Fayetteville Is Up Against the Wal-Martians

A group calling itself Against the Wal reminds us that it has been a year since Fayetteville was occupied by the Wal-Mart shareholders-- "another year of poor healthcare, gender discrimination, environmental degradation, poverty wages, the destruction of local businesses, and union busting." Dr. Lee Scott and the Wal-Mart shareholders are meeting up again, and Against the Wal is gearing up for another exciting week of resistance. Last year, Wal-Mart planted a spy with transmitting microphone in the group to follow their plans. This year, the group made it easy for the spymasters by putting their schedule on the web.

Wednesday, May 30th 6:00 PM & Thursday, May 31st 6:00 PM
Walton Bros. Circus: The Greediest Show on Earth!
Street Theatre. Meet up at Bike City (546 West Center St. Studio C) and suit up for some radical clowning on Dickson Street. For 2 nights in a row we will bring our message of change in a fun & accessible way!

Friday, June 1st 9:30AM - Noon
Wal-Mart Shareholders Meeting Protest
Meet up in the Fayetteville High School Parking Lot, 1001 Stone Street, Fayetteville. March to the shareholders meeting in the Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas Campus

The protests should draw the media, who might even pay attention and acknowledge Against the Wal’s seven demands for change: (1) Living Wage - Pay all Wal-Mart workers a fair living wage so they can support their families; (2) Affordable Health Care - Provide all workers comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage so they can care for their families and no longer be forced to rely on taxpayer-funded public health care; (3) End Discrimination - Ensure equal opportunity and equal pay for women and people of color in your workforce at all levels through a stringent and independent monitoring process; (4) Zero Tolerance on Child Labor - Adopt a zero tolerance policy and institute an independent monitoring program to stop the exploitation of child labor in the United States and abroad; (5) Respect Communities - Work with local communities to effectively address Wal-Mart’s negative impact on issues like traffic, sprawl, the environment, and local businesses; (6) Respect the Environment - Obey environmental protection laws and ethics so that a minimal environmental impact on the natural local ecosystem is obtained while avoiding pollution at all cost; (7) Stop Union Busting - Stop threatening and blacklisting workers who try to unionize. Fire your union busting informants and stop training managers how to keep workers from exercising their right to form a union.

No one expects Wal-Mart to do any of those things, but it never hurts to ask corporations to be good citizens and let the public observe their arrogance and indifference.