Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Wal-Mart: Nice job you got here. Shame to see anything happen to it

Wal-Mart: Nice job you got here. Shame to see anything happen to it

Maybe I'm a day or so behind the curve here on the Wake Up Wal-Mart tour, but the letter to Iowa employees is a bit scary:

The world's largest retailer announced it is sending out what it terms a "voter education guide" to its 18,000 Iowa employees, criticizing politicians who have recently joined with the union-backed group "Wake Up Wal-Mart" for a series of rallies. Iowa holds the nation's first presidential caucus, and potential candidates are already visiting the state.

"We believe it's wrong for these political candidates to attack Wal-Mart and the transformation under way at our company," the letter said. "We would never suggest to you how to vote, but we have an obligation to tell you when politicians are saying something about your company that isn't true."


Just a reminder: the Iowa caucuses are a town meeting, not an election. You cast your vote by very publicly choosing a corner of the room. "Friendly advice" from the boss, especially if the boss is the dominant employer in a small town, can certainly have a chilling effect to say the least. And I wouldn't put it past Wally to be keeping tabs...

One more reason not to shop there, as if we need more.

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