Island region. Protestors claimed that another Walmart opening on Long Island would hurt the local economy and small businesses, and said that the store’s opening on the same site of a previously unionized Waldbaum’s supermarket added insult to injury.

“This store was proudly represented by RWDSU Local 338 and it saddens me that what used to be a great supermarket that took care of its workers with good wages and strong benefits, as Waldbaum’s did, is now hosting a Walmart Neighborhood Market.  The residents and workers of this community deserve better than the bottom barrel wages and unaffordable benefits that Walmart jobs bring. A Neighborhood Market sends the wrong message here on Long Island,” said John R. Durso, President, RWDSU Local 338.

Over 100 RWDSU Local 338 members, community activists, and labor allies called on Walmart to change their business and labor practices and held signs that read “Shame on you Walmart, Workers Deserve Better Wages.” Protests at the store will continue until Walmart practices change and workers are provided with fair wages and affordable benefits.

Local 1000 members preparing and packing boxes of food for tornado victims

A tragedy has directly affected UFCW Local 1000 in Moore, Oklahoma. At least seven of our union brothers and sisters lost their homes and all of their possessions in the terrible tornado. There is no comparison to the devastation that this community is suffering from as they search through the destruction for their loved ones and pets. Local 1000 has opened a Disaster Relief Fund and we ask that you contribute $10, $25, or as much as you can to our fund in order to help these members recover and rebuild. This is an opportunity for UFCW members from around the country to help people in need quickly. We will be delivering needed money directly to the affected members. The UFCW has always stood together in times of crises – help your brothers and sisters today.

To Donate Online: http://fundly.com/ufcw-local-1000-oklahoma-disaster-relief-fund

Send a Check: made out to “UFCW Local 1000″ 967 W. Wall St Suite 100 Grapevine TX 76051

UFCW members help with Hurricane Sandy relief

A few weeks after Hurricane Sandy, families continue to struggle in communities where people have lost their homes and are still without power in the face of winter weather.

Sonia Tirado has family who lost everything in Hurricane Sandy. Born and raised in Coney Island, Tirado was eager to help her community get back on its feet. Tirado is a home health aide at Americare and is a member of UFCW Local 348-S in Brooklyn. When her fellow UFCW members contacted Tirado asking if she would be interested in volunteering to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, she jumped at the chance to help.

“It’s just the right thing to do, to help other people,” Tirado said.

Along with nearly 20 staff and members from UFCW Local 348-S, Tirado spent a day last week distributing supplies, assisting with storm clean up, and helping almost 1,000 Coney Island residents take care of basic needs. UFCW members also coordinated with New York Communities for Change to bring donations of blankets, diapers, and food for the areas devastated by the storm.

Sonia’s work in her community is a great example of the ways UFCW members across the country give back every day. To learn more about UFCW’s community partnerships, click here.

Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement issued by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union President Joseph Hansen:

“Inspired by President Obama’s declaration that we will get through this together, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has established a Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund to provide vital financial support for the nearly 200,000 UFCW members living in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and surrounding areas.

“Hurricane Sandy’s impact on our members was catastrophic.  Homes were destroyed or severely damaged by flood waters.  Many have not had power to their homes or businesses since Monday and it may be many more days before electricity is restored.  The UFCW is deeply concerned for the physical safety and well-being of our members in New York and New Jersey.

“Apart from the physical stress of keeping their homes and families safe, workers in the region’s grocery stores, retail stores, food processing facilities and other private industry are suffering from the loss of income from missed hourly wages as their stores and worksites are unable to open for business.  I am calling on UFCW local unions across the U.S. and Canada to open their hearts and checkbooks and donate to the UFCW Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund.”

Contributions can be mailed to:

UFCW Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fund
c/o UFCW International Union
1775 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006

OR

Donate here.

For further updates, please visit www.ufcw.org

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.

At the rally, warehouse workers, exhausted from the journey and the 103-degree heat, took the opportunity to express to the crowd that, although the pilgrimage was tiring and hard to endure, it was nothing compared to the conditions they are forced to work in at the Inland Empire warehouse, a subcontractor of Walmart.

These warehouse workers are not protected by a union, and, by taking a stand to highlight the abuses they have endured, they have risked everything.  But the risks are worth it to these workers, who work in 120-degree warehouses with no fans, which often results in vomiting and nosebleeds. Not only is the heat unbearable, but they are no given clean water or regular breaks, and the equipment they use is unsafe. Does Walmart, who controls the working conditions of the sub-contracters, think that putting workers in terribly unsafe environments and then not paying them enough to make a decent living, is okay?

It simply isn’t.  

The strike has brought well-deserved attention to the unacceptable conditions at Walmart warehouses, and drawn many supporters to the workers’ cause.  Warehouse Workers United, health professional volunteers, and countless supporters have helped in the effort, and speakers at the rally on Tuesday included Rep. Judy Chu, California Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, City Councilman Ed Reyes, National Farmworkers Association co-founder Dolores Huerta, California Secretary of Labor Marty Morgenstern, and LA County Federation of Labor secretary-treasurer Elena Durazo.

Despite widespread community support for workers, Walmart and its sub-contractors haven’t offered to meet about improving the situation at all.  In fact, a Walmart spokesman has claimed that Walmart officials regularly tour the locations of their subcontractors, and the conditions are “ambient.”

Despite the lies and blatant denial of those responsible, workers have taken a stand and a national spotlight is shining on the unjust treatment they receive.  Once they return home, the warehouse workers plan to continue to picket outside the facility in Mira Loma where they work, in the hopes that even more workers will take a stand to decrease the amount of worker injuries due to unsafe working conditions, to fight for respect, and to force corporations like Walmart to be responsible.

For more information on the warehouse workers’ pilgrimage, and to see great photos from their journey and the rally, click here.

Although more than three quarters of our population have a steady, secure supply of food, a growing percentage of people suffering from food insecurity, or in other words, a limited access to food due to a lack of money or other resources, is simply unacceptable.

That is why UFCW Partnerships with groups like Feeding the Hungry are so important. The good jobs unions help provide allow us to live well, and put food on the table for our families, but there are many Americans whose jobs don’t allow them to make ends meet. Food should not be a something that someone should have to sacrifice, it is a human right.

The work we do in our communities, like holding food drives, can make a difference, and so can standing together, to achieve a voice for what’s right. It is also important to make sure we vote to keep President Obama in office this November, so government programs that help feed families and individuals who don’t know when their next meal will be won’t disappear.

We must keep sticking together for good jobs that pay people enough to keep themselves and their families fed, because letting people starve is not an option.

Covenant House, the final stop on the “Lend a Hand” philanthropic tour, is a multi-faceted, nonprofit organization that offers a variety of assistance services to the Charleston community.  In addition to a food pantry that provides nearly 5,000 meals annually, Covenant House services include a day shelter, community housing, housing assistance and community resource education.

“Feeding the Hungry” is a joint program of the UFCW and Smithfield to donate and help deliver 20 million servings of protein over three years to assistance organizations around the country. The partnership is designed to bring much needed assistance to the growing number of people facing hunger and food insecurity in our communities.

“Last year we fed over 6 million people and as we take our nationwide Feeding the Hungry Tour on the road for the second year, the UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises,” said Joe Hansen, UFCW international president. “All across the country, UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times.”

“Smithfield is proud to continue the second year of our hunger relief tour.  We’re well on our way to feeding 20 million people,” said Dennis Pittman, public affairs director, Smithfield.  “We hope to continue increasing awareness and encourage individuals and companies to donate to their local food banks.”

The legislation will provide $1 billion through loans and grants to help build approximately 2,100 new grocery stores in high need areas across the country, including an estimated 273 stores in New York City. The initiative would create an estimated 200,000 new jobs nationally.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative is a critical part of rejuvenating and revitalizing underserved neighborhoods both in terms of food quality and quality jobs that can support a family.

New York-based UFCW Local 1500 is a leading partner in the New York FRESH Initiative which serves as a model for the national legislation and has successfully launched two major supermarkets into previously underserved areas in the Bronx.  Those supermarkets also added hundreds of new jobs and subsequent income to area residents.

Supermarkets act as anchors for economic development in a neighborhood.  In community after community, good supermarket jobs provide workers with good wages, career opportunities and most importantly, quality health care coverage that is key to a healthy lifestyle.   UFCW members in New York and across the U.S. take pride in serving their customers with good food.   This national legislation will provide needed funding to expand those opportunities into even more markets.

The UFCW applauds Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Velasquez for their vision in bringing worker organizations together with the economic development leaders and health policy advocates to ensure that new food outlets also provide good career jobs and training opportunities for new employees.

We believe that working together works.  With the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, we will:

• Create new jobs from building new supermarkets in underserved neighborhoods;
• Create new jobs from operating those stores; and
• Create new jobs from related development which will grow up and around the new stores.

All the while, providing millions of residents with access to good, healthy, affordable food.

Today’s kick-off event is the first in a multi-city tour across America that will reach from coast-to-coast. The UFCW and Smithfield plan to donate at least 20 million servings of food to a local food bank at each of the scheduled stops.

The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that more than 36 million people in the United States, including 12.6 million children, live in households considered to be food insecure. That is more than 1 in 10 households who experience hunger or the risk of hunger.

The UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises. All across the country UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times.

This partnership is about bringing together organizations, including our represented grocery stores, with the resources, the relationships and the know-how to ensure that vulnerable communities across the country have access to well-supplied food banks. Our goal is simple: Get good, nutritious food to as many families, in as many communities, as possible.

1.         Smithfield and the UFCW have agreed on what both parties believe to be a fair election process by which the employees at Smithfield’s Tar Heel plant can choose whether or not to be represented by the UFCW.

2.         Smithfield and the UFCW have agreed to establish a Feed the Hungry Program to be jointly funded and administered by the UFCW and Smithfield.

3.         The UFCW agrees to end its public campaign against Smithfield.

4.         The parties have agreed there shall be no further public statement about this settlement until the election referenced in paragraph one above has been concluded.

The UFCW Katrina Relief Fund has topped a half-million dollars, and representatives from UFCW regions 3 and 5 have been using the funds to help more than 1,000 UFCW members affected by the storm.

The UFCW has also been assisting members returning to their homes in New Orleans and other devastated areas in getting transition housing and jobs, as well as in cleaning up and rebuilding damaged homes.

Additionally, several UFCW local unions have distributed food and have adopted members, and their families, who have been left homeless by Katrina.

UFCW Regions 3 and 5 continue their outreach efforts aiming at accounting for every UFCW member affected by the storm.

Katrina-affected members can call 866-820-6141.

While short-term efforts continue, UFCW members affected by the hurricane will be rebuilding their lives for some time, and the UFCW will continue sustaining members through this difficult time.

Contributions can be mailed to:

UFCW Katrina Relief Fund: Region 5 Council
1400 West Northwest Highway
Suite 100
Grapevine, TX  76051

For further Katrina-related information, please refer to www.ufcw.org.

Meanwhile, the UFCW began finding and helping more Katrina survivors in Alabama while continuing to help and to find affected members in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Until now, most requests for assistance were coming from UFCW workers employed in Louisiana who were affected by the hurricane, but UFCW leaders and workers have been canvassing Mississippi and Alabama looking for members in need. The call volume at UFCW’s Katrina assistance hot line has been increasing steadily as members talk to each other, and as UFCW continues placing announcements in shelters.

UFCW Region 5 International Vice President Alvin Vincent said that, “Many hurricane survivors are in need of food, and UFCW local unions have begun sending truckload full of groceries to specific areas that are facing the greatest need.”

In addition to providing groceries, UFCW, union leaders and members have been helping connect workers with their families. They have been helping workers find government, non-profit and community assistance. They are helping workers and their families find shelter – partly through UFCW’s Adopt-a-Family program – and sometimes helping them relocate and find new jobs. UFCW has placed special effort in finding members sheltered at the Houston Astrodome. UFCW International President Joe Hansen and Canada’s National Director Michael J. Fraser encouraged local unions to adopt UFCW families displaced by the storm.

UFCW has thousands of members in southern states that have been affected by the storm. UFCW recently identified and began assisting nursing home workers in Alabama. UFCW members experiencing the worse impact from the storm include those employed by Domino Sugar Co. in Chalmette, LA. Other affected UFCW members include those working at poultry processor Sanderson Farms, at an oil refinery, at barber shops, and at a Sara Lee plant in Mississippi. For additional Katrina-related information, please refer to UFCW’s website at www.ufcw.org.

UFCW Region 5 employee Arlene Carrow Crocker has been taking most of the hot line calls. She has never experienced anything more emotional or heartbreaking. “”For some of our Domino Sugar members, I believe that the realization of any major loss is just now setting in,” she said. “With an open heart, I try to find the right words, but I realize that only time will heal their wounds.”" In addition to the UFCW, other unions of the recently formed Change to Win Coalition have implemented Katrina-victim relief programs of their own and in collaboration with other unions.

Please feel free to publicize the UFCW Katrina Relief Fund hot line – (866) 820-6141. For any photographs illustrating UFCW efforts in the field, you may contact Federico Cura.

Washington D.C. – Today, WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, released a dramatic open letter to Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart. The letter applauds Wal-Mart for its response to Hurricane Katrina and calls on Wal-Mart to meet with WakeUpWalMart.com and establish a new partnership for change.

Given the new standard set by Wal-Mart to do the right thing, the letter highlights “”six demands for change”" and extends the first offer to build a true working partnership between WakeUpWalMart.com and Wal-Mart in order to better the lives of their workers, their families, and millions of Americans – everyday.

“”Just imagine the good Wal-Mart can do if it works with us to become a better company by doing the right thing – everyday.  Our ‘six demands for change’ are a sincere effort to help Wal-Mart become a better business.  The question is: will Wal-Mart now work with us to improve the lives of workers who live in crisis everyday,”" said Paul Blank, campaign director, WakeUpWalMart.com.

The open letter will be published tomorrow, Tuesday, September 13th, in the Benton County Daily Record, the hometown newspaper of Wal-Mart’s headquarters.

The open letter presents Wal-Mart with the first “”list of demands.”"  As the letter states, “”Wal-Mart has a great opportunity to work with us to help improve the lives of so many Americans who face an economic and health care crisis everyday, everywhere in America. The American people want to know, will Wal-Mart do what is right for America or will Wal-Mart lead a race to the bottom?”"

The “”six demands for change”" include: paying their workers a living wage; providing affordable health care to their workers; and, increasing the percentage of “”Made in America”" goods sold at Wal-Mart stores.

“”We have offered this list of demands to Wal-Mart as an olive branch in the spirit of wanting real change. Our sincere hope is that Wal-Mart will work with us to improve the lives of others and to make this nation a truly better place everyday.  We, and America, await their answer,”" added Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

The letter also officially announced the launch of WalMartWeek.com – the new website will highlight many of the activities and events, such as the national release of the movie, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, scheduled to be released during “”Wal-Mart Week,”" November 13-19.  WakeUpWalMart.com and a broad coalition of partners from all across America will use this week to raise public awareness about the negative effects Wal-Mart has on their workers, the community, and the nation and to officially launch our holiday campaign.

In the letter to Scott, WakeUpWalMart.com states that they hope by “”Wal-Mart Week”" the two groups and the nation will able to celebrate the many changes Wal-Mart has undertaken to improve the lives of its workers and to better the nation.

Please read the open letter to Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, below:

AN OPEN LETTER TO WAL-MART CEO LEE SCOTT

Mr. Lee Scott, CEO
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611

Dear Mr. Scott,

In the wake of the terrible tragedies caused by Hurricane Katrina, Wal-Mart helped ease the suffering of many Americans.  This crisis brought out the best in Wal-Mart and we applaud your hurricane relief efforts. We hope Wal-Mart’s response to Hurricane Katrina represents a turning point.

Wal-Mart has a great opportunity to work with us to help improve the lives of so many Americans who face an economic and health care crisis everyday, everywhere in America. The American people want to know, will Wal-Mart do what is right for America or will Wal-Mart lead a race to the bottom?

We believe now is the time for Wal-Mart to address the serious issues facing its 1.3 million workers, their families, our communities and our country by agreeing to the following “”six demands for change.”"

1. Living Wage.  Pay all Wal-Mart workers a fair living wage so they can support their families.
2. Affordable Health Care.  Provide all workers comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage so they can care for their families and no longer be forced to rely on taxpayer-funded public health care.
3. End Discrimination.  Ensure equal opportunity and equal pay for women and people of color in your workforce at all levels through a stringent and independent monitoring process.
4. Zero Tolerance on Child Labor. Adopt a zero tolerance policy and institute an independent monitoring program to stop the exploitation of child labor in the United States and abroad.
5. Buy American.  Establish a “”Buy America”" program that annually increases the percentage of “”Made in America”" goods purchased by Wal-Mart so as to help protect American jobs.
6. Respect Communities. Work with local communities to effectively address Wal-Mart’s negative impact on issues like traffic, sprawl, the environment, and local businesses.

As you stated recently, “”When you do the right thing, good things accrue to you.”"  We agree.  Just imagine the good Wal-Mart can do if it works with us to become a better company by doing the right thing – everyday. We hope you will view our “”six demands for change”" as a sincere effort to form a new partnership for change.

In the end, we are not your enemy. Our goal is to be your partner in making Wal-Mart a better business.  We welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss how we can help Wal-Mart grow and prosper in new ways. But, make no mistake about it, if Wal-Mart refuses to change for the better, we will continue to build this broad-based social movement into one of the most powerful forces for change the nation has ever seen.

Wal-Mart has an incredible opportunity – right now – to work with us to better the lives of all your workers, to set a new standard for corporate America, to be a better business, and to build a better nation. We hope you will and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

WakeUpWalMart.com – America’s Campaign to Change Wal-Mart.

P.S. This November we, along with a broad coalition of community organizations, will be launching Wal-Mart Week, November 13th – 19th, to highlight Wal-Mart’s negative impact on America.  You can go to www.walmartweek.com and learn more about the actions we will be taking and the movie being released.  Our hope is that by then, instead of highlighting Wal-Mart’s failures, we can stand together and celebrate a new day at Wal-Mart – a day when real change improved the lives of millions of Americans.

UFCW members affected are calling the UFCW Katrina Relief Fund hot line at (866) 820-6141.

So far, UFCW raised or received pledges nearing $250,000 for hurricane victims from generous workers and organizations. UFCW itself has contributed $100,000, and one of its constituency groups – United Latinos of UFCW – contributed another $50,000. Union representatives and volunteers are helping connect workers with their families. They are helping provide groceries and shelter for victims in several states. They are also helping workers to find other types of assistance, as well as to help people relocate and find new jobs.

UFCW has many affected members. In Louisiana alone, almost half of UFCW’s 5,300 members lived in the most affected areas. UFCW volunteers are helping everybody, but concentrating on finding and helping these 2,500 members.

The UFCW members who experienced the worse impact from the hurricane are those employed by Domino Sugar Co. in Chalmette, LA, where hundreds were trapped inside the factory by flood waters for nearly one week, and at least 40 have lost their homes and possessions. Domino Sugar Company has agreed to continue paying wages and benefits for these workers while the plant is shut down.

Other UFCW members affected by the hurricane include those working at poultry processor Sanderson Farms, at an oil refinery, at barber shops, and at a Sara Lee plant in Mississippi.

“People are being grateful for the help and some are saying that no one was helping them until UFCW’s yellow t-shirts showed up,” said UFCW Region 5 International Vice President Alvin Vincent. “For the most part, victims are also upset at the federal government for not fixing the levees outside New Orleans and for lack of food.”

UFCW International President Joe Hansen oversaw the creation of the relief fund last Saturday, Sept. 3, and urged workers to contribute to it. “Unlike a strike situation, where hardship develops over time, many of our members barely escaped Katrina’s destruction with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”

UFCW Local 455 purchased a truckload full of groceries from Associated Grocers Warehouse and with the help of several UFCW leaders and members, distributed the food to Sanderson Farms’ workers, who had been affected by the storm.

UFCW Region 5’s Al Vincent: “”The Hotline traffic is starting to pick up and the word of mouth member-to-member system, while slow, has helped us find some families in great need.”" He added, “Also, we have started to go to the major staging areas (Houston, Dallas) to see if we can post ‘UFCW Member Relief’ information throughout the arenas.”

“”Most victims are staying in homes in groups ranging from five to 24 people,” said Vincent. “In one case, there is a family of 10 staying at a campground in Minden, Louisiana. In all cases, reunited families are reluctant to be slip apart.”

In addition to the UFCW, other unions of the recently formed Change to Win Coalition have implemented Katrina-victim relief programs of their own and in collaboration with other unions.

“”All across America, from towns to cities, from red states to blue states, Americans have made our campaign a true grassroots movement. We will not stop fighting. We will use every political, legislative, economic, and legal tool available to grow this movement into an army of change. In the days ahead, on behalf of the American people, we will change Wal-Mart into a corporation that reflects the best of American values,”" said Paul Blank, Campaign Director for WakeUpWalMart.com

In just five months, WakeUpWalMart.com has become one of America’s fastest growing political and social movements. Supporters of the effort have signed on to the campaign at public events held by the group or via the campaign website, WakeUpWalMart.com. The group also officially announced that its next goal is to reach 150,000 supporters by December 31st, 2005.

“”WakeUpWalMart.com is a powerful, broad-based, movement to change the largest corporation in the world. Our supporters will take the fight for a better America to Wal-Mart from one corner of this nation to the other. We will not rest until this company ‘wakes up’ and does what is right for its workers, our families, our communities, and the nation,”" added Paul Blank.

With the support of over 66,215 Americans, the WakeUpWalMart.com campaign has successfully led the national fight to change Wal-Mart. Among the many accomplishments of the WakeUpWalMart.com campaign and its supporters include:

• Launched the “”Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart”" Mother’s Day Campaign where 21,788 Americans signed the “”Love Mom, not Wal-Mart”" pledge and promised to not purchase their Mother’s Day gift at Wal-Mart until the company addressed its record of discriminating against 2 million women.
• Coordinated a National “”Mother’s Day of Action”" on May 7th in 26 states and 70 cities and towns to raise awareness about Wal-Mart’s record of gender discrimination.
• Hosted a press conference with several key Members of Congress, including Rep. Rosa De Lauro. Rep. De Lauro then released a “”Dear Colleague Letter”" from 51 Members of Congress asking Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, to release wage data to investigate claims of gender discrimination.
• Mobilized thousands of supporters to successfully force Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, to end the “”Wal-Mart Nazi Ad”" and publicly apologize for using the ad against Arizona citizens who opposed Wal-Mart.
• Launched the “”Make Wal-Mart Care About Health Care”" campaign with a series of press conferences in 8 states and 325 Meet-Ups in over 270 cities involving over 10,000 supporters of Democracy for America (DFA) and WakeUpWalMart.com. Press conferences with civic, community, and labor leaders were held in Concord, NH; Seattle, WA; Phoenix, AZ; Madison, WI; Little Rock, AR; Austin, TX; Hartford, CT; and Atlanta, GA.
• Hosted a press conference with Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Corzine, and Representative Anthony Weiner to introduce the Health Care Accountability Act – the first national legislation that would expose the true cost that American taxpayers bear because Wal-Mart forces tens of thousands of its workers onto public health care, like Medicaid.
• Held house meetings in 134 cities and 38 states where nearly 2,000 citizens agreed to become citizen co-sponsors of “”Fair Share Health Care”" legislation. The WakeUpWalMart.com campaign will be leading the effort to introduce “”Fair Share Health Care”" legislation in all 50 states in the coming months.
• Officially launched on June 23rd our “”Community Fight Campaign”" that provides the most comprehensive strategies and tools to help supporters and activists fight the destructive effects of Wal-Mart in their community.

The efforts to change Wal-Mart will reach a new level in the coming days and months as WakeUpWalMart.com prepares to mobilize its supporters in a series of new campaigns that will reach out to Americans all over the nation.

We are taking this historic step with our coalition partners to build a 21st century worker movement for a new generation of workers. Unions built the American middle class. We are taking this action to revitalize the labor movement to build worker power.

Unrestrained corporate power has set in motion a global race to the bottom—a race dedicated to widening the gap of inequality—eroding basic wages—eroding labor and social standards—and limiting basic democratic participation.

Our unions are changing now to win worker power in the workplace, the community, and the political process.

The Change to Win Coalition is taking the lead to engage and organize workers—and build a worker movement to raise living standards, win health care and pension security, and make government responsive to working people.

Working people can’t win a better life unless more workers belong to unions.

The world is a different place than it was a generation ago. Change to Win partners are changing to meet this new dynamic.

Our vision is clear. Our resolve is firm. The time is now to bring new hope to working families.

“”This is a new day and a new strategy in the fight against Wal-Mart,”" stated Paul Blank, the new campaign director for the Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign.  “”Wal-Mart’s greed puts profits before people.  Today, we are forming a grassroots movement to empower millions of Americans to ask Wal-Mart to put people first.”"

“”The rise of Wal-Mart as the world’s largest retailer has come at a high cost to our society.  Traditional organizing campaigns are too limited for a greedy, global company who is willing to cut its nose to spite its face rather than do the right thing and stand up for people,”" said Blank.  “”For too long, Wal-Mart’s business practice has been to lower our wages, pressure suppliers to ship our jobs overseas, shift their health care costs onto American taxpayers and ask communities to give over $1 billion in subsidies for their expansion.”"

“”All across America, consumers and taxpayers are waking up to the high cost of Wal-Mart’s poverty wages, reliance on taxpayer funded state health care programs and devastating impact on communities.  Wal-Mart’s values are not America’s values,”" stated Blank.  “”There is only one force powerful enough to change the largest corporation in the world, the largest retailer in the world and the largest employer in the world-the American people.  We are Wal-Mart’s consumers and it is time for Wal-Mart to wake up and start doing what is right for its employees, our families, and our country.”"

The Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign will give people the tools they need to join together in common purpose in order to change the largest corporation in the world.  The campaign will utilize an array of organizing strategies, innovative media, a blog and other internet tools that have been used successfully in previous political and grassroots campaigns.

The website, WakeupWalMart.com, will offer concerned citizens, community leaders, activists, and workers an online vehicle where they can learn the truth about Wal-Mart’s record, as well as become an active member in this new grassroots movement. The “”Take Action”" center of the website will even feature a new tool for community leaders to Adopt-A-Store and begin forming community coalitions around every Wal-Mart location in the United States.

The website will also be used to form a new group of current and former Wal-Mart employees called the Wal-Mart Veterans Association.  This will be a place for former and current employees to join together and share their Wal-Mart experience.

In addition, the website will feature a blog about Wal-Mart that will be updated throughout the day on news and stories related to Wal-Mart.  It will become a vital resource for the millions of Americans who believe Wal-Mart needs to be changed.

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