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