[Vision2020] Wake Up WalMart Update
TIM RIGSBY
tim.rigsby at hotmail.com
Sat Feb 25 20:55:03 PST 2006
Wal-Mart is the owner, operator, and financier of Wal-Mart.com. They are in
direct competition with UFCW operated stores and make money, cash,
$$dollars$$, when they convince people to shop at Wal-Mart instead of a
union store. That is not an unbiased source of information.
The article is very carefully worded to make it appear that 60% of
Wal-Mart employees do not have health insurance. The UFCW then shamefully
says that those 60% are all on Medicare which costs the taxpayer $1.4
Billion a year. That is bullshit. It also neglects to mention that 30% of
Wal-Mart employees were pulled off Medicare when they were hired by
Wal-Mart. IIn addition, it fails to mention that they really have no clue
as to the total percentage of Wal-Mart employees are actually on Medicare,
they just assume that everyone that works there and does not have Wal_Mart
health insurance is on it. That is again, bullshit. - NO REFERENCES OR
SOURCES LISTED FOR THESE STATISTICS.
There is a reason why Wal-Mart is hiring political spin doctors for their
campaigns against their competitors. MONEY!
More to come at a later time!
Tim
<html><div>Revolution is not a word but an application; it is not war but
peace; it does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution does not cause
separation; it generates togetherness. <BR>-John Africa, <EM>Strategic
Revolution</EM></div></html>
>From: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
>To: TIM RIGSBY <tim.rigsby at hotmail.com>, msolomon at moscow.com,
>vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Wake Up WalMart Update
>Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 00:45:12 -0800 (PST)
>
>Tim,
>
> The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) are
>the owners, operators, and financiers of WakeUpWal-Mart.com. They are in
>direct competition with Wal-Mart and make money, cash, $$dollars$$, when
>they convince people to shop at a union store instead of a non-union
>store. That is not an unbiased source of information.
>
> The article is very carefully worded to make it appear that 60% of
>Wal-Mart employees do not have health insurance. The UFCW then shamefully
>says that those 60% are all on Medicare which costs the taxpayer $1.4
>Billion a year. That is bullshit. It also neglects to mention that 30% of
>Wal-Mart employees were pulled off Medicare when they were hired by
>Wal-Mart. IIn addition, it fails to mention that they really have no clue
>as to the total percentage of Wal-Mart employees are actually on Medicare,
>they just assume that everyone that works there and does not have Wal_Mart
> health insurance is on it. That is again, bullshit.
>
> There is a reason why these unions are hiring political spin doctors for
>their campaigns against their competitors.
>
> Take Care,
>
> _DJA
>
>
>TIM RIGSBY <tim.rigsby at hotmail.com> wrote: Visionaries,
>
>There are quite a number of factual errors with Donovan's analysis of the
>two articles posted earlier today by Mark Solomon and myself. When I have
>more time, hopefully tomorrow after I get done teaching for the day, I will
>post a response supported by CDC research. Until then, enjoy your Thursday
>night fun times.
>
>Tim
>
>P.S. Donovan, the UFCW is actually the third largest union in the United
>States. Paul Blank is not the head of the UFCW but actually the Director
>of
>wakeupwalmart.com and a former member of President candidate Howard Dean's
>campaign. If wakeupwalmart.com were run by the largest union in the US,
>the
>head of wakeupwalmart.com would actually be the head of the NEA, Reg
>Weaver.
>
>
>"Revolution is not a word but an application; it is not war but peace; it
>does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution does not cause separation; it
>generates togetherness." -John Africa, Strategic Revolution
>
>
>
>
> >From: Donovan Arnold
> >To: Mark Solomon , TIM RIGSBY
> >, vision2020 at moscow.com
> >Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Wake Up WalMart Update
> >Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:16:10 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >What I find interesting is that many people would give any credibility
>to
> >WakeupWalMart.com when it is headed by the director of the largest union
> >in the United States. This guy is making lots of money on this
> >anti-Wal-Mart campaign.
> >
> > The fact that 57% of Wal-Mart employees do not get their health
> >insurance from Wal-Mart is not SHOCKING. According to the US World
>Almanac
> >60% of all Americans do not get their health insurance from their
> >employees.
> >
> > Going to Wake Up Wal-Mart dot com for factual information about
>Wal-Mart
> >is like going to North Korea to find out about US foreign policy or a
>KKK
> >rally to learn about diversity.
> >
> > I understand Wal-Mart has some problems, and has lots of room for
> >improvement. But let us not lose sight of the fact that Wake-Up Wal-Mart
> >dot com was a website generated by Wal-Mart competitors that are making
> >millions off attacking Wal-Mart with distorted information.
> >
> > _DJA
> >
> >Mark Solomon wrote: Re: [Vision2020] Wake Up
> >WalMart Update and right on the heels of the report is this.
> > mark.
> > *********
> > Wal-Mart to Loosen Health Insurance Limits
> >
> >
> >
> > By MICHAEL BARBARO
> > Published: February 23, 2006
> >
> > Wal-Mart Stores, facing a raft of state legislation that would require
> >it to increase spending on employee health insurance, will lift several
>of
> >its long-standing - and most-criticized - restrictions on eligibility
>over
> >the next year, the giant retailer said this morning.
> >
> > The changes, which Wal-Mart's chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., will
> >formally announce before a meeting of the nation's governors on Sunday,
> >underscores how big a public relations threat the health care issue has
> >become for the nation's largest private employer.
> >
> > Wal-Mart insures less than half of its 1.3 million employees in the
> >United States and has come under growing criticism for skimping on
> >benefits and shifting the cost of health care to state governments. In
>the
> >past two months, the Maryland Legislature passed a law that would force
> >Wal-Mart to improve its benefits and legislatures in a dozen more
>states,
> >including California, Washington and Rhode Island, are considering
>similar
> >bills.
> >
> > The new eligibility rules at Wal-Mart are intended to increase the
> >number of employees who can access the company's insurance plan, but it
> >was unclear how significant the impact would be because Wal-Mart
>released
> >little detailed information.
> >
> > What is clear is that Wal-Mart would still require workers, whose
> >average pay is less than $20,000 a year, to pay hefty annual deductibles
> >and monthly premiums.
> >
> > Wal-Mart said it would "significantly" reduce the waiting period
>before
> >a new part-time employee is eligible for insurance, but it declined to
> >specify by how much. Today, part-time workers must wait two years,
> >compared with 180 days for full-time employees.
> >
> > In addition, the company will allow part-time employees to enroll
>their
> >children in the company's health insurance plan. Until now, Wal-Mart
> >covered only the children of full-time workers.
> >
> > At the same time, Wal-Mart said it would make a new health-care plan
> >introduced in several regions this year, with premiums as low as $11 a
> >month, available to half of its employees by next year.
> >
> > That plan allows for several prescriptions and doctors visits before a
> >$1,000 deductible kicks in. But it is unlikely to cover a complicated
> >illness or expensive hospital stay during the first year, when there is
>a
> >$25,000 insurance cap. In addition, out-of-pocket payments range from
>$300
> >for prescriptions to $1,000 for hospital stays.
> >
> > Wal-Mart also said it would expand the use of in-store clinics to
>treat
> >employees. Such clinics, which the company set up in Northwest Arkansas
>as
> >a test six months ago, are intended for non-emergency medicine, like flu
> >shots.
> >
> > "We are trying to make our plans more relevant, accessible and
> >affordable," said Mona Williams, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.
> >
> > Asked how many workers are expected to enroll in the company's health
> >insurance plan after the changes, she said: "We think these enhancements
> >are a step in the right direction for associates but don't yet know how
> >they affect take rates."
> >
> > It is unclear how much the new plan will cost Wal-Mart, a number that
> >investors will be anxious to learn given Wal-Mart's no-frills business
> >model, which emphasizes low labor costs. Ms. Williams said the plan was
> >factored into Wal-Mart's profit forecast for 2006, which the company
> >announced earlier this week.
> >
> > The changes represent a significant victory for Wal-Mart critics,
> >particularly organized labor, who contend the retailer has skimped on
> >benefits and shifted health costs to state governments.
> >
> > The groups have tried, with apparent success, to turn Wal-Mart into a
> >symbol of what is wrong with American health care, triggering
>legislation
> >in numerous states that is directed squarely at Wal-Mart.
> >
> >
> > At 2:14 PM -0800 2/23/06, TIM RIGSBY wrote:
> > From Wakeupwalmart.com
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > You are not going to believe this. Wal-Mart’s health care spending per
> >employee actually went down, and the number of Wal-Mart workers without
> >company health care has risen to a whopping 775,000 workers or 57% of
>the
> >company.
> >
> > In response, our campaign is releasing a shocking new report titled,
> >“America Pays, Wal-Mart Saves: The Growing Cost of the Wal-Mart Health
> >Care Crisis.” The report estimates the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis cost
> >American taxpayers nearly $1.4 billion in 2005 with a projected cost
>over
> >the next five years of $9.1 billion.
> >
> > Please download your copy of the shocking report and take action
>today:
> > http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/redirect/healthcrisis
> >
> > As you know, we have been working vigorously to enact Fair Share
>Health
> >Care legislation all across America to stop corporations, like Wal-Mart,
> >from shifting their health care costs onto taxpayers. Although Wal-Mart
> >and its allies are spending untold sums of money and hiring lobbyists in
> >every state to defeat us, the will of the American people cannot be
> >stopped.
> >
> > We are launching a new tool on our website to help you make your voice
> >heard in your local community. You now have the ability to find your
>local
> >newspaper and submit a letter to the editor by going to
>WakeUpWalMart.com
> >
> > Please make your voice heard on the Wal-Mart health care crisis by
> >going to:
> > http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/redirect/healthletter
> >
> > Wal-Mart’s shockingly bad health care numbers prove more than ever how
> >important it is to build public pressure to change this corporation. We
> >need your help now! We have to grow our movement from 182,000 supporters
> >today to 1 million supporters. As our grassroots army becomes larger, we
> >will become an even more powerful force for change.
> >
> > Only you have the power to change Wal-Mart and change America. Make
> >sure to download your copy of the “America Pays, Wal-Mart Saves” report
> >and ask your friends, family members and co-workers to join our movement
> >to change Wal-Mart and build a better America.
> >
> > Thank you for all that you do,
> >
> > Paul Blank
> > WakeUpWalMart.com
> >
> > Revolution is not a word but an application; it is not war
> >but peace; it does not weaken, but strengthens. Revolution does not
>cause
> >separation; it generates togetherness.
>-John Africa, Strategic
> >Revolution
>
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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