Contact: Chris Kofinis (202) 486-6422 (National)
WAKEUPWALMART.COM LAUNCHES FIRST EVER HOLIDAY TV AD CAMPAIGN FEATURING CURRENT WAL-MART ASSOCIATES SPEAKING OUT
WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, COMMUNITY LEADERS, & SUPPORTERS WILL TELL WAL-MART “OUR FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER THIS CHRISTMAS” IN AD CAMPAIGN, ACTIONS AT WAL-MART STORES, & PRESS CONFERENCES TODAY IN DALLAS, TX AND WHITE PLAINS, NY
GRASSROOTS ACTIONS PLANNED AT WAL-MART STORES & PUBLIC SQUARES IN OVER 100 CITIES/TOWNS IN 27 STATES
Washington, DC - Starting today, WakeUpWalMart.com, America’s campaign to change Wal-Mart, will launch an emotional series of 30-second TV ads featuring current Wal-Mart Associates who are speaking out and telling Wal-Mart, “Our Children, Our Families, Deserve Better.” The TV ads will be one of the most important parts of the group’s 2006 “Hope for the Holidays” campaign.
The two TV ads, entitled “Truth” and “Never,” will feature current Wal-Mart Associates who live in Maryland, Texas, and Illinois. The TV ads, the first by WakeUpWalMart.com to use live spokespeople and Wal-Mart Associates, will highlight the terrible cost Wal-Mart’s employees and their families bear because of the company’s anti-family policies.
In the emotional holiday ad campaign, three Wal-Mart Associates - Cynthia Murray of Maryland, Ramiro Gonzalez of Texas, and Charmaine Givens of Illinois - give personal accounts about the difficulties they face because of Wal-Mart’s recent anti-family policies. In addition, the Associates highlight the fact that Sam Walton would have “never” done this to Wal-Mart Associates and they tell Wal-Mart to “do the right thing” this holiday season.
As part of this week’s “Our Families Deserve Better” campaign initiative, Wal-Mart Associates, community leaders, and WakeUpWalMart.com supporters will also launch their most intensive ground actions of the 2006 holiday season with press conferences scheduled in Dallas, TX and White Plains, NY, and canvassing by over a thousand supporters at Wal-Mart stores in over 100 cities and 27 states beginning Thursday, November 30, 2006. WakeUpWalMart.com supporters plan to distribute over 100,000 flyers at Wal-Mart stores and public squares in the next week alone. The holiday-themed two-color glossy flyer, which is emblazoned with a Wal-Mart’s smiley face with a Santa Clause hat, asks a simple question - “This Holiday Season, what if Wal-Mart treated your family this way?”
At the press conferences in Dallas, TX over half a dozen Wal-Mart Associates will join with local religious and community leaders to bravely speak out on behalf of the 1.3 million Wal-Mart employees and tell Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott that “our families deserve better this Christmas.”
For example, Cleo Forward, a support manager at Wal-Mart store #949 in Dallas, Texas, will bravely speak out, even though he was threatened and intimidated by Wal-Mart’s management who told him he had a ‘duty of loyalty’ to Wal-Mart. At the press conference, Mr. Forward will say, “They said I have a ‘duty of loyalty’ to the company and that I cannot speak out. But what about my ‘duty of loyalty’ to the 1.4 million Wal-Mart associates who built this company, and are suffering under Wal-Mart’s new anti-family policies? What about my ‘duty of loyalty’ to tell the truth to the American people?” Mr. Forward’s entire remarks are attached below.
The new holiday ad campaign will begin airing in over 30 media markets beginning this Thursday, including: Baltimore, MD; Dallas, TX; St. Louis, MO; Des Moines, IA; Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; Cleveland, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee, WI; Louisville, KY; Dayton, OH; and Tampa, FL.
The grassroots actions at Wal-Mart stores will also begin Thursday in over 100 cities and 27 states, including: Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, San Jose, CA, Sacramento, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Houston, TX, St, Louis, MO, St. Paul, MN, and Milwaukee, WI.
The ads and the flyer can be viewed at WakeUpWalMart.com,
Transcripts of the two TV ads are attached.
“Truth”
Cynthia Murray: “Do you want to know the truth? The truth about Wal-Mart.
Charmaine Givens: “Salary caps, poverty wages”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “And, I can tell you personally, Wal-Mart is not fair.”
Cynthia Murray: “I work hard to support my family, all Wal-Mart Associates do.”
Charmaine Givens: “I work at Wal-Mart and I still can’t afford the health care coverage.”
Cynthia Murray: “I pray everyday that I do not become sick.”
Charmaine Givens: “So this Holiday season.”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “Tell Wal-Mart to do the right thing.”
Cynthia Murray: “Put families first.”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “Because our children.”
Cynthia Murray: “Our families.”
Charmaine Givens: “Deserve Better.”
“Never”
Cynthia Murray: “What are Wal-Mart’s values?”
Charmaine Givens: “What are Wal-Mart’s values?”
Cynthia Murray: “I’ll tell you.”
Charmaine Givens: “Salary caps.”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “Poverty wages.”
Charmaine Givens: “Unaffordable health care.”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “Locking employees in the stores.”
Cynthia Murray: “We even get punished, if we have to leave to take care of a sick child.”
Charmaine Givens: “We don’t deserve to be treated this way.”
Cynthia Murray: “Sam Walton would have never treated us this way. Never.”
Charmaine Givens: “With $11 billion in profit, it doesn’t need to be this way.”
Cynthia Murray: “This Holiday season.”
Ramiro Gonzalez: “Tell Wal-Mart to do the right thing.”
Charmaine Givens: “Put America’s families first.”
Dallas Press Conference: Prepared Remarks by Cleo Forward, Wal-Mart Associate
My name is Cleo Forward. I am a support manager here at Wal-Mart store #949 in Dallas. I started at Wal-Mart as a cashier almost six years ago. I still earn an hourly wage.
My Market Manager and my District Human Resources Manager, along with my store manager, tried to stop me from speaking to you today. They threatened me and tried to intimidate me. They said they might terminate me if I spoke to you today.
They said I have a “duty of loyalty” to the company and that I cannot speak out. But what about my “duty of loyalty” to the 1.4 million Wal-Mart associates who built this company, and are suffering under Wal-Mart’s new anti-family policies? What about my “duty of loyalty” to tell the truth to the American people?
I got involved in Wal-Mart Workers of America because I refuse to accept all the new, anti-family policies at Wal-Mart - like open availability requirements, wage caps, and the restrictive attendance policy. These policies affect the associates and they affect me too.
A lot of the associates in the store told me they were worried about these new policies. They talked to me about it. They didn’t know what to do, and they still don’t. They cannot open their availability because they have to be home in the evening to take care of their kids - but if they don’t open their availability, they won’t get any hours, and then they can’t feed their kids. I don’t think that’s fair to a single mother who is trying her best to provide for her children.
I was worried about the new policies too. My son is grown now, but I take care of my 94-year-old granny. She’s sick, and sometimes I have to take off on the spur of the moment to take care of her. With the new changes to the attendance policy, I would be punished for that. I shouldn’t have to worry about my job while I’m taking care of my family. My job should be supportive of me being able to take care of my family.
So I decided to start the Wal-Mart Workers of America petition in my store so all the associates could come together in one voice and tell Lee Scott that we do not accept the new policies. The associates at my store were so excited. People kept coming up to me asking me if they could sign it. I got over two hundred signatures on those petitions - all from associates who are tired of the way Wal-Mart is treating them.
Wal-Mart management has definitely taken notice of our petition. We got their attention. They called me into the office and disciplined me for supposedly violating company policy, but I asked them to show me in the policy what exactly I had violated, and they couldn’t point it out.
Last week, Wal-Mart announced some minor improvements to the attendance policy. That’s what we have already accomplished by standing together.
But there’s a lot more Wal-Mart needs to change - like the open availability requirements and the pay caps, too. Wal-Mart should reward the long-term associates for their loyalty - but instead Wal-Mart is capping their pay and trying to push them out!
As Wal-Mart workers, we are not asking for anything we don’t deserve. All we want is a decent wage, good health insurance, fair scheduling, and policies that allow us to take care of our families.
Wal-Mart could be a strong positive force in the world. Wal-Mart could have a great impact on people’s lives. Wal-Mart could be a model company if they just treated their people right.
