Hey union ladies! Want to learn more about the labor movement, and how you can become a stronger leader?

You will learn about these, and much, much more by attending any of the three Union Women’s Summer School programs being offered this summer by  The United Association for Labor Education!

Registration is now open for the three programs, each of which are offered on separate dates in different regions of the country.

The Northeast Regional Summer School for Union Women program, called “Raising our voices: Women’s Leadership for Democracy in our work, our country, and our world!“, will take place at the end of July. It will focus on strengthening the knowledge of union who have come together–rank and file members, officers, and staff–about the labor movement, in order to create better leadership skills.

The Western Regional Summer Institute for Union Women program, called “Women Emerging as Leaders” will take place in late June. This course also focuses on leadership skills and community work.

The third program, the Midwest/Southern Women’s School for Union Women will be held in mid August.

The workshops offered at all of these school programs are fantastic tools for women who are looking to get more involved in the labor movement–to protect workers rights and rebuild the middle class.

Go to http://bit.ly/Yhvunu now for more information and to download useful brochures. Register now to reserve your spot for this great opportunity!

The reasoning behind this claim, according to Amelia Gentleman, who wrote the piece, is that women who work such jobs have very limited opportunities to better their pay or position from minimum wage.  When looking at women in the workplace, it is unrealistic to only focus on “a few outsider women at the top”, rather than a more accurate cross-section of working women. Although there have been “incremental gains” for women in powerful, top positions, women still hold many of our country’s low-skilled, low-wage jobs.  Unemployment rates for women in the low-wage job market are also much higher than for those that are qualified for higher paying positions.

So, what does all of this mean? It means that “we have a long way to go to close the gender AND inequality gaps,” states a recent Business Insider article.

Gentlemen is correct when she says the solution to such inequality is to “raise the standards for working-class jobs and create better pay structures across the board.”

This chart shows that across Europe, among full-time workers, women fill more low-wage jobs than men.

Audra Makuch and Betty Wilson from Local 888 standing together for equality

Last week, we all celebrated International Women’s Day, giving thanks to the women who have made a difference in our lives.

This year, UNI Global Union participated in International Women’s Day by being a part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York.  The theme of the commission this year deals with stopping violence against women and girls.  For International Women’s Day, UNI’s call was that women should be able to join a union without fear.

Volunteers from UFCW Region 1 and from the UFCW Women’s Network joined in the events to show their support.  UFCW Women´s network donated 500 folders to the event, and the Region 1 south network worked to get additional volunteers from the local unions, including Local 888, Local 1500, and RWDSU Local 338. Volunteers attended sessions and blogged about their experiences, hand-billed participants on UNI´s breaking the circle campaign and participated in the march.

The International Women’s Day march was hosted by the UN commission and UNI , to further support their cause, and show their solidarity with other  women around the world who were marching for equality. Those involved in the activities were also busy lobbying governments to stop violence against women and girls.

Volunteers from UFCW participate in the UN/UNI International Women’s Day march

As a labor union, standing up in solidarity to support all of our union brothers and sisters is so important.  No one should be made to fear retaliation or punishment for joining a union, or be submitted to harassment in the workplace for any reason, no matter what gender or race you are.

“We want women to be free from fear and have a voice in the work place and the only way we can ensure that happens is through union organizing. Women must have the right to join a union without fear of intimidation. This is the way we can create a safe environment at work which will have a positive effect at home too. We can break through the circle of inequality and violence,” said UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, during last week’s events.  We couldn’t agree more!

Event also streaming live at 9:00am EDT, viewable at http://s.dol.gov/DP or http://whitehouse.gov/live.

WHEN: Approximately 10:30 EDT, Monday, March 28, 2011

WASHINGTON – Monday morning at 9:00am EDT, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the White House and Department of Labor are hosting a Women’s History Month forum with women workers and organizers, discussing their courageous roles in organizing their workplaces.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Valerie B. Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls will be joined by women who are currently working to organize their workplaces, including Ernestine Bassett, a Walmart Associate from Laurel, Maryland.  A significant majority of Walmart’s hourly Associates are women.

“”As a retired CWA member, I understand there is strength in numbers. I know first hand the pride that comes with being part of a union. That’s why I am committed, despite significant intimidation from my employer, to winning that same respect for my fellow associates at this county’s largest private employer, Walmart,”" said Bassett.

On March 25, 1911, one hundred years ago, 146 garment workers – most of them young women and girls – died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City.  A seminal event in the United States labor movement, public pressure after the fire spurred critical and long overdue workplace safety reforms. This compelling history highlights the critical need to ensure worker safety and labor standards for all workers. It is also a story of women who were seeking to improve their workplaces and lives by organizing– the same action many women are taking up today in the workplace.

The White House event is not open to the press, but Ernestine Bassett will be available for interviews after the discussion.

Jennifer Stapleton, Assistant Director of the United Food and Commercial Worker’s Making Change at Walmart campaign said, “”Ernestine Bassett is a profile in courage – working to organize her store despite intimidation by her employer, Walmart.  The role of our campaign, Making Change at Walmart, is to stand with workers like Ernestine, who are organizing for respect in the workplace.  We’re looking forward to her participation and the discussion.”

Contact:
Casie Yoder – (202) 223-3111 x1451 / cyoder@ufcw.org

“This morning, before the U.S. Supreme Court, legal representatives for the more than one million women of Dukes v. Walmart Stores stood up for the right to fairly challenge the years of inequality these women experienced in the workplace.

“Making Change at Walmart stands with all Walmart associates as they strive to secure the respect in the workplace they deserve.  However, Walmart’s response to this case – that the company is too big for justice – threatens not only the rights of the women of Dukes, but the rights of all workers, male and female, who seek fair treatment and respect at work.

“Making Change at Walmart is committed to the idea that all workers should receive equal treatment. Walmart’s promotion practices stood in the way of this goal – resulting in women being paid less and promoted at lower rates than their male colleagues. The Supreme Court must rule to uphold the certification of the women plaintiffs as a class, allowing the case to move forward as a class action lawsuit. A jury can then consider the merits of the charges brought against Walmart.”

About Making Change at Walmart:
Making Change at Walmart seeks to promote the American values of equality, dignity and respect in the workplace. The campaign is making change by working directly with Walmart Associates to claim the respect on the job they deserve, holding Walmart corporate managers accountable to hourly employees and the public for their practices and joining with community leaders in major cities across America to make sure that any new jobs offered by Walmart meet strong standards for healthy, growing communities.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Valerie B. Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, were joined by women who are currently working to organize their workplaces, including Ernestine Bassett, a Walmart Associate from Laurel, Maryland.

“We are still fighting to provide adequate working conditions for all women and men on the job, ensure that no person within our borders is exploited for their labor, and uphold collective bargaining as a means to give workers a seat at the tables of power,” said President Obama in a proclamation released at the event.

“At today’s event, the Administration made it very clear that it values the role unions play in building the middle class in this country,” said Joe Hansen, UFCW International President. “We thank them for standing with courageous women who are currently trying to improve their lives by organizing their workplaces.”

“Walmart is the largest private employer in this country,” said Patrick O’Neill, UFCW Director of Organizing. “Their practices set the standard for the retail industry. We are pleased that the White House and Department of Labor gave a Walmart associate the chance to testify about the intimidation she and her coworkers face when trying to exercise their legal rights to organize for respect on the job.”

“I am committed, despite significant intimidation from my employer, to winning respect for my fellow associates at Walmart,” said Ernestine Bassett. “We are organizing to ensure safety and a better life for all Walmart associates.”

To watch the event online, visit:

A joint statement follows:

“For more than 45 years, American workers have sought protection from the courts for equal treatment in the workplace.  Workers have joined together to remedy widespread discriminatory workplace practices through class action proceedings and by applying the nation’s civil rights standards to their workplaces.  Today, Walmart is attempting to undo that standard by claiming its female associates have no right to appeal for justice as a class.

In our amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, we ask the court to uphold the fundamental pillar of the Civil Rights Act and to ensure that the class action process remains open to workers in all industries.

Walmart is not too big for justice.  No employer should be beyond justice for its workers. Workers must have a voice in the legal process.  The cost to Walmart if it loses the suit would be a fair recompensation for billions of dollars in lost wages and benefits owed to female employees who have lost opportunities as a result of Walmart’s discriminatory actions.

With more than 1.4 million associates nationwide, Walmart has single-handedly transformed the American economy by setting workplace standards by which all other retailers and employers are forced to compete. Because Walmart’s employment practices are so influential, its female associates must be allowed to have their day in court.  We congratulate the brave women who initiated this complaint and who seek to create a Walmart workplace that treats all associates equally.”

To read the amicus brief, click here. For more information on the Dukes v. Walmart Stores case, visit www.walmartclass.com

“With the disclosure of a 1995 internal Walmart memo documenting company-wide discriminatory practices nearly six years before the landmark Dukes v. Walmart class-action lawsuit, the women of Walmart are taking another step forward in their march for justice.

“Walmart shareholders must hold Walmart CEO Mike Duke accountable for the company’s failure to follow federal anti-discrimination and workplace laws.  The retail giant could face more than a billion dollars in back wages and other damages to women to settle the class-action suit.  Today’s news is a smoking gun that Walmart leadership was aware of the financial risk facing the company for six years before women took legal action against its policies that systematically paid female workers less than their male counterparts and prevented women from winning promotions.

“The internal memo was first reported on by the New York Times on June 3, 2010.  We call on Walmart to make this document public and give all 1.4 million Walmart associates access to the internal review.

“In statements to investors, Walmart claims that 15% of cash incentive payments for top executives are tied to meeting diversity goals.  Walmart should disclose the diversity goals so that shareholders can hold them accountable toward meeting them.  Shareholders will present a resolution at the company’s annual meeting tomorrow that will allow shareholders to hold executives accountable for issues like gender discrimination.

“Walmart executives must make public their diversity standards.  Until they can prove that they have purged their old sexist culture, Walmart executives should have their bonuses withheld.  As part of a national day of action involving Wake Up Walmart activists from across the country, we are asking Walmart shoppers to sign a letter to Walmart CEO Mike Duke calling for oversight in executive pay as long as allegations of discrimination remain outstanding.

“”Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott must stop this policy of denying millions of American women access to a legal medicine. Wal-Mart should not be able to use its massive power to dictate a woman’s right to choose her own medication,”" stated Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com

The joint statement issued by America’s leading women’s groups representing over 10 million women and WakeUpWalMart.com directly states that CEO Lee Scott and Wal-Mart should not “”decide what medicines women may or may not take.”" The group further states, “”Wal-Mart’s actions are clearly an outrageous intrusion into the health and privacy of all U.S. women. When a doctor prescribes emergency contraception for a woman, Wal-Mart does not have the right to overrule that decision.”" The entire statement is available below.

WakeUpWalMart.com also announced the launch of the “”Wal-Mart vs. Women…Again”" campaign. The initial campaign will focus on online grassroots activism. The group will launch online advertising on progressive websites asking Americans to sign a petition calling on Wal-Mart and CEO Lee Scott to change its policy which denies millions of women access to legal medicine. The campaign also points out Wal-Mart’s troubling record on women’s issues, including the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history affecting more than 1.6 million female employees, a recent accusation by a former Connecticut worker who says Wal-Mart fired her because she was pregnant, and the current lawsuit filed by three Massachusetts women against Wal-Mart for being denied access to a legal medicine.

———

Joint Statement in Support of Lawsuit Demanding Access to Emergency Contraception at Wal-Mart

At the same time Wal-Mart faces the largest gender discrimination class action lawsuit in U.S. history, affecting 1.6 million women, three Massachusetts women are now suing Wal-Mart over its failure to provide access to emergency contraceptive pills.

Wal-Mart’s decision not to stock or sell emergency contraception-also known as Plan B or the “”morning-after pill”"-unnecessarily denies women everywhere their right to access a legally-approved drug. The lawsuit charges that Wal-Mart is violating a Massachusetts policy requiring pharmacies in the state to dispense all “”commonly prescribed medicines.”"

Wal-Mart’s CEO Lee Scott should not decide what medicines women may or may not take. Wal-Mart’s actions are clearly an outrageous intrusion into the health and privacy of all U.S. women. When a doctor prescribes emergency contraception for a woman, Wal-Mart does not have the right to overrule that decision.

To be most effective, emergency contraception should be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure. Because Wal-Mart has put so many smaller stores out of business, in a number of areas it is the only pharmacy for miles. No woman at risk for unintended pregnancy, be it the result of a broken condom or sexual assault, should be turned away by Wal-Mart and forced to find another pharmacy while the clock is ticking.

Wal-Mart’s statement that they choose “”not to carry many products for business reasons,”" rings hollow and dismisses the heartfelt concerns of many women in this country.

We strongly support the lawsuit brought in Massachusetts and will fight to make sure all women who work at Wal-Mart or choose to shop there are treated fairly and equally and have access to all legally-approved medications.

We call on Wal-Mart to stop discriminating against women, reverse their policy on blocking access to emergency contraception pills, and to ensure, in the future, all legal medicines are provided to women at Wal-Mart pharmacies across the U.S.

Paul Blank
Campaign Director
WakeUpWalMart.com

Dr. Martha Burk
Director, Corporate Accountability Project
National Council of Women’s Organizations

Kim Gandy
President
National Organization for Women

Nancy Keenan
President
NARAL Pro-Choice American

Karen Pearl
Interim President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

“”This Holiday season, Wal-Mart, America’s largest employer, has the power to change, to become better, to reflect the best of our values. It is our sincere hope Wal-Mart will choose the higher road and become a moral example that all people of faith can embrace proudly,”" said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com.

The goal of the “”Light A Candle for Change”" campaign is to change Wal-Mart into a responsible corporation that reflects the best moral values of our country. The letter to Lee Scott goes on to state “”there is no better present Wal-Mart could give to its workers, their families, and America than to change for the better this holiday season.”" As part of this new campaign, the families and children of supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com will also be holding local candlelight vigils at Wal-Marts in at least 27 cities in 19 different states, including Oregon, Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, and Illinois.

“”Out of our religious heritage comes the recognition that we are not allowed to deprive people of their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this respect the Wal-Mart form of business represents plantation capitalism; the few become very wealthy and the many become poorer,”" stated Reverend James Lawson of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, CA.

The faith-based grassroots initiative by WakeUpWalMart.com will also include a coordinated online and TV multimedia campaign. The TV ad, titled “”People,”" is the first TV advertisement to highlight Wal-Mart’s moral failures and raise the powerful question – “”Should People of Faith Shop at Wal-Mart?”" this holiday season. The 30-second TV spot will be running in 6 states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia. The ad can also be viewed at WakeUpWalMart.com.

A copy of the letter and the script for TV spot are attached.

The “”Light A Candle For Change”" campaign is the latest initiative by WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s leading grassroots movement to change Wal-Mart. WakeUpWalMart.com has over 148,000 members and supporters in all 50 states.

** Script of “”People”" **

Our faith teaches us

“”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”"

If these are our values, then ask yourself

Should people of faith shop at Wal-Mart this Holiday season?

When Wal-Mart repeatedly broke child labor laws.

Is being sued by 1.5 million women for discrimination.

And, over 600,000 Wal-Mart workers and their families have no company health care.

If these are Wal-Mart’s values

Should people of faith shop at Wal-Mart?

Should you?

** Letter to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott **

Lee Scott

CEO, Wal-Mart

Bentonville, AR

Dear Mr. Scott,

The holiday season is a time to honor and remember the virtues of hope, love, joy, sharing, sacrifice, and faith. For people of all faiths, the celebration of the holiday season is a time to remember and embrace the best of our values. It is a time to reflect upon our lives, the impact we have on others, and the responsibility we all have to improve the lives of those less fortunate than us.

The prophet Moses in Deuteronomy 25:13-15 teaches “”Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy … lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.”" During this holy season, we must ask ourselves – at what moral price do we accept the sins of exploitation and greed? Sins, it is sad to say, which are exemplified by one of America’s largest and richest corporations, Wal-Mart.

Everyday, Wal-Mart’s so-called low prices come at a high cost to the moral virtues and greatness of your workers, our families, and our nation. Everyday, America pays too high a cost for Wal-Mart’s immoral business practices.

As all faiths teach us, the current exploitation of those who work to provide us with goods and services, whether at Wal-Mart or its suppliers, can never be morally justified. Under all conditions, it is simply immoral and wrong. It goes against the teachings of our spiritual leaders and our commitment to justice, fairness, and community.

If there is one shared hope all faiths have in common, it is the central belief that we must work together to improve the lives of others. This central tenet, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ is the bedrock of our values, our faith, our families and our communities.

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart needlessly ignores the Golden Rule putting our children and their workers needlessly at-risk.

Despite $10 billion in profit last year, more than 600,000 Wal-Mart workers and their families struggle with no company-provided health care. Even more troubling, nearly 1 out of every 2 children of Wal-Mart workers lives without health care or relies on a public program. Wal-Mart has repeatedly broken child labor laws. Wal-Mart is being sued by 1.5 million female employees for discrimination. And, Wal-Mart continues to pay poverty-level wages, forcing many of its workers to make the impossible choice between rent and health care.

It is hard to imagine why Wal-Mart would consciously choose to make 1.3 million workers suffer in the name of “”low prices,”" a suffering we can no longer let stand.

For those of us who are Christians, we celebrate the life, the birth and the teachings of Jesus, and we call on Wal-Mart to change. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we ask ourselves:

Would Jesus support the exploitation of so many for the profit of so few?

Would Jesus tolerate systematic discrimination against women?

Would Jesus stand by idly while thousands of children go without health care?

Would Jesus accept violations of child labor laws?

The answer is simple. Jesus would not embrace Wal-Mart’s values of greed and profits at any cost, particularly when children suffer as a result of those misguided values.

Those of us who are Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist also have scriptures that remind us that God is just and God’s servants must practice justice in all of our words and deeds. As we prepare to celebrate our own holiday traditions, we also ask ourselves, is it right to shop at Wal-Mart? Would our God want us to support Wal-Mart’s values and actions with our dollars?

We know Wal-Mart has the power to improve the lives of millions of workers, their families, and our communities. Wal-Mart can become, if you and the Walton Family so choose, a leading example of moral greatness in corporate America. You have the power to change and set an example that would truly honor and reflect the call of all faith traditions to righteousness and justice.

So beginning today, in the shared spirit of the holiday season, we call on Wal-Mart to change, to become better, and to embrace the best of American values. It is within your power to become a truly responsible, ethical, and righteous company.

In the end, there is no better present Wal-Mart could give to its workers, their families, and America than to change for the better this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Reverend John H. Thomas, President, United Church of Christ

Reverend James Lawson, Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, CA

Kim Bobo, Executive Director, Interfaith Worker Justice

Bishop Gabino Zavala, Regional Bishop in the San Gabriel Pastoral Region (Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA)

Reverend Doctor William Jarvis Johnson, Calvary CME Church of Pasadena, CA

Reverend Alexia Salvatierra, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE)

Father Michael Pfleger, Faith Community of St. Sabina Parish, Chicago, Illinois.

Reverend Bennie E. Whiten, Jr., United Church of Christ

Retired Bishop Jesse DeWitt of the United Methodist Church

Reverend Mark Wendorf, McCormick Theological Seminary and Board Member of Interfaith Worker Justice

Professor William P. Quigley, Loyola University New Orleans School of Law and Board member of Interfaith Worker Justice

Dr. Edie Rasell of the Justice and Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ.

Reverend Ron Stief, Director of Washington, D.C. office, United Church of Christ

Pastor Sylvia Tucker, Union Baptist Church of Hopewell, VA

Mr. Ralph Ramirez, President of Richmond, VA Southern Council Leadership Conference Chapter

Reverend Rebekah Jordan, Mid-South Interfaith Network for Economic Justice

Reverend Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L. of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Port Arthur, TX

Reverend Doctor John J. O’Brien, C.P.

Reverend Bridgeforth, Shiloh Baptist Church, VA

Reverend King, Southern Council Leadership Conference of Danville, VA

Reverend Rufus Fuller II Pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, VA

Reverend William Avon Keen of Traynham Grove Church,VA

Reverend John Snider, Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church, West St. Paul, MN

Reverend Bill Bulson, Holy Apostles, MN

Reverend Timothy M Johnson, Cherokee Park United Church of St. Paul, MN

Reverend Johnathan C. Tetherly, Chaplain of Hampden County House of Corrections, MA

Father Thomas Mueller, S.S. Cyril & Methodist Orthodox Church, WI

Father Jerry Schroeder, St. Benedict the Moor Parish of Milwaukee, WI

Reverend Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld, Good Sheperd Lutheran Church in Waukesha, WI

Reverend Kelly Fowler, First United Methodist Church of Waukesha, WI

Reverend Doctor Ronald Faust, Kansas City Interfaith Worker Justice, MO

Reverend Tom Blakley, Barry Christian Church, MO

Reverend Spencer Barrett, Co-chair, Kansas City Interfaith Worker Justice, MO

Pastor Robin Hood Senior Pastor, Redeemed Outreach Ministries, IL

Reverend Fr. Alfredo Gundrum , Pastor of St. Kevin, Chicago, IL

Reverend Jose Landaverde, Amor de Dios, United Methodist Church, IL

Reverend William F. Marx, Pax Christi of Western New York

Reverend Dan Schifeling, Church of Nativity, United Church of Christ

Sister Jean Sliwikski, Western New York Workers’ Rights Board

Reverend Suzelle Lynch, Unitarian Universalist Church, Brookfield WI

Reverend Doctor. Roland Womack, Board Member, African-American Ministers Leadership Council, and Pastor, Progressive Baptist Church, Milwaukee, WI

Pastor Susan Burchfield, Immanuel Lutheran Church of Seattle, WA

Reverend Richard Vogel, Executive Pastor, St. James United Methodist Church, Kansas City, MO

Reverend Emanuel Cleaver II, St. James United Methodist Church of Kansas City, MO

Reverend Norman D. Copeland, AME Church, Los Angeles, CA

Reverend Calvin S. Morris, Ph.D. Executive Director Community Renewal Society of Chicago, IL

Reverend Jennifer Kottler, Protestants for the Common Good of Chicago, IL

Reverend Jon M. Luopa, Univeralist Unitarian Church of Seattle WA

Sisters of St Joseph of Springfield, MA Justice and Peace Committee

Reverend William F. Brisotti, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, NY

Reverend Catherine Schulyer, Protestant Campus Ministry of Stony Brook, NY

Reverend Richard E. Edwards, Stony Brook Community Church, NY

Reverend Thomas W. Goodhue, Executive Director, The Long Island Council of Churches, NY

Reverend Paul Ratzlaff, The Unitarian Universalist of Fellowship of Huntington, NY

Sister Rosemary Everett, SNJM, Sisters of the Holy Names, CA

Father Bill Leininger, Human Concerns Commission, Diocese of San Jose, CA

Monsieur Gene Boyle, St. Thomas Aquinas of Palo Alto, CA

Reverend John Freesemann, Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church of San Jose, CA

Rabbi Melanie Aron, Congregation Shir Hadash of Los Gatos, CA

Reverend Carol Been, The Interfaith Council of San Jose, CA

Ms. Mary Quinn Kambic, Catholic Labor Committee of Baltimore, MD

Ms. Evely Laser Shlensky, Board member, Executive Committee, Interfaith Worker Justice

Mr. Monroe B. Sullivan, National Board Member, Interfaith Worker Justice

Ms. Karen Herrling, Attorney, Catholic Legal Immigration Network

Mr. Stephen Hand, Editor, Traditional Catholic Reflections

Washington, D.C. – WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, launched a new 30-second advertisement that asks and answers the question “Who is the most corrupt in America?”

The dramatic spot highlights the growing number of morally corrupt scandals in America, including Rep. Tom Delay’s arrest, Scooter Libby’s indictment, and Sen. Bill Frist’s investigation and concludes none of these are as bad as Wal-Mart and CEO Lee Scott’s morally corrupt policies.

“American values and morality are being perverted by our nation’s corporate and political leaders.  The definition of corrupt is to become morally debased.  Is there anything more morally debased than a $290 billion giant like Wal-Mart having over 600,000 of its workers without company health care or being sued by more than 1.5 million women for discrimination?” said Paul Blank, campaign director WakeUpWalMart.com.

The 30-second commercial presents the specific reasons why Wal-Mart is the most morally corrupt.   The ad highlights Wal-Mart’s failure to provide affordable health care to all of its workers, its record of repeated child labor violations, and the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history affecting over 1.5 million female employees.

The ad will also be the first in the nation to use Tom Delay’s “Smiley Face” booking photo and Scooter Libby in a national media campaign.

“To be frank, it was tough to decide who is the most morally corrupt between Tom Delay, Bill Frist, Scooter Libby, or Lee Scott?   But, Wal-Mart is the most morally corrupt because they choose to put their own greed before their own people everyday.”

The first phase of the “Who Is the Most Corrupt?” media campaign launches on over 22 websites with a collective reach of over 17 million page views daily.   The ad campaign is a prelude to next week’s grassroots actions all across the country led by WakeUpWalMart.com and its coalition partners.  As part of Wal-Mart Week, WakeUpWalMart.com and its 115,000 supporters will host movie screenings of Robert Greenwald’s movie “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price,” and will be taking part in an array of actions to raise public awareness about the negative effects Wal-Mart is having on its workers, their families, and the nation.

TV ad script – Most Corrupt

Corrupt.  To become morally debased.
So, who is the most corrupt in America?
Is it Congressman Tom Delay?
Senator Bill Frist?
Former Bush official Scooter Libby?
Or, Wal-Mart’s CEO, Lee Scott?
Over 600,000 Wal-Mart workers have no company health care
Wal-Mart repeatedly violated child labor laws.
And, over 1.5 million women are suing Wal-Mart for discrimination.
So, who is the most corrupt?
Lee Scott and Wal-Mart

To view this ad, click here:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/video/corrupt.html

The “”Send Wal-Mart Back to School”" campaign began with over 30 coordinated press conferences in 20 states where various leaders, like Senator Jon Corzine, Members of Congress, state officials, labor representatives, local teachers and students asked all Americans to sign WakeUpWalMart.com’s “”Back-to-School Pledge.”" Americans who sign the pledge agree to not buy their Back-to-School supplies at Wal-Mart until the company becomes a more responsible corporate citizen.

“”Every day Wal-Mart’s so-called ‘low prices’ comes with too high a cost for our families and our children. Starting today, Americans will have the opportunity to teach Wal-Mart a lesson that corporations have a responsibility to do the right thing,”" said Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com Campaign Director.

As part of the press conferences, local teachers released the “”Wal-Mart Report Card”" – a 3-foot-by-5-foot replica of an actual report card that displays Wal-Mart’s failing grades and shows how Wal-Mart has repeatedly failed American families and children by offering poverty level wages and poor benefits, by abusing taxpayers, by having discriminated against 2 million women, and by breaking child labor laws.

“”Wal-Mart has failed America for too long. This Back-to-School season, all Americans can help send Wal-Mart this message – our children are not a commodity to be exploited. Clearly, our children deserve better than Wal-Mart,”" added Paul Blank.

At the press conference, speakers also released a letter sent to Lee Scott, CEO, of Wal-Mart. In the letter, Scott was asked to adopt a nation-wide “”zero tolerance policy”" and promise the American people, and his shareholders, that he would resign if Wal-Mart were found guilty – again – of breaking child labor laws. The letter will be posted on WakeUpWalMart.com.

Press conferences were held in over 30 cities, including:

Boston, MA; Hartford, CT; Albany, NY; New York, NY; Paterson, NJ; Commack, NY; Providence, RI; Springfield, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Edgewater, NJ; Cleveland, OH; Louisville, KY; Columbus, OH; Toledo, OH; Cincinnati, OH; St. Louis, MO; Kansas City, MO; Albuquerque, NM; Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Oshkosh, WI; Minneapolis-St Paul, MN; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Las Vegas, NV; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; San Jose, CA; Oakland, CA; Denver, CO

The “”Send Wal-Mart Back To School”" campaign is the latest effort in the growing national campaign to change Wal-Mart led by WakeUpWal-Mart.com. Already, over 67,000 Americans in all 50 states have joined our campaign to “”Wake-Up”" Wal-Mart and change America’s largest employer.

“”It is simply un-American for Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest employer, to have systematically discriminated against 2 million of its female employees.  We can only hope – for the sake of all current and former Wal-Mart women workers – that Wal-Mart will stop trying to fight this lawsuit and instead will finally wake-up and do what is right.

The gender discrimination lawsuit really demonstrates Wal-Mart’s two faces.  Wal-Mart smiles because it is able to tightly control every part of its business, but Wal-Mart frowns when someone holds them accountable for their bad behavior.  Wal-Mart’s argument that this case is too big is two-faced and silly.  Wal-Mart knew it had a problem, but chose to do nothing about it.

On behalf of all Americans, and all female workers, we will make sure Wal-Mart is held accountable for its abandonment of moral values in the relentless pursuit of greed.

Sadly, for too long, Wal-Mart has chosen a path that not only disrespects and mistreats its female workers, but all workers.  By paying poverty level wages, failing to provide affordable company health insurance, exploiting immigrant and child labor, and shifting their costs onto the American taxpayer, Wal-Mart has chosen to do what is wrong at the expense of what is good for its workers and America.”"

Wal-Mart and Gender Discrimination

More than 700,000 women work for Wal-Mart, which makes the Company the largest private sector employer of women in the United States (Wal-Martfacts.com)

Analysis done in 2003 showed that while 2/3s of the company’s hourly workers were female, women held only 1/3 of managerial positions and constituted less than 15 % of store managers.  (Financial Times, 11/20/03)

For the same job classification, women earned from 5% to 15 % less than men, even after taking into account factors such as seniority and performance.  This divide in pay has been growing over time.  (“”Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”", Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

In 2001, women managers on average earned $14,500 less than their male counterparts. Female hourly workers earned on average $1,100 less than male counterparts.  (“”Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”", Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

In 2001 six women sued Wal-Mart, claiming the company discriminated against women by systematically denying them promotions and paying them less than men. The lawsuit, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, has expanded to include more than 1.6 million current and former female employees, and was certified on June 21, 2004 as the largest class action lawsuit ever. It is now being appealed by Wal-Mart.

Patterns of discrimination in promotion and pay were found in all regions where Wal-Mart operates in the United States. (“”Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart’s Workforce”", Dr. Richard Drogin 2003)

Documents produced during discovery showed that Wal-Mart formed a diversity committee in 1996, but, instead of implementing the committee’s recommendations, disbanded the panel. Two years later, Wal-Mart’s gender discrimination problem actually got worse.  [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

An internal Wal-Mart document entitled, “”Minority/Gender Pay Analysis”" dated July 21, 2000, specifically states, “”Generally, average salaries for female and minority males are below the overall average pay for most jobs. Average pay increases for minority males and females are generally below overall average income ratio across most jobs.”"  [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

This led Jeffrey Reeves, a former vice president for personnel at the company’s Sam’s Club unit in a January 2003 deposition, when asked about whether or not management wanted to seriously address diversity, to state, “”I would say a lot was lip service.”"  [Bloomberg, 7/15/05]

The Congressional letter by Rep. DeLauro and her congressional colleagues follows her public support for WakeupWalmart.coms Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart Mothers Day campaign. On April 26th, Rep. DeLauro, Rep. George Miller, Rep. Hilda Solis, Rep. Linda Sanchez, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky joined together to call on all Americans to support the Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart campaign. The Love Mom, not Wal-Mart campaign was designed to foster a nationwide grassroots effort to apply public pressure on Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, to end gender discrimination.

This is fantastic news. The 51 members of Congress join over 21,000 Americans who think Wal-Marts practice of discrimination against its female employees must end. Americas campaign to change Wal-Mart is growing as more and more Americans wake up to the high cost of Wal-Mart, said Paul Blank, campaign director for the WakeUpWalMart.com

As part of WakeupWalmart.coms Mothers Day campaign, over 21,788 Americans signed the Love Mom, not Wal-mart pledge that they would not shop at Wal-Mart at Mothers Day until the company addressed the issue of gender discrimination. Thousands of Americans also signed the Mother of all Mothers Day Cards – an 8-foot-by-8-foot card – which is being mailed to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. On May 7th, WakeupWalmart.com also held a national Day of Action in 26 states and 70 cities and towns to raise awareness about Wal-Marts record of discrimination covering 1.6 million Wal-Mart women who are part of the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history.

What we are witnessing right now is a growing movement to change Wal-Mart. It will grow every day, from state to state and from town to town, until Wal-Mart becomes a fair and responsible corporate citizen, added Blank.

WakeUpWalmart.com, the campaign to change Wal-Mart, is backed by the UFCW. Since the groups launch, on April 5th, over 50,000 concerned citizens have joined the growing effort.

As part of the campaign, the group will also be mailing Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, Inc. the “”Mother of all Mother’s Day Cards.”" The enormous card, a symbol of how large Wal-Mart’s discrimination problem is, will ask Lee Scott to stop ignoring Wal-Mart’s record of discrimination and start doing the right thing for all our Moms and all women.

“”This Mother’s day, on behalf of all mothers and women across America, Wal-Mart must do the right thing and stop discriminating against women,”" stated Paul Blank, WakeUpWalmart.com Campaign Director. “”Wal-Mart’s systematic discrimination against women is simply un-American.”"

The “”Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart”" campaign highlights Wal-Mart’s terrible record of discriminating against its women workers. Wal-Mart is currently involved in a gender discrimination lawsuit covering more than 1.5 million women. The case is the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history. The suit documents Wal-Mart’s systematic discrimination against women for lower pay and unequal promotion. In fact, women make-up 72% of Wal-Mart’s hourly workforce, but account for only 33% of managers and only 15% of store managers. In addition, women earn from 5% to 15% less than men for the exact same work. This equates to nearly 40 cents less per hour for female hourly workers or nearly $5,000 less per year for female managers.

“”How can America’s richest company and largest employer of women discriminate against so many of its women workers, many of them Moms? It is time for Wal-Mart to wake up and stop treating its women workers and their families like second class citizens.”" added Susan Phillips, Director of Women’s Outreach for WakeUpWalMart.com.

The “”Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart”" campaign launches today on www.WakeUpWalmart.com . The Mother’s Day campaign includes discounts on sending flowers and tools for Americans to join the campaign. Supporters can sign the Mother’s Day pledge and send the pledge to their friends. Supporters will also be able to send mother’s day e-cards and download a volunteer action toolkit which contains a fact sheet and flyer detailing Wal-Mart’s record of gender discrimination.

The text of the Mother’s Day pledge is as follows:

As a symbol of love and respect for my Mom, and all women across America, I pledge not to shop or buy any gifts for Mother’s Day at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart’s company-wide policy of discriminating against so many hard-working women is terribly wrong. I stand with all of the 1.5 million Wal-Mart women who are part of the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history.

In my America, Wal-Mart should do better than pay women and mothers less than men for equal work.

In my America, Wal-Mart should do better than disrespect all women and mothers by providing them with poor pay, poor health care, and poor working conditions.

As the largest employer of women in America, Wal-Mart has a responsibility to do the right thing!

I can easily say that my mother deserves better than Wal-Mart.
Until Wal-Mart changes for the better, I have one thing to say:
“”Love Mom…Not Wal-Mart.”"

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Long-time labor activist Susan L. Phillips was elected as the fourth National President of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) on August 28, 2004.  She succeeds Gloria Johnson, who served as CLUW president since 1993 and was the group’s treasurer since CLUW’s founding in 1974.

Phillips currently directs the Working Women’s Department of the 1.4 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and serves as UFCW International Vice President.  She leads the union’s programs for mobilizing UFCW women and retirees, with major emphasis on organizing and political action.

“Susan Phillips is a dedicated leader for UFCW women and all working families. I am proud that she will share her skills, commitment and vision with union women throughout the labor movement,” said Joseph Hansen, UFCW International President.  “Under Susan’s leadership, I know that CLUW will make even greater gains for working women across the country,” Hansen continued.

Women are nearly half of the labor movement, and experts predict that in the next 10 years, women will be the largest single force entering the job market.

“Studies show that when women are a majority in a workplace, they are more likely than men to vote to join a union.  That’s why CLUW is needed more than ever,” Phillips observed.

“I will see that CLUW renews its efforts to advance the labor movement’s fundamental goal:  organizing the unorganized.  We will work to provide resources to the labor movement to target women workers for union organizing campaigns, and will vigorously support these campaigns directly and by mobilizing like-minded progressive groups for support,” said Phillips.

Under Phillips’s leadership, CLUW plans to make special efforts to reach out to young women, who are critically important to growing the labor movement.

“Working women have a number of key concerns for themselves and their families, including affordable health care, quality child and elder care, job security, and retirement income,” she said. “CLUW will continue to communicate with its members, other union activists, and working women – both union and nonunion – on these subjects, as well as advocating at all levels of government for progressive policies to improve the lives of  working families.”"

“CLUW will build on its solid three-decade foundation of advocacy on behalf of working women to bring new energy to our founding principles:  organizing unorganized workers, increasing women’s participation in their unions, promoting affirmative action in the workplace, and mobilizing for legislative action,” Phillips noted.

“CLUW is a key component of the labor movement’s future.  We will continue to work closely with the other AFL-CIO constituency groups through the Labor Coalition for Community Action to formulate strategies, build alliances, and develop programs to strengthen and build our unions in the months and years ahead.”

Before coming to the UFCW in 1984, Phillips worked as a Legislative Representative for the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Department, Public Information Director for the National Consumers League and Legislative Writer for the U.S. House of Representative’s Democratic Study Group.

In addition to CLUW, Phillips currently represents the UFCW on the boards a variety of groups, and has traveled extensively throughout the world speaking on behalf of the U.S. labor movement and teaching communications and leadership development programs to unionists abroad.

The UFCW is the nation’s largest private sector union and represents workers in industries dominated by women workers, such as retail and health care.  More than half of all UFCW members are women and nearly one third are age 25 and under.

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“”…women working at Wal-Mart stores are paid less than men…and, that the higher one looks in [Wal-Mart] the lower the percentage of women.”" Judge Martin Jenkins in his decision granting class action status citing the “”largely uncontested descriptive statistics”" presented by the plaintiffs in the case.

The “”door”" in Wal-Mart’s much touted “”open door policy”" of personnel management does not open wide enough to let women into higher paid jobs or management positions, according to allegations contained in a suit brought against the nation’s largest private employer. Despite its denials and legal maneuvers, Wal- Mart will have to stand trial and face the charges of pervasive sex discrimination in the largest civil rights class action case in history.

Six women stood up to challenge pay and promotion practices at Wal-Mart stores across the country. Now a federal judge has certified the case—Dukes v. Wal- Mart Stores, Inc.(N.D. Cal. No C-01-2252)—as a nationwide class action sex discrimination lawsuit covering all women employees who worked a U.S. Wal-Mart store anytime since December 26, 1998. More than 1.6 million women will be represented in the lawsuit.

In issuing his decision, U. S. District Court Judge Martin Jenkins referred to the overwhelming evidence presented in the case showing a pattern of lower pay, fewer promotions and less opportunity for women at Wal-Mart in every region of the country. Expert reports relied upon in the judge’s decision exposed the reality behind Wal-Mart’s smiling face. Women who had worked longer for Wal-Mart, had higher job performance evaluations, and did the same jobs were paid less than the men they worked next to. The sexism prevalent in Wal-Mart’s management practices robbed women and their families of the pay they worked for. Wal-Mart devalued women’s work, and paid them less simply because Wal-Mart thought it could get away with it.

The 1.4 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) has been actively organizing, mobilizing and empowering women to take action to create equity in all workplaces. In instances where there was evidence of sex discrimination, the UFCW regularly refers workers to attorneys experienced in civil rights litigation. From small groups of women workers talking with each other, with the UFCW, with public interest groups and civil rights lawyers grew the legal action that Judge Jenkins described as “”historic in nature, dwarfing other employment discrimination cases before it.”"

Wal-Mart has aggressively sought to suppress workers in the exercise of their rights, and has been particularly focused on dissuading workers from connecting with each other or acting as a group. Workers are repeatedly told they do not need “”third party representation”" and that Wal-Mart has an open door policy that allows workers as individuals to resolve their problems with management. Wal-Mart’s failure to address issues of sex discrimination as reflected in the Dukes case, and the success of women acting together with a strong voice and effective representation to take their case forward, however, demonstrate that Wal-Mart’s management system is fatally flawed and cannot meet the needs of a 21st century workforce.

“”An organized voice for workers is the solution for the problems—from low pay to inadequate health care, from high turnover to discrimination—at Wal-Mart. The Dukes case is an inspiration for all other Wal-Mart workers that acting together they too can bring change to the workplace,”" said Joe Hansen, UFCW International President.

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“The UFCW offers an alternative for Wal-Mart workers that means better wages, working conditions, and a voice on the job,” said UFCW International President Joe Hansen. “More Wal-Mart workers, than ever before, are standing up, and they’re standing up with the UFCW.”

The giant retailer has a long history of reprehensible employment practices. The company is facing charges by women employees for sex discrimination that would be the largest class-action suit in US history. Wal-Mart has been found guilty of cheating workers out of their pay. Pending actions by workers, in numerous states, are raising similar charges, claiming Wal-Mart fails to pay them for all the time they work.

The company has shifted more jobs to countries where sweatshops are prevalent than any other corporation. It has a record of disregarding community wishes, bringing its vast resources into play in an attempt to muscle its stores into neighborhoods where community members have expressly told the company it was not welcome.

In light of growing global resistance to company practices, Wal-Mart launched a recent massive program, not to improve its practices, but to wage a PR campaign to improve its image.

Wherever Wal-Mart operates, workers want and need a voice to force the company to live up to the conditions it says it practices in its PR campaigns.

“The number of workers seeking a voice at Wal-Mart will grow throughout North America,” said Hansen. “The UFCW is an international union with a North American strategy. That strategy is long-term, committed, and getting stronger every day.”