Wal-Mart Wants to Make Sure Its Employees Don’t Vote Democratic

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/08/01/wal-mart-wants-to-make-sure-its-employees-dont-vote-democratic/

by Tula Connell, Aug 1, 2008

Wal-Mart and all its $13 billion in 2007 profits are quaking. The retail monolith is scared that Democrats will be elected to office this fall—and might pass legislation that would level the playing field for workers seeking to join unions.

The Wall Street Journal reports on Wal-Mart’s corporate tremors today, noting that

in recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized.

Downsides, huh? Like getting paid enough to support yourself and your family. Or maybe even the real big downside of having affordable job-based health insurance so that the emergency room isn’t the only option when your child has the flu. Because by not paying its employees enough to afford the company health plan, Wal-Mart dumps the cost of health care onto all taxpayers, even making it a corporate policy to encourage new hires to use public emergency rooms, according to author Barbara Ehrenreich.

You can tell Wal-Mart to stop its unfair and immoral workplace intimidation by signing a petition here: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/wal_mart_petition


Wal-Mart has been so intent upon piling up its billions in annual profits, it has created a mini-industry of anti-unionism to ensure it keeps its employees at everyday low wages. So, Wal-Mart is stepping up its efforts to prevent Democrats from being elected this fall, by telling employees that “voting for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama would be tantamount to inviting unions in.” And Wal-Mart employees report feeling pressured to vote for candidates who oppose the Employee Free Choice Act.

Wal-Mart is doing even more arm-twisting workers on their way to the ballot box. Rather than pay its employees a decent wage and provide affordable health care, Wal-Mart is putting mega bucks into front groups that are spearheading a multi-million dollar ad campaign to slam workers, their unions and their efforts to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

FULL story at link.

You're always playing Russian roulette when you shop at Wal-Mart. There's a 75% chance that the thing you purchase will not work and you would have been better off throwing your money in the toilet.

I was under the impression any kind of coercion was illegal. :shrug:

to not vote Democratic. Can they do that? Can anybody weigh in on the legalities of this - please?

I imagine that there are Wal-Mart employees that will feel they will lose their job if they are found out to have voted Democratic. I don't know how Wal-Mart can find out - but even if they can't - the employee is intimidated to the point that they will vote for the Repugs because they won't want to take a chance of losing their already crappy job.

This isn't right.