Another victory! Wal-Mart dumps ALEC

Another one bites the dust. The nation’s most notorious anti-worker legislative syndicate just suffered a huge breakup with the nation’s most notorious anti-worker retailer.

Yesterday, Wal-Mart announced it was leaving ALEC, making it the 18th corporation to cut ties with the corporate lobbying group. The anti-union retail giant joins 21 other private sector members to ditch ALEC. According to Wal-Mart PR official Maggie Sans,

Previously, we expressed our concerns about ALEC's decision to weigh in on issues that stray from its core mission 'to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets… We feel that the divide between [ALEC’s] activities and our purpose as a business has become too wide. To that end, we are suspending our membership in ALEC

Corporations like Wal-Mart never want to admit that activist campaigning succeeded in shaming them to take action. But we know it was public pressure that forced Wal-Mart to end its shady relationship with ALEC. As The Nation’s John Nichols tweeted earlier today:

Almost a year after @ALECexposed project shed light ALEC/Wal-Mart connections, WAL-MART EXITS ALEC

The news was also well-timed for organizers planning at least one action against Wal-Mart this week. Wednesday’s announcement put wind in the sails of community members and activists in D.C. who today are marching in a protest parade against the construction of Wal-Mart stores in the capital city.

There's still plenty more work that needs to be done to stop ALEC’s anti-worker agenda. The campaign against the lobby group is pushing to get companies like AT&T, Johnson &Johnson, and State Farm to quit ALEC.

The fight continues!

Wisco: "Worst type of favoritism there could be"

We're hearing that there may be a floor vote on Gov. Scott Walker's insane budget proposal as soon as Thursday!

People are mobilizing as never before. All week long, there will be rallies, vigils, news conferences and lobby days. The Teamsters are engaged, as we represent corrections officers, law enforcement officers, snowplow drivers, 911 dispatchers, public health nurses, zookeepers, crossing guards -- to name a few -- in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised in the news media (as if there's a question!) about whether Walker is paying back his political backers. The Associated Press reports that some unions that supported Walker's campaign -- firefighters, police officers and state troopers -- are exempt from his draconian efforts to lower pay by 9 percent and eliminate nearly all collective bargaining rights. Reports the AP,

Walker has introduced a bill that would strip public employees across the board — from teachers to snowplow drivers — of their right to collectively bargain for sick leave, vacation, even the hours they work. But absolutely nothing would change for local police, fire departments and the State Patrol.


The bill smacks of political favoritism for public safety unions that supported Walker's election bid last year and sets up new haves and have-nots in Wisconsin government, said Paul Secunda, a Marquette University professor who specializes in labor law.

"That's called 'thank you, I got your back,'" Secunda said. "There's no surprise there. This is the worst type of favoritism there could be."

There's lots you can do online to fight this savage attack on the middle class, even if you sit at a computer all day.

Go to OneWisconsinNow.org and sign a petition against the budget.

Go to the http://www.notmywisconsin.com/ website and sign up for email alerts.

Join the Teamsters' "STOP Right to Work (for LESS) Facebook page. Or post this as your status on your own Facebook page: Let's see how many people would be negatively affected by Scott Walker's "nuclear option" of eliminating 50 years of peaceful collective bargaining in Wisconsin.

If you live in Wisconsin, or have a friend of family member who does, here's the Legislature's website where you can find out who to email or call to oppose Walker's budget: legis.wisconsin.gov.