Bentonville, AR – Today, WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, released a letter to Wal-Mart’s shareholders entitled, “”Wal-Mart Can Do Better.”” The letter will be handed out to shareholders at Wal-Mart’s annual shareholder meeting and will run in a statewide, full page ad in the Arkansas Democratic Gazette.
The “”Wal-Mart Can Do Better”” letter reminds shareholders of Sam Walton’s 10 rules for success. Rule #2 on Sam’s list was to value your associates. The letter states, “”Sadly, Wal-Mart’s current management has abandoned Sam’s vision and forgotten Sam’s rule #2 – value your associates.””
In the last few months, Wal-Mart’s current management has decided to dramatically slash workers’ hours, cut over 200,000 employees from full-time to part-time, leave 54% of Wal-Mart’s workers without company health care, not to adopt a “”zero tolerance policy”” on child labor or address the fact that 1.6 million female employees are suing Wal-Mart for gender discrimination.
“”Rather than value Wal-Mart’s employees or reflect the best of Sam Walton’s vision, Wal-Mart’s current leadership has decided to invest in right-wing war rooms and make store changes that are destroying worker morale and putting Wal-Mart’s public image at risk,”” said Paul Blank, campaign director, WakeUpWalMart.com.
The letter calls on Wal-Mart’s shareholders to join with WakeUpWalMart.com and join the movement to change Wal-Mart into a better business “”on behalf of its employees, its shareholders and the American people.””
The letter states, “”What we are asking for – paying 1.3 million employees a living wage, providing affordable health care, and creating a safe and just work environment – is not only the right thing to do, but will make Wal-Mart a more successful company.””
The full text of the letter is below and is available at www.WakeUpWalMart.com.
“”WAL-MART CAN DO BETTER””
Share your profits with all your associates, and treat them as partners. In turn, they will treat you as a partner, and together you will all perform beyond your wildest expectations.
Rule #2, Sam Walton’s 10 Rules for Success
Dear Wal-Mart Shareholders,
One of Sam Walton’s guiding principles that made Wal-Mart a success was to value the company’s associates. Sam Walton believed Wal-Mart’s success would rise and fall based on how well, or poorly, Wal-Mart treated its workers and their families. Sadly, Wal-Mart’s current management has abandoned Sam’s vision and forgotten Sam’s rule #2 – value your associates.
The truth is the American people and their elected representatives have a hard time understanding why Wal-Mart, with $11.2 billion in annual profits, has a record which fails to reflect the best of America’s, and Sam’s, values.
We believe, and we think Sam Walton would agree, “”Wal-Mart Can Do Better.””
Wal-Mart has an incredible opportunity to “”seize the moment”” and pursue real change on behalf of its employees, its shareholders and the American people. What we are asking for – paying 1.3 million employees a living wage, providing affordable health care, and creating a safe and just work environment – is not only the right thing to do, but will make Wal-Mart a more successful company.
Just as Sam Walton understood, large profitable corporations, like Wal-Mart, have an important social responsibility and economic interest to not only be as good and great as they can be, but to be as good and great as their size and wealth affords.
In that spirit, we’re calling on all Wal-Mart shareholders to join with us at WakeUpWalMart.com in our national movement to change Wal-Mart and change America for the better.
We hope you will join with us.
Sincerely,
WakeUpWalMart.com