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Wake Up Wal-Mart files complaint with FEC
This morning Wake Up Wal-Mart, along with several other groups, hand delivered an official complaint against Wal-Mart to the FEC. Along with the complaint were 60,000 signatures from our members and concerned citizens demanding that the FEC investigate Wal-Mat's illegal meetings where they intimidated workers and attempted to scare them into voting against Democrats.
Following is our statement:
<blockquote>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2008
WAKEUPWALMART.COM FILES OFFICIAL COMPLAINT AGAINST WAL-MART WITH THE FEC AND CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION
WakeUpWalMart.com today, along with American Rights at Work, Change to Win, and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, jointly filed an official complaint with the Federal Election Commission. The groups filed the complaint of unlawful federal election activity against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. after a recent Wall Street Journal article reported that the company had been using mandatory meetings to discuss political issues and candidates.
In the official complaint, WakeUpWalMart.com, and its 430,000 members nationally, call on the Federal Election Commission to “immediately open an investigation to determine whether a violation occurred and, if so, to take all appropriate steps to remedy that violation of federal election law.”
Along with the complaint, the groups delivered more than 60,000 petitions signed by citizens who want the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart’s illicit behavior.
The following statement can be attributed to Meghan Scott, spokesperson for WakeUpWalMart.com.
“Wal-Mart may be the world’s largest retailer, and America’s number one private employer, but it is not above the law. Wal-Mart has intimidated its workers and attempted to scare them into voting against a particular party and candidate, and from what workers tell us, these meetings haven’t stopped. This behavior proves that Wal-Mart is willing to go to any lengths to put profits ahead of its workers. These meetings, which left many Wal-Mart workers feeling bullied and intimidated, are not just inappropriate, they are likely in violation of federal election law and the world’s largest retailer must be held accountable.
“We hope the FEC will act upon our complaint and open an investigation into Wal-Mart’s activities as soon as possible.”
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</blockquote>
Thanks for all you do, and if you haven't already signed the petition, check out our <a href="http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/fec-complaint/">action page</a> for the FEC petition.
Comments (3)
I have a friend who works at Wal-Mart and management's actions are very transparent. They recently cancelled orientation meetings in Pennsylvania that had some political sidebars pop up. The Walmart management is scaring employees into voting repuglican by saying indirectly that an Obama presidency would increase the chances of Walmart becoming unionized. Unions are bad because they take money out of their already inadequate paychecks.
August 14, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
What ostensible Walmart employee would actually go ahead and vote against the Democrats because of being told to do so by the same people who lock them in the store overnight and force them to work off the clock? Personally, if I had a boss like that, and I didn't have my mind already made up, I'd simply vote the opposite of my boss's wishes.
August 14, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why am I not surprised about Wal-Mart's conduct? Their business model is clearly ultra-right wing orthodoxy: milk as much from the workers as possible while paying them the least, export jobs to China, streamroll local economies, ignore the environment and bust unions. Sounds like a McCain economic agenda to me.
August 15, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
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