All big companies are targets for criticism. Why is Wal-Mart any different?
• Nationally, there are more than 40 wage-and-hour cases pending against Wal-mart which are seeking class certification status. • A gender discrimination lawsuit was just awarded class action status. • Wal-Mart settled a four-year Department of Justice investigation of Wal-Mart’s former floor-cleaning contractor for an $11 million penalty. • Twenty-two Congress-people from ten states signed a letter urging Wal-Mart to drop its sponsorship of ABC’s morning news segment “Only in America” because it makes a false impression that Wal-Mart supports US workers and products. • Women make up 72% of Wal-Mart’s hourly workforce but account for only 33% of managers and 15% of store managers. • Wal-Mart is mounting a multi-million dollar PR campaign to refresh its image. Companies that are good corporate citizens do not have to resort to this tactic.
