Should the Branch Provide Wal-Mart Gift Cards?

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Mention Wal-Mart and the debate starts.
What will the Supreme Court rule on whether women working for Wal-Mart can sue as a class? Should you shop there when their low prices are the result of moving jobs out of the country? When the foreign companies they contract with pay unfair wages, ignore employee safety, or employ unfair labor practices?

Well, we have an issue that confronts our branch directly and the Public Policy Committee wants the branch to revisit it again before we provide our holiday diversity gift cards. Here's the debate -- which should prevail, giving Wal-Mart gift cards which provide recipients great selection and low prices or boycotting Wal-Mart due to their social policies and finding an alternative source for the gift cards?

Here are some members' comments.
Please add your comments below.

From Jean Semilof: Unfortunately, Wal-mart is far from the only company that pays minimum wage and that uses underpaid and exploited workers. If we were to boycott every store and manufacturer that does this  we would would probably be able to buy very few manufactured goods. As Chairman of the Community Service Committee of the Ulster County Board of Realtors, I can say, firsthand, that the local Wal-mart has been outstandingly generous in supporting our many charitable events. 

From Delores LaChance: Do you recall the German woman [Wal-Mart employee in Germany] who did not understand why the Wal-mart workers were having these problems in the US when German employees were not? They were even getting 36 vacation days per year. This is where our government fails its citizens; not so in many European states. From the looks of some current government antics in support of corporations, it can only get worse before getting better. 

From Susan Hirsch: Film was very good -  lots of issues raised, some of which were new to me.  Each summer we spend a week at Chautauqua...  A few year's ago the theme was "the world of work." One of the speakers addressed the low wages and lack of worker's rights at Wal-Mart.  His parting comment was one I took to heart.  He said he was in total sympathy with the need for people to shop at Wal-Mart if on a tight budget.  But, if Wal-Mart shopping is not a necessity then speak with our pocketbooks and go elsewhere.  I do not shop there.   

In response to the question raised elsewhere about gift certificates we gives to Wal-Mart - by all means my vote is a loud and clear:stop!  Gift certificates can be given to the mall or to one of the supermarkets.  The dollar will not go as far - but sometimes trade-offs must be made. The lowest price should not be our goal.  All the government economists have yet to be able to balance low cost and livable wages.  But, unfortunately, only the government can regulate effective long term policies (higher minimum wages, changes in import-export policy, etc.)  But since there will not be effective changes on this level in the foreseeable future,  it is up to the individual to vote with shopping decisions for whatever limited effect that will have.

From Carole Leib: In this country, it is NOT a crime to be successful.  Wal-mart pays into SS and has a health insurance plan for its employees.  They are paid AT LEAST minimum wage.  How much should people be paid to stock shelves?  Walmart hires disabled people.  They have a clean store and good merchandise.  Because they are big, they can buy in volume and sell at a (generally) lower price than their competitors.  THAT IS NOT A CRIME.  Other large chains also buy in volume, but are not challenged like Walmart because they don’t pass the savings on to their customers:  they pocket them.  Walmart treats its customers very well – and, except to isolated incidents that we hear of from time to time, treats its employees very well, also.  Think back to the furor when the mega-malls were being built.  There was an uproar that it would kill small business.  Today, how many people (other than me) still want to do away with the malls?
 
Walmart represents progress.  You may not like it, but they function within the law.  If you want to stop them, you need to change the laws – but that could have disastrous results.  The law protects Walmart as well as us.

 What do you think?
 

What's at Stake for Women in Wal-Mart v. Dukes

 On Tuesday, March 29, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Wal-Mart v. Dukes case. In addition, our Public Policy Film and Book Meeting will watch Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. 5:30 pm in the Kingston Library Community Room.

What's at Stake for Women in Wal-Mart v. Dukes: "Set against the backdrop of widespread disparities in pay, there is a tremendous amount at stake in the pay and promotions discrimination class action that will be argued in the Supreme Court on March 29th. In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the Supreme Court will determine whether a nationwide class of women workers challenging alleged sex discrimination by Wal-Mart in pay and promotions can proceed. According to the plaintiffs’ evidence, women at Wal-Mart on average earned $5,000 less than men, even though women tended to have higher performance ratings and more seniority. Women also were less likely to be promoted to store manager positions and had to wait significantly longer for promotions than men. The Court’s decision will also effectively determine whether workers can continue to challenge company-wide discrimination by larger employers."

Title VII was intended to eradicate precisely the type of pernicious discrimination that is alleged in this case. Indeed, a company-wide class challenge is the only effective way to remedy company-wide discriminatory practices. With the average wage gap at 77 percent, women and their families are watching closely to see whether the Court’s holding will continue to allow the class action vehicle to be a critical tool for employees to challenge pay discrimination. In this economy, the stakes could not be higher.

AAUW's Legal Action Fund supports the plaintiff's case financially. Join us and bring a friend to discuss the film and its implications for us personally and as a branch.

Fighting It Out In Court: Dukes v. Wal-Mart

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AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund Supports Gender Discrimination Suit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

WASHINGTON – The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund announced today that it is awarding monetary support to the case Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Lead plaintiff Betty Dukes, a Wal-Mart employee, has alleged gender discrimination in pay and promotion policies and practices in Wal-Mart retail stores. Plaintiffs for the case comprise a class of approximately 1.6 million female Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club employees.

Case History
In 2001, Dukes and other lead plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in order to further pursue the case as a class action. Wal-Mart appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, then to a three-judge panel of the same court, and then to the full en banc court. The class certification was affirmed after all three appeals, and now Wal-Mart is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the court affirms the class certification, the case will become the largest civil rights class action suit in the nation’s history.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari on December 6, 2010, and oral arguments on the class certification have been set for March 29, 2011.

Why AAUW Supports This Case
“AAUW is proud to lend our support to the lead plaintiffs of this groundbreaking case,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. “There is no chance that each of the 1.6 million female employees has the financial resources, time, and patience to pursue her own case against Wal-Mart. AAUW strongly believes that these women’s voices should be heard and that they should be able to stand together to fight for their families’ economic well-being. Class action cases also have a much stronger deterrent effect, showing the business community that discrimination is not good for the bottom line.”

AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund support has been instrumental to the success of many gender discrimination cases during LAF’s 30-year history. Other LAF initiatives include community and campus outreach programs, a resource library and online advocacy tools, a Legal Referral Network, and various research reports.

"Wal-Mart claims this case is too big to bring as a class action, but there is no big company exception to the civil rights laws,” said Equal Rights Advocates Executive Director Arcelia Hurtado. “The reality is that without a class action, the women working at Wal-Mart will never have their day in court. The women have been treated unequally as a class, and they should be able to assert their rights as a class."

AAUW’s strategic case support program provides financial and organizational backing for a select number of cases that have the potential to provide significant protection for all women. The funds come directly from the generous contributions of AAUW members who support the Legal Advocacy Fund.

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This blog is published by the AAUW Kingston, NY Branch. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. AAUW has a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since AAUW's founding 130 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.