WP: Wal-Mart Launches Employee Voter Drive: Activists Question Motives

[DeepModem Mom]

Wal-Mart Launches Employee Voter Drive
Activists Question Retailer's Motives
By Ylan Q. Mui
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 30, 2006; Page A02

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. yesterday launched a voter registration drive aimed at its 1.3 million U.S. employees in what it describes as the largest such effort by a private company.

The kickoff was held in Iowa, a key battleground in the upcoming midterm elections. Workers at Wal-Mart's roughly 3,800 other facilities across the country also received registration forms yesterday. Although the world's largest retailer said it does not want to influence how its workers vote, David Tovar, director of media relations, said the drive was prompted by recent criticism of the company by politicians.

Wal-Mart workers "read the newspapers and see the headlines, just like you and I do," Tovar said. "They recognize there were some elected officials that were saying some things that didn't really represent the company. They wanted to have an opportunity to have their voice heard."

Wal-Mart is working with Democratic strategist Charles Baker of the law firm DLA Piper and Republican strategist Terry Nelson, founder of Crosslink Strategy, on what it has dubbed the Voter Education Program. The company has prepaid postage for voter registration forms in Iowa and several other states. It is also allowing workers whose shifts do not give them three hours to visit the polls to take paid time off to vote. Before the elections in 2004, they received two hours of unpaid time off.

Wal-Mart sent letters to 18,000 Iowa employees in August criticizing Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Govs. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Bill Richardson of New Mexico -- all Democrats -- for participating in a bus tour arranged by Wake Up Wal-Mart, which is funded by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Similar letters were sent to workers in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901318.html

[Just-plain-Kathy]

1. Wow!

When I first started reading your post I thought OMG, Wal-Mart is going to push their employees to vote republican! ... I think it’s great that democrats got in on this.

[CornField]

2. I have a copy of that letter which was sent to Iowa employees

My personal favorite line is: "We would never want to tell you how to vote, but..."

If anyone wants to read the whole thing, I can scan it tonight. (I'm headed out the door to volunteer as an absentee ballot courier for most of today.)

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I think people would like to see the letter, if you have time to post it.

Maybe even in a separate thread?

[BushOut06]

4. Hmmm - maybe this could backfire on Walmart?

Suppose Walmart were to have all of their employees registered to vote. For the most part, these are people that are either making minimum wage or barely above it. Either way, most of them are near the bottom of the economic spectrum. Many of these employees also happen to be minorities. You think they're going to vote Republican just because the bigwigs at Walmart are Republican? Once they're in the privacy of the ballot booth, they're going to vote for the party most likely to help them out - in this case, the Democratic party. Walmart employees are not insulated, and many of them will be able to see through Walmart's propaganda tactics. You think these people like working for minimum wage? You think they're happy that the GOP routinely tries to block each and every minimum wage increase? You think they're happy that the GOP makes it difficult for them to get health care?

[daleo]

5. I think those are all excellent points.

Wal-Mart management may be biting off more than they can chew.