Greens support Asda walmart strike

'GMB MEMBERS IN ASDA WAL-MART TO STRIKE FOR 5 DAYS FROM JUNE 30TH TO 4TH JULY (INDEPENDENCE DAY)
Members of the GMB have called a strike at ASDA wallmart distribution depots, the Green Left and the Green Party Trade Union Group are supporting them. In a green society environmentally friendly healthy food would be produced and distributed by a patchwork of small farmers, permaculture, mutuals and cooperatives. This is the second recent industrial action we have supported, university lecturers action was my recent taste of union action, thanks for the support Green Party of England and Wales.

'GMB Shop Stewards National Council agree programme of industrial action including an initial period of 5 consecutive days strike to be followed by comprehensive further industrial action

GMB Shop Stewards National Council meeting in Manchester today agreed a comprehensive programme of industrial action in Asda Wal-Mart's 20 distribution depots to secure their objectives. From 00.01 Friday 30th June until 23.59 Tuesday 4th July (Independence Day) there will be a complete withdrawal of labour by all GMB members in all Asda Wal-Mart depots. This will be followed by a further comprehensive programme of industrial action.' from GMB

Supermarkets commit a range of ills, Walmart is a good example, they make huge profits by pushing down costs...typically they reject unions and many of their US workers are in receipt of social benefits, they have massive power to cut the payments that are made to farmers...in the US they have driven out mom and pop stores. There is a great review of a recent detailed book on them in the


LRB.
Lanchester notes in the article
'Wal-Mart is, it almost goes without saying, fanatically anti-union. As one union organiser says in the film, it is ‘one of the most anti, if not the most aggressively anti-union company in the entire history of the United States’ – which is really saying something. The company goes to all the usual lengths to try and keep unions out of its stores: one favourite tactic is, the instant union activity begins in a store, immediately announcing a freeze on all pay rises, saying, ‘we can’t give anyone in this store a pay rise because we can’t be seen to be giving in to bribery.’ Just as unadmirable, but slightly harder to understand, is the alleged institutional bias against women that has caused the company to be the subject of the huge class-action lawsuit mentioned above. It is characteristic of Wal-Mart that, having been made the subject of the lawsuit, the corporation is tackling it in the most aggressive way possible, by arguing that the class-action suit violates its legal rights. Specifically, Wal-Mart claims that the suit violates its right to argue every single case on its specific merits; it says it should have the right to contest every lawsuit separately on a store-by-store basis. This would, obviously, overturn the principle on which class-action lawsuits are built. This won’t succeed in the Ninth Circuit of the US federal court system, but Wal-Mart are very clearly heading for the Supreme Court, with its shiny new ultra-conservative bias. A ruling in favour of Wal-Mart would effectively make all corporations immune from class-action lawsuits. Watch this space.'

The Waltons are perhaps the richest family on the planet, rich on the work of their workers and producers, surprisingly perhaps their is evidence that they lower the living standards of areas where they are strongest.

Have a look at the GMB ASDA workers website for solidarity ideas. www.gmbinasda.unionweb.co.uk

One day no Asda Walmart...but for today lets support their workers

In 2005 according to Forbes the Walton family who own Asda Walmart had a net worth of $80 billion, the richest family in the world, equal to approx 400 million of the world's inhabitants!



Three families – Bill Gates, the Sultan of Brunei and the Walton family (which owns US retail chain Wal-Mart) – have a combined wealth of $135 billion. This equals the annual income of 600 million people living in the world’s poorest countries.

New Internationalist

No. 6 Christy Walton
Net worth $15.7 billion (new)
Source: Retailing, Wal-Mart inheritance
Inherited
Age: 50
Marital status: widowed, one child
Hometown: Jackson, Wyo.
Education:
Widow of John Walton, Wal-Mart heir who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in late June. Vietnam vet was director of company, focused on improving education system, helped more than 67,000 children attend private schools through Children's Scholarship Fund. Wal-Mart stake believed to be inherited by wife, Christy, and son, Luke. Fortune created by Sam Walton (d. 1992), J.C. Penney clerk who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970. Spectacular growth since, but stock down 15% this year on shrinking profits. Wal-Mart still world's largest retailer: more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers per week. Sales: $285 billion. Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Rob serves as chairman; his other siblings not active in company. Christy Walton profile

No. 6 Jim Walton
Net worth $15.7 billion (down)
Source: Retailing, Wal-Mart
Inherited
Age: 57
Marital status: married, four children
Hometown: Bentonville, Ark.
Education:
Son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton mourning loss of brother son, John, who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in late June. Fortune created by Sam Walton (d. 1992), J.C. Penney clerk who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970. Spectacular growth since, but stock down 15% this year on shrinking profits. Wal-Mart still world's largest retailer: more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers per week. Sales: $285 billion. Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Brother Rob serves as chairman; other siblings not active in company. Philanthropic giving through the Walton Family Foundation. Jim C. Walton profile

No. 8 S. Robson Walton
Net worth $15.6 billion (down)
Source: Retailing, Wal-Mart
Inherited
Age: 61
Marital status: divorced, three children, one divorce
Hometown: Bentonville, Ark.
Education: University of Arkansas, Bachelor of Arts / Science; Columbia University, Doctor of Jurisprudence
Brother of John Walton, who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in late June. Fortune created by Sam Walton (d. 1992), J.C. Penney clerk who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970. Spectacular growth since, but stock down 15% this year on shrinking profits. Wal-Mart still world's largest retailer: more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers per week. Sales: $285 billion. Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Rob serves as chairman; other siblings not active in company. Philanthropic giving through the Walton Family Foundation.Eldest son of Sam Walton (d. 1992), legendary merchant who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. in 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970; explosive growth. Wal-Mart now world's largest retailer, with more than 5,000 stores. Serves as Wal-Mart chairman. Retail giant now selling softer side after barrage of criticism over poor worker benefits, strong-arming suppliers. Family donates via Walton Family Foundation. S. Robson Walton profile

No. 9 Alice Walton
Net worth $15.5 billion (down)
Source: Retailing, Wal-Mart
Inherited
Age: 56
Marital status: divorced, two divorces
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Education: Trinity University of San Antonio, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Sister of John Walton, who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in late June. Fortune created by father Sam Walton (d. 1992), J.C. Penney clerk who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970. Spectacular growth since, but stock down 15% this year on shrinking profits. Wal-Mart still world's largest retailer: more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers per week. Sales: $285 billion. Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Brother Rob serves as chairman; other siblings not active in company. Philanthropic giving through the Walton Family Foundation. Alice L. Walton profile

No. 10 Helen Walton
Net worth $15.4 billion (down)
Source: Retailing, Wal-Mart
Inherited
Age: 86
Marital status: widowed, four children
Hometown: Bentonville, Ark.
Education: University of Oklahoma, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Mother of John Walton, who died when his ultralight aircraft crashed in late June. Fortune created by husband Sam Walton (d. 1992), J.C. Penney clerk who opened first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970. Spectacular growth since, but stock down 15% this year on shrinking profits. Wal-Mart still world's largest retailer: more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers per week. Sales: $285 billion. Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Son Rob serves as chairman; other children not active in company. Philanthropic giving through the Walton Family Foundation.

see forbes rich list 2005!