Urban Leaders Urge Wal-Mart
to Create Better Jobs
The Dallas Examiner - January 16, 2007

Religious, political, civil rights, and business leaders recently hosted a tele-conference to call on Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, to “create good jobs and become a responsible community partner.” In conjunction with the press conference two statements were issued from more than 100 urban leaders across the country. One statement demanded that Wal-Mart and its CEO Lee Scott change their approach to urban communities. The other statement called for elected officials to enact policies that encourage the creation of “good jobs in urban America.”

A report was also released by the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and the Partnership for Working Families. The report, which is titled “Wal-Mart and Beyond: The Battle for Good Jobs and Strong Communities in Urban America”, documents the negative impact of Wal-Mart and offers a series of strategies to hold Wal-Mart and other companies accountable.

“Wal-Mart has positioned itself squarely in the path of workers and communities seeking to realize Dr. (Martin Luther) King’s dream of civil and economic equality,” said Tracy Gray-Barkan, director of retail policy at LAANE and author of the report. “But it’s not enough to criticize Wal-Mart. Urban communities must come together around a new vision for economic development and empowerment.”

The call to action comes as Wal-Mart has taken steps to expand its urban markets across the country. It has met stiff resistance in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. Wal-Mart is said to enroll fewer than half its employees in health insurance plans and their workers earn less than the average retail workers earn.

“Many communities across the country now see Wal-Mart as a symbol of corporate disregard for the American values of fairness, responsibility, and respect,” said Rev. Eric Lee, Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Los Angeles. “As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth, we call on Wal-Mart and it’s CEO, Lee Scott, to lead the way in eradicating poverty rather than
perpetuating it.”