Feature Archives

Wal-Mart is the largest company in the world and employs over 1.3 million people. Based out of the southern United States, the company dominates the retail world and profits from America's love affair with consumerism. Wal-Mart is known for its trend-setting poverty level wages, sale of genetically modified (GM) foods, and bully tactics in dealing with everyone from labor to local people who don't want a Wal-Mart store invading their community. This megastore chain has been steadily drawing mainstream media attention with a rejection of a proposed Wal-Mart in Inglewood, California as well as the exposure of its exploitation of illegal immigrants. However, those on the frontlines of the battle against corporate America have always known that Wal-Mart has no respect for workers or the communities the stores locate in, and that the company has no problem getting rich while employees are cheated out of their already low wages.

National Class Action Lawsuit: In a decision released on June 22, 2004, a U.S. District Court ruled that six current and former Wal-Mart employees from California may represent all female employees of Wal-Mart who worked at its U.S. stores anytime since December 26, 1998 in a nationwide sex discrimination class action lawsuit. The class in this case includes more than 1.6 million current and former female employees of Wal-Mart retail stores in America, including Wal-Mart discount stores, super centers, neighborhood stores, and Sam's Clubs.

The suit charges that Wal-Mart discriminates against its female retail employees in pay and promotions. In certifying the case as the largest civil rights class action ever certified against a private employer, the Judge described the case as “historic in nature, dwarfing other employment discrimination cases that came before it.” The Judge also noted that this case is being ruled upon in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

The Fight against Wal-Mart in the Bay Area: Even though the Bay Area's fight against Wal-mart has been fruitful in the past—for example, the banning of so-called big-box stores in Oakland and Raging Grannies protesting Wal-Mart's workers violations—Wal-Mart is still planning on building 8 new stores in the Bay Area. It comes as no surprise that Wal-Mart employees earn on average $8.50 per hour, which results in an annual income of $14,000—well below the poverty level in the Bay Area.

More Resistance Against Wal-Mart: Wal-mart Class Action Website | Wal-mart Watch | WalMartyrs | Hel-Mart | Sprawl Busters | IWW/Retail Worker's in-depth coverage of Walmart | WalmartSucks.org

6/18/04: As Newsom continues shifting money away from workers and low-income San Franciscans, cutting welfare and services, he refuses to address the massive tax theft by corporations and downtown big business. City Hall shaves budgets by a few million here or there, but ignores the billions of revenue owed by these power brokers. The denial of funds to DLP, along with escalating INS raids in San Francisco (supposedly a “sanctuary city” from immigration raids), represent two of the main strategies of the war against immigrants: major cuts of social spending, along with increasing state repression and violence against communities of color.

Organizations like the Day Labor Program are in the heart of resistance to the war at home. Fighting the economic and police repression of immigrants here in San Francisco is an integral piece of fighting Bush & Co.'s plan for world takeover. Bush's “endless war” relies on the money stolen from immigrants and other workers. It also rests on the continuing racist denial of the humanity and civil rights of targeted peoples at home and abroad.
6/18 - Photos from Protest | Report | 6/23 - Rally against ICE/INS Raids in the Mission | Photos | Archived Day Labor Program coverage

Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America reached a tentative 5-year agreement with SBC Communications that achieves the union's major objectives of strengthening employment security, including new access to jobs in the growth areas, protecting health security for both active employees and retirees, and improving wages and pensions.

The agreement came as 100,000 SBC workers returned to work today following a strike that began Friday, May 21. Subject to member ratification, the settlement covers workers in 13 states in SBC territory.

Among the highlights, the settlement guarantees that there will be no layoffs of employees currently on the payroll for the life of the agreement, and it calls for the rehiring of several hundred workers who had been laid off at SBC Southwest and SBC Midwest (former Southwestern Bell and Ameritech).
For More Info on the tentative Settlement go to CWA Website | Pictures of the SBC 4 Day Strike: 1 2 3 4

5/11/2004: For years, activists have been protesting against Gap Inc. for its support of deforestation, its use of sweatshop labor, and its domination of consumer culture through the chains The Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. However, today the Gap released its own Social Responsibility Report. Sweatshops at Gap factories in such places as El Salvador and the US territory Saipan were exposed in the 1990's, but conditions obviously have not improved. Some think that the Gap might be the first of several such large companies to come out about its practices in countries such as China, where its workers are not allowed to unionize.
Behind the Label | UNITE's 2002 Sweatshop Report | Boycott the Gap Campaign | El Salvador - Gap enters agreement to support union factory

More than two years after they sewed athletic garments for the REI label, over twenty garment workers and monolingual Chinese immigrant women have still not been paid for their labor. REI has established itself as the largest consumer cooperative in the nation, with more than 2 million members and an image of progressive philanthropy. Unfortunately, at least twenty workers contracted by GNT, Inc., a subcontractor used by many notorious sweatshop labels, have still yet to be paid the wages that were promised to them. While they all distinctly remember sewing REI label after label onto clothing, REI denies the workers' claims and has refused to reveal who it subcontracted with, stating only that it would "never" do so with a company using such tactics. Many wonder at the lack of transparency, especially given that, according to one local REI employee, REI makes well over $27,000 a day. That's one dollar for every square foot in an average REI store, yet they have continued stonewalling over such a small amount. Perhaps that's because this "co-op" puts dollar signs before worker's rights, with active members in 2003 receiving $41 million in profits.

On May 12, REI workers and employees, along with members of the Asian Law Caucus and the Chinese Progressive Association held a press conference and community picket outside of the year-old San Francisco REI store. Video

5/06/04:The Port of Oakland's Director of Maritime, Jerry Bridges tried to force an agreement on Tuesday to get striking truck drivers back to work. It seems as if the Port of Oakland was trying so hard that they ended up releasing a press release announcing the agreement a little bit prematurely, the Oakland Tribune even ran a story saying that the truckers had already reached a deal. The press release announced an agreement between striking truck drivers and the Port of Oakland to create a committee " to address the serious economic issues facing the industry as well as other trucking issues in and around the Port of Oakland." The idea of the agreement seems like it was a really poor attempt at solving the issues at hand, and was mainly an attempt to get the truckers back to work to limit further longterm financial damage to the Port. A large number of workers voted the agreement down upon hearing about it, and told their representatives that they would not leave until they get what they want. Port authorities then claimed that the strike is chaotic, that the strikers have no leaders, and that they just need time to think about the offer before they "realize that their complaints will be heard and dealt with."

An estimated 2,000 truckers are on strike in the Oakland area alone. The strike began on Friday, April 30 with a temporary shutdown of highways in the L.A./Long Beach area.
Oakland Strike Pictures and Updates: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Support Striking Truck Drivers in Oakland | May 7 Bargaining Update - Strike Still On | Map of Oakland Docks
Info on Striking Southern California Truckers

Updated - 5/21: Over 90% of Union Workers at SBC, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), voted to authorize a strike against SBC. 100,000 telephone workers from over 13 states have prepared the shut-down, and are on a four-day strike which started at 12:01am today. Workers are demanding better job security, access to new growth job markets (such as Internet phone services, which have seen massive outsourcing), and an overall base wage increase of 3%. Massive support is developing for CWA members in light of this corporate assault. With $8.5 billion in profits in 2003 alone, this greedy Texas based corporation is attacking the very workers that made these massive profits possible. CWA is also spreading word about SBC's greed, and signing people up to prepare to switch telephone carriers if it becomes neccessary.
Photos of Bay Area strikers 1 | 2    Reports 1
May 6th Photos of March and Rally | Apr 1st Rally and March | Feb 12 rallies in Oakland and Sacramento - Video | April Edition of Livewire, CWA Local 9415's Newsletter | Informational Flyer on CWA Strike