Georgetown Students Protest Against Wal-Mart VP for Corporate Social Responsibility
On Wednesday, September 5, several dozen Georgetown students protested a speech on corporate social responsibility by Wal-Mart Vice President for Ethical Standards, Rajan Kamalanathan. The hour-long presentation, which was sponsored by Georgetown's Mortara Center for International Relations, was overshadowed by several pointed questions about the dismal working conditions in the factories producing Wal-Mart's goods, and the low wages and benefits afforded to Wal-Mart employees. In response to a question about bag-boys working for tips at many Wal-Mart stores in Mexico, Richard Coyle, the Director of International Corporate Affairs for Wal-Mart, responded that this was a "silly little issue." Outside the speech in Red Square, several dozen students led chants, speeches and a lively parody of a Garth Brooks song (renamed "Friends with Low Wages"), outlining Wal-Mart's dismal labor record. The loud singing and chants were clearly audible from inside the speech.
The protest, which attracted a crowd of students in Red Square as they changed classes, focused on Wal-Mart's continued disregard for upholding labor and environmental standards in its supply chain. Students called for Wal-Mart to ensure that all workers, both in its stores and in the factories that produce their merchandise, have the right to living wages, health care, a clean environment and the right to organize. In response to one student's question about union-busting in a Dominican factory, Mr. Kamalanathan stated that "Wal-Mart supports the freedom of association." The protest, which was organized by the Georgetown Solidarity Committee, was separated from the Wal-Mart presentation by a contingent of Department of Public Safety officers.
MORE INFO:
For the source of our performance of "Friends with Low Wages," a spoof of Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places," click here.
For information on the TOS Dominicana factory, the factory producing t-shirts for Wal-Mart in the Dominican Republic where workers are fighting sweatshop conditions (we highlighted the case at our actions Wednesday), see:
» A summary of the TOS Dominicana case from the International Labor Rights Forum
» Wal-Mart Watch's analysis of the TOS Dominicana case
For more information on Wal-Mart, visit:
» Wake Up Wal-Mart: America's Campaign to Change Wal-Mart
» "Wal-Mart's Sustainability Initiative: A Civil Society Critique"
» The International Labor Rights Forum
» Wal-Mart Watch
Know about other resources on Wal-Mart that we should link to? Leave a comment below!
Agree.
I fully agree. Still protest.
"Big Box" bills
There are movements in many cities around the US trying to make "Big Box" stores (large retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot) pay living wages to employees, among other demands. It's a strategy to make sure that Big Box stores coming into our communities and making lots of money will "give back" in the very least by providing half decent jobs for locals.
Here's an article from last year when communities in Chicago won their Big Box living wage bill: Chicago Orders ‘Big Box’ Stores to Raise Wage (7/27/2006, NY Times).
Here in DC, the Large Retail Accountability Act of 2007 would accomplish similar goals. While there is no Wal-Mart in DC (let's try to keep it that way!), there is a Home Depot in Brentwood and a Target is about to open in Columbia Heights. GSC will let everyone know if/when there are actions to pressure big retailers in DC to use their huge profits (the DC Home Depot is among the most profitable stores in the country) to pay employees fair wages!