NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO “HELP CURE THE WAL-MART HEALTH CARE CRISIS”
WAKEUPWALMART.COM AND CHANGE TO WIN, AMERICA’S NEWEST LABOR FEDERATION, HOLD RALLIES IN 35 CITIES TO “CHANGE WAL-MART FOR THE BETTER”
SUPPORTERS AT NATIONWIDE RALLIES ASK EVERY AMERICAN TO “JOIN THE FIGHT FOR HEALTH CARE”
Washington, DC - Today, WakeUpWalMart.com, the Change to Win labor federation representing over 6 million workers, community leaders, and grassroots supporters held a national Day of Action to “Help Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis.” Today’s rallies focused on the growing “Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis” in America. Currently, Wal-Mart fails to provide company health care to 57 percent, or 775,000 employees, of its 1.3 million employees leaving nearly 1 out of every 2 children of Wal-Mart workers uninsured or on public health care at a cost to American taxpayers of $1.4 billion every year.
The public rallies will be occurring in 35 cities nationwide involving thousands of Americans. As part of the effort to build public pressure on Wal-Mart to change, membership and petition drives were also launched in each city to build the WakeUpWalMart.com movement to 1 million strong by 2008. Already, over 215,000 supporters have joined the WakeUpWalMart.com campaign making it one of the fastest growing social and political movements in America.
The nationwide rallies were also the first coordinated events led by the Change to Win federation, which represents over six million workers. Speakers at the “Help Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis” rally discussed the growing cost taxpayers pay for Wal-Mart’s failure to provide affordable company health care to its employees and their families.
“Now is the time for Wal-Mart to seize the moment and become a better company. No hard-working American should ever have to live without health care or struggle to survive on poverty-level wages while corporate America makes obscene profits,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalmart.com
At the events, local community leaders called on Wal-Mart and local elected leaders to stand up and take action to address the negative impact Wal-Mart is having on taxpayers, our public health care system, and our community. As part of the event, supporters distributed flyers about the high cost local taxpayers pay because Wal-Mart fails to provide affordable health care to its workers.
The “Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis” campaign is the latest initiative launched by WakeUpWalMart.com. WakeUpWalMart.com is America’s national campaign to change Wal-Mart and one of the fastest growing social movements in America with over 215,000 supporters in all 50 states.
Here is a list of selected cities with public rallies:
Renton, WA
Trenton, NJ
Plano, TX
Portland, OR
New York City, NY
St. Paul, MN
Denver, CO
Los Angeles, CA
St. Louis, MO
Atlanta, GA
Tacoma, WA
Pasadena, TX
Pittsburgh, PA
Buffalo, NY
Las Vegas, NV
Madison Heights, MI
Baldwin Park, CA
Cleveland, OH
Milwaukee, WI
San Antonio, TX
El Paso, TX
Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Milford, CT
Sacramento, CA
Cincinnati, OH
Kansas City, MO
Columbus, OH
Charlotte, NC
Landover Hills, MD
UFCW PRESIDENT JOINS CHANGE TO WIN FEDERATION LEADERS AND WAKEUPWALMART.COM IN CALLING ON WAL-MART TO CHANGE
Statement by President Joe Hansen on today’s nationwide rallies in 35 cities calling on Wal-Mart to change for the better:
“With thousands of people coming together in 35 cities all across the country, the movement to change Wal-Mart is quickly becoming one of the most pressing social issues facing America today. We believe in the basic value that if you work hard, you deserve access to affordable, quality health care.
Today, we are asking every American to join us in the fight for health care. With over $11 billion in profits, it is a shame that our nation’s largest employer, Wal-Mart, fails to provide company health care to over 775,000 of its employees and their families. The Wal-Mart health care crisis not only costs taxpayers nearly $1.4 billion every year, but it needlessly puts the children of these employees at risk. Unfortunately, our genuine concern for health care has fallen on Wal-Mart’s deaf ear.
As the leader of the movement to change Wal-Mart, and the only union leader serving on the Citizen’s Health Care Working Group, an organization created by the U.S. Congress to help provide our elected leaders with real solutions to the nation’s health care crisis, I reiterate my offer to sit down with Wal-Mart and discuss how the UFCW and Wal-Mart can work together to help improve health care for our 1.3 million members and Wal-Mart’s 1.3 million employees.
Wal-Mart can no longer ignore the American people’s growing demand for change. Until Wal-Mart changes, on behalf of the American people, we will continue to build our movement to change Wal-Mart and change America for the better.”
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