Why We Are Wary

Tell me, what is the responsibility of a corporation in America today? And what is the responsibility of the largest corporation in America?

They're hard questions to answer. But is following the law too much to ask? Is treating employees - women and men - equally in hiring, pay, promotion, and health care too much to ask?

For 30 years, I've advocated for women's employment rights, and now, as a proud partner and board member of Wal-Mart Watch, I ask you to join me in exposing the truth about Wal-Mart's attacks on women worldwide.

I write with an important message for American women: Wal-Mart wants your business. You've probably heard how they are trying to spruce up their image to get new customers. But women must be wary.

On critical issues of women's health, women's work, and women's worth, Wal-Mart's real record is a sad one. As the largest private employer in the United States, that record is shameful for the messages it sends to the millions of women whose lives are affected by the company - as an employee or as a consumer.

GET THE FACTS -- Read the complete report: http://walmartwatch.bluestatedigital.com/page/m/1j1vi7hcj6u/JPMY3V

Wal-Mart Watch has been leading the charge to reform Wal-Mart by exposing the facts behind their business practices. From issues of pay, promotion, sweatshop manufacturing, health care, and the environment, Wal-Mart fails to meet even the lowest of public expectations every single time. And their media-focused reform efforts only come when forced by electoral mandate, regulatory requirements, court orders, legislation or shame.

Consider this: Just after a Massachusetts state agency forced Wal-Mart to carry emergency contraceptives in that state, the company professed concern: "Women's health is a high priority for Wal-Mart." That stance is surely news to Wal-Mart employees. This company's record hardly demonstrates that "priority".

When it comes to fairness in the workplace it's too often "Wal-Mart vs. Women." The Massachusetts decision was a step forward, but a long road is ahead. Wal-Mart Watch has compiled shocking examples of the discrimination and disadvantage women face at the world's biggest corporation. The message is clear: women be wary of Wal-Mart.

Please read and share Wal-Mart Watch's report on Wal-Mart vs. Women, an overview of shocking headlines, blunders and statistics from Wal-Mart's systemic assault on women in America.

Thank you for joining in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Judith L. Lichtman

Member, Wal-Mart Watch Board of Directors

Paid for by WalmartWatch.com, a campaign of Five Stones and The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics