IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact: Chris Kofinis (202) 486-6422

14 LEADING WOMEN’S GROUPS REPRESENTING OVER 10 MILLION WOMEN CALL ON WAL-MART TO ADDRESS ITS MISTREATMENT OF
WAL-MART WOMEN BY MOTHER’S DAY

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN (NOW), NATIONAL CONGRESS OF BLACK WOMEN, CODEPINK, & 10 OTHER GROUPS CALL ON WAL-MART CEO LEE SCOTT TO “LEAD BY EXAMPLE” AND HELP IMPROVE LIVES OF ITS WOMEN WORKERS

WAKEUPWALMART.COM TO ALSO LAUNCH “MILLION MOMS CALL & CARDS” CAMPAIGN INITIATIVE IN 19 STATES

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in honor of Mother’s Day, many of the nation’s most influential women’s groups, including the National Council of Women’s Organizations, the National Organization of Women (NOW), CODEPINK, National Congress of Black Women, National Committee on Pay Equity, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), National Women’s Conference, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, International Women’s Democracy Center, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Black Women United for Action, National Women’s Political Caucus, Veteran Feminists of America, and the Dolores Huerta Foundation signed a joint letter that calls on Wal-Mart to address its record of mistreating women workers and help “make this Mother’s Day the best ever for Wal-Mart’s Associates and mothers all across our country.”

The joint letter, which is part of WakeUpWalMart.com’s 2007 Mother’s Day Campaign, entitled “Moms Deserve Better Than Wal-Mart,” challenges Wal-Mart’s CEO Lee Scott to address the company’s record of discrimination, poverty-level wages, unaffordable health care, and anti-family policies that negatively impact its women workers, many of them moms.

Today’s joint Mother’s Day initiative between WakeUpWalMart.com and the 14 women’s groups, representing well over 10 million women, is not only the largest number of women’s groups to ever speak out against Wal-Mart’s record of exploiting its women workers, but is also the most significant Mother’s Day campaign launched by WakeUpWalMart.com since the group’s launch in April 2005.

The letter from the 14 women’s groups to Wal-Mart’s CEO makes it very clear why Wal-Mart’s record is an issue of great concern as we head into Mother’s Day. As the letter states, “To some rich and powerful corporations, these mothers are invisible, representing mere numbers on a balance sheet whose hours, wages, and benefits can be cut without thought or consideration of their endless and tireless work to support not only themselves, but their entire families. It seems that Wal-Mart, more than any other company, sees these women workers as invisible.”

“On behalf of the over 10 million women represented by our member organizations, the National Council of Women’s Organizations calls on Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott to provide family-friendly wages, benefits, and policies for its women workers. Wal-Mart's women associates deserve a workplace free of gender discrimination and a wage that will support their families. Women deserve better from U.S. corporations - especially from Wal-Mart, with over $11 billion in profits last year,” said Kimberly Otis, Executive Director of the National Council of Women’s Organizations.


The 14 women’s groups call on Wal-Mart to “lead by example” and announce “on Mother’s Day, that Wal-Mart will pay its workers a real living wage, provide good and affordable health care, end its anti-family policies, adopt a zero tolerance policy on child labor, and make a public commitment to a truly diverse and just workplace.”

In addition to the Mother’s Day letter signed by 14 of the nation’s largest women’s groups, WakeUpWalMart.com also launched a Mother’s Day campaign initiative which includes grassroots actions in 43 cities and 19 states. During the upcoming events, which officially launch today, WakeUpWalMart.com supporters will distribute over 100,000 Mother’s Day Cards at metro stops, outdoor markets, and in front of Wal-Mart stores.

Also, as an effort to make families aware of why Wal-Mart must treat its women workers better, WakeUpWalMart.com will launch a “Million Moms Call” that will reach out to over one million families and ask them to “pledge not to buy their Mother’s Day gift at Wal-Mart this year” unless Wal-Mart promises to make substantive changes that improve the lives of its women workers, many of them Moms.

“There is no greater moment for Wal-Mart to announce real and substantive changes that would improve the lives of its women workers, many of them moms, than on Mother’s Day. We all love our moms for their sacrifices, now its time for Wal-Mart to “lead by example” and sacrifice for the betterment of its women workers and society,” said Paul Blank, campaign director for wakeupwalmart.com.

Both the letter from the 14 women’s groups and WakeUpWalMart.com, as well as the script for the “Million Moms Call,” are attached below. The WakeUpWalMart.com Mother’s Day Card is available on our website www.WakeUpWalMart.com.


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Lee Scott, CEO
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
Bentonville, AR

Dear Mr. Scott,

On May 13th, Mother’s Day, families across the nation will come together to celebrate our mothers. On this special day, it’s especially appropriate to honor all mothers and all women who work as hard as they can, often in two or more jobs, often without health care, trying to provide a better life for their families.

To some rich and powerful corporations, these mothers are invisible, representing mere numbers on a balance sheet whose hours, wages, and benefits can be cut without thought or consideration of their endless and tireless work to support not only themselves, but their entire families. It seems that Wal-Mart, more than any other company, sees these women workers as “invisible.”

As you are the CEO of the #1 company on the Fortune 500, the United States’ largest private employer with over 1.39 million employees, and the largest employer of women, our nation expects more from Wal-Mart and from you.

Wal-Mart leaves too many of its women workers and their families in a perilous and desperate position. Too many of your employees and their families have to deal with the brutal struggle of working for a company that pays poverty-level wages, fails to provide affordable health care, and has adopted some of the most anti-family policies in United States corporate history.

Mr. Scott, the facts speak for themselves:

* Discrimination - Over two million women are suing Wal-Mart in the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history.

* Poor Healthcare - According to Wal-Mart’s own statistics, 53 percent of Wal-Mart’s Associates have no company health care and 46% of the children of Wal-Mart’s Associates are either
uninsured or depend on taxpayer-funded public health care assistance.

* Poor Wages - The average full-time Wal-Mart Associate earns over $2000 below the poverty line for a family of four.

* Anti-family policies - Wal-Mart’s new attendance policy punishes mothers who need to take a day off to care for a sick child.

Regardless of these disturbing facts, we still believe that Wal-Mart can change for the better.

In this spirit, we are calling on you and Wal-Mart to lead by example and make a public commitment, to be announced on Mother’s Day, that Wal-Mart will pay its workers a real living wage, provide good and affordable health care, end its anti-family policies, adopt a zero tolerance policy on child labor, and make a public commitment to a truly diverse and just workplace.

Just imagine the incredible positive effect Wal-Mart could have on the United States and all of our nation’s hard-working families if you announced, on Mother’s Day, that you will change in real and substantive ways to improve the lives of the women and Moms who work at Wal-Mart.

In the end, when you consider all that mothers do for Wal-Mart and for their families, is it really so much to ask that Wal-Mart sacrifice just a fraction of its $11.3 billion in profits to fairly compensate mothers for their work, treat them as they deserve to be treated, and make this Mother’s Day a better day for Wal-Mart and all working families?

We look forward to your positive response. You can make this Mother’s Day the best ever for Wal-Mart’s Associates and mothers all across our country.

Signed,

National Council of Women’s Organizations
Kimberly Otis
Executive Director

National Organization for Women
Kim Gandy
President

CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Gael Murphy
Executive Committee

National Congress of Black Women
Dr. E. Faye Williams
National Chair

National Committee on Pay Equity
Michele Leber
Chair

Wider Opportunities for Women
Joan Kuriansky, Esq.
Executive Director

National Women’s Conference
Mal Johnson
Co-Chair

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, United States Section
Mary Day Kent
Executive Director

International Women’s Democracy Center
Barbara Anne Ferris
President

Coalition of Labor Union Women
Marsha Zakowski
President

Black Women United for Action
Sheila B. Coates
President

National Women’s Political Caucus
Clare Giesen
Executive Director

Veteran Feminists of America
Ginny Watkins
Secretary

Dolores Huerta Foundation
Dolores Huerta
President

Million Moms Call Script

Hello, I am calling with an important Mother's Day message about how Wal-Mart mistreats its women workers, many of them mothers.

Did you know that over 2 million female employees are suing Wal-Mart for gender discrimination? It’s true! Wal-Mart faces the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history.

So, this Mother’s Day, make a difference, and pledge NOT to buy your Mother's day gift at Wal-Mart.

Go to WakeUpWalMart.com and sign the "Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart" pledge, because Moms deserves better than Wal-Mart.

Thank you.

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