With the federal government content to let Wal-Mart run amok,
it has been left up to the states to protect workers from the retail
behemoth's excesses. This past Saturday, April 9, Maryland showed America's
largest corporation who's boss.
Maryland's House of Delegates voted 82 to 48 to approve a bill that
would require all businesses in the state with more than 10,000
employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health
benefits for workers (or, alternatively, donate the funds to the
state's Medicaid program). Wal-Mart, with its 15,000 employees, is the
only such company that does not already spend 8 percent on health care for
employees--and thus, the direct target of the bill. Spearheaded by
Maryland for Health Care, the legislation was supported by a coalition of
over 1,000 organizations representing Maryland's health, business, and
community interests.
"We're looking for responsible businesses to ante up...and provide
adequate health care," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles). Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich Jr., who is expected to veto the bill, lashed out at
Democratic legislators. Cowed by Rush Limbaugh's criticisms of the
measure, Ehrlich claimed the bill had made a mockery of Maryland.
[Note to Marylanders: when your Governor cares more about Rush's
opinion than yours, you're in trouble. Thankfully though, with a wide
majority of the Senate having approved the bill, Ehrlich's veto
doesn't stand a chance.]
Wal-Mart's critics hope that other states will follow Maryland's lead.
The Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, headed by former
director of the Democratic Party's Senatorial Campaign Committee Andy
Grossman, plans to distribute copies of Maryland's Fair Share
Health Care Act to state legislators in all 50 states. Already, seven
states are considering similar measures.
The surge of anti-Wal-Mart activity has pushed the corporation into PR
crisis mode. On April 6, in its latest attempt to soften its image,
Wal-Mart invited over seventy journalists to its corporate
headquarters in Arkansas. And on Tuesday--responding to a newly-formed
coalition of environmental and labor activists--Wal-Mart announced that
it would donate $35 million over the next decade to the National Fish
and Wildlife Coalition's preservation efforts.
Don't count on Wal-Mart to become another Ben and Jerry's. But, with
continued pressure from activists and legislative action from the
states, America's corporations could face a future in which social
responsibility is no longer optional.
We also want to hear from you. Please let us know if you have a sweet victory you think we should cover by e-mailing nationvictories@gmail.com.
Co-written by Sam Graham-Felsen, a freelance journalist, documentary filmmaker, and blogger (www.boldprint.net) living in Brooklyn.
© 2005 The Nation
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