Wal-Mart Scores Low on Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations

Wal-Mart Scores Low on Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations


National Network of Activists Quarantine Wal-Mart Locations Across the
Country



BOSTON, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Corporate Accountability
International joins with Jobs with Justice, the Ruckus Society, ACORN and
other activists across the country in calling for a National Day of Action
pressuring Wal-Mart. While CEO Lee Scott convenes Wal-Mart's annual
shareholders' meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas, thousands of concerned
citizens dressed in hazardous materials suits and armed with yellow caution
tape will be putting Wal-Mart locations across the country under
"quarantine." The National Day of Action is drawing attention to Wal-Mart's
treatment of its employees: a majority of Wal-Mart employees are not
covered by Wal-Mart's healthcare plans, while those who are often face
prohibitive annual deductibles.

Corporate Accountability International is also challenging the retail
giant for using its economic muscle to manipulate policies and boost
profits at people's expense, violating the majority of Corporate
Accountability's Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations.

"Wal-Mart buys access to public officials and manipulates public
policies at all levels of government," says Corporate Accountability
International Research Director Scott Klinger. "The retail giant uses its
tremendous economic and political clout at the global, federal, state and
local level to get away with a whole range of abuses."

Between 1994 and 2004 Wal-Mart's federal political contributions
increased twenty-one fold. "Now Wal-Mart weighs in on U.S. politics with
one of the three largest corporate PACs in the country," Klinger explains.
"And that only includes contributions that are on the books."

Off the books, Wal-Mart hosted a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Maryland
Governor Robert Ehrlich, Jr. in December 2004. Ehrlich later vetoed
legislation requiring large employers to provide health insurance for
employees.

At the local level, Wal-Mart swindles its own customers, whose sales
taxes are sometimes diverted from local schools, parks and emergency
services, to fund site improvements at the Wal-Mart store. At the Bullhead
City, Arizona Wal-Mart Supercenter, the corporation received sales tax
rebates of $1.2 million to pay for a highway turning lane, a traffic
signal, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and drainage. This is one of hundreds of
subsidy deals collectively worth more than $1 billion that have been
unearthed by Good Jobs First.

According to CNN, Wal-Mart is lobbying the World Trade Organization to
lift government limits on size, height and number of stores that can be
established. This move could make it easier for Wal-Mart to expand into
small communities. Laws giving preference to local stores or limiting the
number of stores foreign retailers can operate would be struck down as
illegal under the free trade rules Wal-Mart advocates.

"If Wal-Mart's lobbying effort at the WTO succeeds, this will remove
some of the last hurdles that prevent Wal-Mart from going global with its
irresponsible and dangerous practices," says Klinger. "Corporate
Accountability International is joining the voices of activists around the
country, calling on Wal-Mart to stop interfering with public policies, and
to adhere to Corporate Accountability International's Standards."

Corporate Accountability International created Standards of Political
Conduct for Corporations as a vision and goal for how corporations should
function in a democracy and believes the Standards will lead to a safer,
healthier and more democratic world. Corporate Accountability
International's Standards of Political Conduct can be found at:


http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/files/pdfs/political_standards.pdf .

A fact sheet assessing Wal-Mart's performance against the Standards may
be found at:

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/files/pdfs/Wal-Mart's_Political_Profits.pdf.

Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a
membership organization that protects people by waging and winning
campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around
the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations -- like Nestle,
General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria -- to stop abusive actions.

For more information visit http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org .

Contacts:
Patti Lynn
(617) 695-2525

Scott Klinger by cell in Fayetteville, AR
(617) 595-2961


SOURCE Corporate Accountability International

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Related links:

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/

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