Andrew Young Signs On to Defend Wal-Mart

[Algorem]

http://www.latimes.com/business/careers/work/la-fi-walmart27feb27,1,3011472.story?coll=la-headlines-business-careers

From Associated Press
February 27 2006

Former United Nations ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young will be the public spokesman for a group backed by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that defends the world's largest retailer against mounting attacks from critics.

Working Families for Wal-Mart is expected to announce today that Young will be the chairman of its steering committee, which was formed in December to counter charges from two union-backed groups that are pressuring Wal-Mart to raise wages and benefits. Young said he would speak out and write articles in defense of the company.


Posted on Mon, Feb. 27, 2006

Group plans to defend Wal-Mart

Andrew Young heads retail giant's panel

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/business/13972343.htm

By MARILYN GEEWAX
Cox News ServiceWASHINGTON -

Andrew Young, a former Atlanta mayor and United Nations ambassador, will become chairman of a group that defends Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Working Families for Wal-Mart, a nationwide organization backed by the retail giant, will announce today that Young will serve as chairman of the 16-member steering committee, group spokesman Kevin Sheridan said Sunday.

He will be a highly credible and well-respected public face for Working Families, Sheridan said.

Wal-Mart formed the group in December to respond to growing criticism from two organizations supported by unions. Wal-Mart Watch and WakeUpWalmart have been leading grassroots campaigns to push Wal-Mart to increase wages and benefits...

[Vinca]

1. Anything for a buck. nt

[saigon68]

14. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

For Andrew

His twenty pieces of silver

[Voltaire99]

2. You suck, Andrew.

He will be a highly credible and well-respected public face for Working Families, Sheridan said.

No. He will be a highly-paid shill for anti-labor scum.

[acmejack]

3. Sell outs for Mall Warts

Nice ring to it, shame I thought better of you, Andrew. Do all these people only worship the at the altar of the mighty dollar? Do they have no allegiance at all to the common folk?

[Benhurst]

4. Pathetic.

It looks like another religious "leader" has sold out to corporate BushAmerica.

Blessed are the rich for they have inherited the world.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I guess it's true about every (proverbial) man having a price.

Young has sold out, has lost his credibility forever, and cannot return from whence he has originated.

What a shame. We needed him badly.

[mac56]

7. Damn. This disappoints me so.

I deeply admired Andrew. No more.

[Connie_Corleone]

8. What in the world has happened to Andrew Young??

He's selling out all over the place lately.

[depakid]

21. He's been that way for a LONG time

Frankly, I'm not sure the man ever had any integrity.

[Zomby Woof]

37. You would be correct

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Check out his quote on the AP about this!

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WAL_MART_YOUNG?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-02-27-07-25-47
Young said he will be a public face for the group, giving interviews and publishing opinion articles defending the company. "They are some of the best entry level jobs that are available to poor people. And they also make products available to the working poor," Young said in a phone interview from Atlanta.

<insert disgust smilie>

[guruoo]

10. Young has been sucked into the 'plantation' mentality

These are good entry level jobs, but problem is they
have been created within a system that's been specifically
designed to keep people poor (i.e., keep them on the 'plantation'.

[SIU_Blue]

15. except that they are not even "good entry-level jobs"

Often, managers make sure people work 39.5 hrs a week instead of 40 so that they aren't considered full time. There are no benefits except for a ridiculously expensive health-care plan. Employees are encouraged to fill out medicare/medicaid paperwork. Pay is minimum wage. Racism and Sexism prevail in promotion consieration. Any notion of a union leads to a firing. The list goes on and on.

Wal-Mart is a leech on America. Anyone who sells out to support them is, in my view, the same.

Edited to add, latest economic research indicates that wal-mart saves consumers about 3% of their income annually. The problem is, having a wal-mart in your community also lowers real wages about 5-6%. Either way you dice it, you lose.

[Solon]

17. Not only that, but most Employees shop at goodwill and Salvation...

Army for a reason, Wal-Mart is too damned expensive, period, cheap for the Middle Class, but not the poor, especially the poor that have to work there.

[guruoo]

30. I agree, just poor choice of words on my part - n/t

[Elidor]

11. This isn't the first time he's lent himself to something like this

Andrew Young and NIKE:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Andrew+young%22+%2Bnike&btnG=Google+Search

[LostinVA]

12. Boo! Getting a paycheck on the virtual slavery of other people

This is not ironic, this is a tragedy.

[oasis]

13. Young sold out when he endorsed Condi Rice for Secretary of State.

[MadMaddie]

16. Boy the sellouts are coming out of the wood work....

like termites......

I have to admit I am a bit surprised by Young!

[xultar]

18. I know why he is doing it. I don't agree but I know why. He's not a sell

out.

[drm604]

19. Can you explain further?

Why is he doing it?

[xultar]

20. Wal-Mart gives a lot of jobs in the black community. A lot of blacks

shop there and see it as a good thing.

They don't see past their personal issues. They don't see that wal-mart actually fills their need to go there. All they see is stuff really cheap that they need on a day to day basis and jobs if they need them.

A lot of blacks who manage to hang in there with wal-mart to well. Not great but well once they get out of the lower ranks.

I think that is what Young is hearing and riding on. IT isn't a money issue for him he sees that he is helping the community.

I have family who LOVES wal-mart they don't see past their daily needs. They don't see the loss of jobs overall because the manufacturing base is in China. They just want cheap stuff.

The people who work there who manage to make it into the mid-rank @ the store love it. They receive training etc and other things they feel make it worth the effort.

I think again...that is where Young is coming from because he hears that the community needs it.

[drm604]

24. Thank you for the explanation.

That actually makes a lot of sense. Like you, I don't agree with him, but I do see where he's coming from.

[SIU_Blue]

25. see post 15

I disagree. During the campaign against the 2 chicago wal-marts (both in poor, black communities) most of the coalition against these stores were black people who realized exactly what wal-mart would do to their communities. They aren't so naive.

[xultar]

26. NEWSFLASH...All blacks don't think a like.

So like I said. I DISAGREE with him but I understand where he is coming from.

[SIU_Blue]

28. I completely understand that

and I'm not attacking you personally.

I am just saying that I believe a LARGE portion of the black community (at least as big as any other community, if not bigger) is not only understanding, but very active in opposing wal-mart.

[PassingFair]

29. ..and he worked for Nike...why?

SELL-OUT.

What's his excuse for hawking child-labor enthusiast Nike?

[Beaverhausen]

31. Have you seen the Wal-Mart movie?

One of the most disturbing segments is when a hard-working, loyal, black female employee is told that she won't get promoted - because she is black. And because she is female.

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

[Voltaire99]

35. Arbeit macht frei, eh?

So Andrew's rationale is that Wal-Mart promotes a few lackeys while refusing to pay a living wage to the vast majority, crushing attempts to unionize, and leaving full-time workers in need of state aid for survival?

Andrew should know better; that he doesn't is at best ignorance, and at worst, willful blindness. Perhaps through a letter-writing campaign, we can make him see the light.

[pinniped]

22. Dole wasn't available.

.

[VaYallaDawg]

23. Well s**t. I guess anybody can be bought.

At least they didn't get Jimmy Carter!!!

[f-bush]

27. What a fucking shit, I expected more out of him!

[Robeson]

32. As always, follow the money.

[mitchum]

33. And to think that I once wanted this $hill on a national ticket

piss on Young

[Up2Late]

34. This is straight out of Bizarro world...

...:wtf:

[Zomby Woof]

36. He has ALWAYS been a shyster phony

This development comes as no surprise.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

38. How could you?? He's joined the dark side ....SIGH

[Nomen Tuum]

39. Buy a vowel to figure out what Andy is...

S _ L L _ _ T