SEIU's Andy Stern blogs about Walmart, wants input.

[madfloridian]

http://blogforamerica.com/
Monday, April 26, 2004
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Starting a Dialogue: Conversations to end the “Wal-Martization” of the economy
On Monday, SEIU kicks off the first phase in a new campaign, called Justice at Work, to mobilize the power of the web to stop what commentators have called the "Wal-Martization" of the American economy. We're starting this campaign with a cross-blog discussion, asking people to share their ideas about our strategy.

What's the Scoop?
In this experimental dialogue, we will raise questions, ask for feedback, and solicit creative ideas on this blog and ask that other blogs help spread the word. The schedule for the conversations is:

Part One: Define the Problem & Proposed Solutions
Part Two: SEIU and the Community, Online and Offline
Part Three: Shaping the Public Debate
Part Four: The Road Ahead

In each of these weeks, I will frame the questions and ask you to engage in a broad dialogue about tackling this issue.

We need your help to make this happen!
Please share your ideas with us on our blog! Lurkers, don't be shy! Also, if you run a blog or listserv that takes comments, start a discussion there.

If you are involved in a conversation on another blog or listserv, please send an email flagging the highlights to [e-mail]. We will post the best of the discussions from other blogs and ours and discuss their role in shaping our plans.

Help us use blogs to start the movement that will improve the lives of working Americans and their families by fighting for a fair economy that provides equal opportunity for everyone.

-Andy Stern

Read today's kick-off, go share your thoughts with our purple friends, and feel free to cc: your thoughts to us at [e-mail].

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From the SEIU blog.....by Andy Stern.
http://www.fightforthefuture.org/blog/index.cfm?bge_id=77
Too often, I find people who see themselves as armchair analysts, pundits, and critics, but not creators. They don't get that life is not a spectator sport.

Our world is changing more rapidly than most of us would have ever imagined, and yet as Howard Dean's signature line appropriately stated: "You have the power."

Our future is not an accident or act of fate. It is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. So let's seize the power to change what is happening to our world, economy, our jobs and our communities. Ready?

At SEIU, our members live the affects of the global economy. Wal-Mart pressures their suppliers worldwide to cut costs. Businesses cave into the competitive pressure and turn the heat on their workers, reducing wages and benefits, and increasing production...."

[madfloridian]

1. Nathan Newman blogs on this topic.

This will be a good contribution.
SNIP..."Why SEIU's Debate on "Walmartization" Matters
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is launching what could be its most important campaign, a community-based network called Justice at Work to combat the "WalMartization" of the economy. (Also see the first substantive post here by Andy Stern, head of SEIU).

The idea is to work with a broad-based network, organized using online tools - a la the Dean campaign - to take on corporate targets like Wal-Mart that no union or even the union movement collectively can take on without broad-based alliances.

For the next few weeks, on a daily basis, the SEIU blog will be encouraging an Internet-based dialogue on:

what the problem with "Wal-Martization" is?
how SEIU can best work with community alliances?

and what message needs to be taken to the public to win?

My basic view: I'll be adding to the debate day-to-day, but let me lay out my basic view on what's wrong with Wal-Mart.

It's hardly that Wal-Mart is unique. In fact, that's the problem. Wal-Mart is part of a much broader trend of corporate abuse of workers......"END SNIP