Wal-Mart's anti-union agenda

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080912/OPINION03/809120318

Middle managers hear message warning of Democratic victory

Boasting a slogan like "Live Better," you'd think Wal-Mart would care about making people's lives better. So why does it always seem like its executives are only out to improve their own?

In an effort to push their anti-worker agenda, Wal-Mart executives have begun herding thousands of store managers and department heads into mandatory, captive-audience meetings across the country. The message of the meetings wasn't "live better," it was "live better by voting Republican."

In the meetings, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart executives said that if Democrats were successful in November's elections, they would try to pass a law, called the Employee Free Choice Act, that makes it easier for workers at Wal-Mart and any other company to form a union.

The executives also spread the same old lies about unions that they've been saying for years. They of course neglected to mention that as union members, the Employee Free Choice Act makes it easier for workers to and their families to gain much-deserved benefits, including health care, job stability, fair wages and, perhaps most important, peace of mind -- things that would help anyone, their family and their community "live better."

Wal-Mart claims the meetings are held to simply inform workers about the current political issues, which is true: The meetings are a direct result of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's pledge to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The company gave workers the names of members of Congres -- overwhelmingly Democrats, including Obama -- who support the legislation.

Wal-Mart should be worried. The Teamsters and other unions are working tirelessly across the country to make sure we elect worker-friendly candidates who will support the Employee Free Choice Act. And we are going to succeed.

In addition to Wal-Mart denying people their right to form a union with its captive-audience meetings, it is attempting to taint employees' good judgment. But workers see through the company's lies.

FULL story at link.