Champaign-Urbana Justice Groups Protest Wal-Mart's Discriminatory Practices
By Ruth Wyman, urbana.indymedia.org
On Saturday September 21st from 10-11am members of the Champaign County chapter of NOW, along with several other local justice groups, held a protest in front of the Champaign Wal-Mart. The National Organization for Women (NOW) has received numerous complaints regarding workplace environment and employment practices at Wal-Mart stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices. They considered the extensive public record on cases filed against Wal-Mart and found the allegations disturbing.
The record against Wal-Mart includes allegations of sex discrimination in pay, promotion, and compensation, wage abuse, exclusion of contraceptive coverage in insurance plans, violations of child labor laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Cases have also been filed regarding firing pro-union workers, eliminating jobs once workers joined unions, and discouraging workers from unionizing. In addition Wal-Mart contracts with companies in El Salvador that force workers to labor under sweatshop conditions and continues to refuse to dispense Preven, the "morning-after pill."
National NOW contacted Wal-Mart in March 2002 regarding these concerns, but has not received any response. Locally, the Inter-faith Committee for Worker Justice contacted Champaign Wal-Mart regarding these same concerns but never received a response.
Consistent with the goals of NOW's Women Friendly Workplace Campaign, NOW has named Wal-Mart a "Merchant of Shame" and asked local NOW chapters to put pressure on Wal-Mart to change its discriminatory practices.
Champaign County NOW has helped organize this local action. The women and men who work for Wal-Mart deserve an employer that respects their rights. Consumers across the country need to be able to spend their dollars with a clear conscience. Wal-Mart doesn't afford us this option. After the picket, the group delivered a letter and a "Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign Employer's Pledge," requesting that the manager forward it on to corporate headquarters with a request for Wal-Mart to sign the pledge for a women-friendly and worker-friendly workplace.
Members of several local justice groups will join NOW in its campaign to demand changes in Wal-Mart's unfair practices. These groups include The Anti-War, Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), The Inter-Faith Committee on Worker Justice (ICWJ), The Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF) and The Progressive/Resource Action Cooperative (PRC), Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Women's Direct Action Collective, and the Graduate Employees Organization.
For more information, see www.now.org.
