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Where Would Jesus Shop?    [

    Wal-Mart Wins Ruling on Foreign Labor
    Bloomberg News

    Tuesday 19 December 2006

    Wal-Mart Stores cannot be held liable under United States law for labor conditions at some of its overseas suppliers, a federal judge has ruled.

    A complaint filed last year in Los Angeles by the International Labor Rights Fund contended that employees of Wal-Mart suppliers in China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Swaziland and Nicaragua were forced to work overtime without pay and in some cases were fired because they tried to organize unions. The group sought to represent hundreds of thousands of employees of Wal-Mart's overseas suppliers.

    The foreign workers sued as third-party beneficiaries to Wal-Mart's contracts with garment factories outside the United States. The complaint said that the contracts required suppliers in the five countries to comply with local labor standards and that what the plaintiffs deemed the company's failure to enforce those terms meant the employees were working under "sweatshop" conditions.

    Judge Andrew Guilford of United States District Court in Central California said in a preliminary ruling Dec. 12 that the facts presented by the labor rights group did not support the claim for breach of contract or negligence.

    Lawyers for the workers will be allowed to file an amended complaint, according to the ruling.

    "This is basically a local wage and hours violations case and should be handled in those countries," said Beth Keck, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart. "It is very inappropriate that Wal-Mart should be made part of this."

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    Where Would Jesus Shop? 
    The Associated Press

    Wednesday 13 December 2006

    Little Rock - A new television ad by the union-backed group WakeUpWalMart.com features a pastor asking, "Would Jesus shop at Wal-Mart? Should you?"

    Accompanying the ad, is a letter to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott that was signed by more than 130 clergy members. The letter asks Wal-Mart to provide a "higher standard for its employees and their families," which the letter says would reflect "the best of Christian values."

    WakeUpWalMart.com provided the ad to The Associated Press on Wednesday and said the spot is to run in 43 media markets.

    Pastor Joe Phelps of Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., asks in the ad, "can we continue to shop at Wal-Mart without insulting God?" He lists allegations that Wal-Mart has violated child labor laws and engaged in gender-based discrimination and says half the company's 1.3 million U.S. employees aren't covered under the company health plan.

    Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar said the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is backing negative attacks while Wal-Mart is creating jobs.

    "The fact is, union leadership is wasting millions of its members' dollars on a failing campaign against a company that is good for working families," Tovar said.