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Wal-Mart Myth vs. Reality
Myth: Wal-Mart offers affordable health care benefits to its
associates.
Fact: Wal-Mart says it offers good, affordable coverage to its
associates. In reality, over 600,000 Wal-Mart workers have no company health insurance. The truth is
executives and managers qualify for health insurance immediately, but all part-time and full-time
Wal-Mart workers face high deductibles and tough eligibility restrictions.
Myth: Wal-Mart provides similar levels of health care coverage to
other employers.
Fact: Sadly, Wal-Mart Executive VP Susan Chambers admits the facts we
already knew – Wal-Mart provides far lower levels of coverage to its workforce than other companies. As
Chambers notes, rather than the 68% industry average, Wal-Mart only insures about 48% of its employees.
In addition, companies like COSTCO have almost 80% of their employees are insured under the company plan.
Myth: Wal-Mart’s commitment to diversity starts with the Board of
Directors and extends throughout the organization.
Fact: Wal-Mart is facing the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in
history affecting more than 2 million current and former female employees. Even though 70% of Wal-Mart’s
workforce is female, only 15% of store managers are women. In addition, there is only one woman on
Wal-Mart’s 14-member Board of Directors.
Fact: Wal-Mart faces a racial discrimination lawsuit for its hiring
practices for truckers. Although African-Americans comprise approximately 15% of the truck driving
population in the U.S., only 2%-3% of Wal-Mart’s truckers are African-American.
Myth: The majority of Wal-Mart's hourly store associates in the
U.S. work full-time.
Fact: In the “secret Wal-Mart memo,” written by Wal-Mart Executive
VP Susan Chambers, Wal-Mart states its intention to replace full-time workers with more part-time
workers who earn less and who qualify for even fewer benefits.
Myth: Wal-Mart is committed to its 1.3 million workers who help make
Wal-Mart a $290 billion company with over $10 billion in profits.
Fact: Again, in the “secret Wal-Mart memo,” written by Wal-Mart
Executive VP Susan Chambers, Wal-Mart believes its hourly and part-time associates are less healthy and
more obese than the rest of America’s work force. The memo also states its proposed moves would “dissuade
unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart.”
Myth: Wal-Mart has an “Open Door” policy that protects workers and
provides workers with a voice to address grievances.
Fact: Again and again, all across America, Wal-Mart workers have had
no choice but to pursue legal action against Wal-Mart because the company failed to address its
mistreatment of workers. For example, over 2 million women are suing Wal-Mart for gender discrimination,
other class action lawsuits have been filed to address Wal-Mart’s failure to pay overtime, off-the-clock
work and racial discrimination.
Myth: Wal-Mart may tell you Wal-Mart Workers of America is a union.
Fact: Wal-Mart Workers of America is not a union. It does not seek to
organize workers for the purpose of collective bargaining. WWOA is an association to empower Wal-Mart workers to join together to improve their
own lives. All former and current Wal-Mart workers are eligible to be members in the first national
association for Wal-Mart’s workers.
WWOA’s mission is to provide all former and current Wal-Mart workers the facts, information, and
advice they need to protect themselves in the workplace, to defend their rights, and to improve their
working conditions. By joining together, workers are empowering themselves to change Wal-Mart and make
the company provide them with the pay, benefits and respect Wal-Mart workers deserve and need.
Myth: Wal-Mart will tell you that Wal-Mart Workers of America was
started by WakeUpWalMart.com, and WakeUpWalMart.com wants to destroy Wal-Mart.
Fact: WakeUpWalMart.com does not want to destroy Wal-Mart.
WakeUpWalMart.com want Wal-Mart to treat all of its workers fairly and provide them with the pay and
benefits they deserve and have earned. WakeUpWalMart.com is a grassroots movement over 115,000
Americans from all 50 states who have come together to change Wal-Mart for the better. Our sole mission
is to make Wal-Mart a responsible employer and company. Our core belief is that by joining together we
can improve the lives of all Wal-Mart workers, the community and the nation.
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