“Over 138 million people choose to shop at Wal-Mart every week and millions will shop with us online this Holiday season. While Americans are hearing news reports every day about major U.S. companies laying-off tens of thousands of skilled union workers, the union leadership is wasting millions of its members’ dollars on a failing campaign against a company that creates jobs and insures families.” - Sarah Clark, Wal-Mart Spokesperson
Broadcast-quality video for download by journalists
Fenimore Fisher, Director Diversity Relations, provides two statements concerning the United Food and Commercial Workers’ decision to waste its members’ dues on an attack campaign against Wal-Mart.
Who IS shopping at Wal-Mart?
- 10 million people in the first 6 hours of Black Friday alone
- 138 million people per week; millions online this Holiday season
- Millions of union members: The AFL-CIO acknowledges that 30% of union credit card purchases are at Wal-Mart.
- The campaigns of Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Howard Dean, John Kerry and Wesley Clark – plus the activist groups America Coming Together and Emily’s List have all made purchases at Wal-Mart, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (10/17/05)
- A Florida man hosting a screening of the anti-Wal-Mart video, The High Cost of Low Price, bought the popcorn and soda he served to his guests at Wal-Mart! (Sarasota Herald, 11/17/05)
- A new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows an overwhelming majority of Americans have shopped with Wal-Mart this year and have a favorable opinion of the retailer.
Background:
- The union leadership’s campaign is failing. Wal-Mart had its best October ever. And with sales growth of 4.3% in November and 10 million people shopping our stores during the first 6 hours of Black Friday, we expect a good Holiday season and feel good about our profit margins
- Both full time and part time associates are eligible for health benefits at Wal-Mart. At the start of 2006, we will insure over 1 million people. We estimate that a significant number of these individuals were previously uninsured.
- Wal-Mart has one of the most diverse workforces in America. We employ over 1.3 million Americans. We employ 150,000 Hispanic associates, 225,000 African American associates and 815,000 women—all of whom choose to work at Wal-Mart because we offer flexibility in scheduling, career opportunities, and good pay and benefits.
- Wal-Mart offers more than just a job—we provide our associates with career opportunities. More than 76% of our management team started as hourly associates and more than 40% of Wal-Mart store management are women.