Getting Perspective On Wal-Mart

Wal Mart is donating money to the relief effort. More than $17 million in cash to relief efforts including $15 million to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. They've also donated $3 million in product and water as well as the use of 19 vacant facilities. You can read more about their efforts on a website set up by the company, Wal-Mart Facts. For instance, you can learn that any displaced Wal-Mart associate, of which there are 34,000 can report to work at any Wal-Mart store. Further, if their homes were flooded or destroyed, associates are eligible for up to $1,000.

Now think about this. Wal-Mart's sales in for 2003 were $245 Billion. Lee Scott, The CEO of Wal-Mart receives an annual paycheck of $30 million, twice what the company donated to the Bush-Clinton Katrina fund. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million associates, the largest employer in America. 34,000 displaces workers is nothing to this company. Couldn't Wal-Mart do more than put them back to work in Alaska? Couldn't Wal-Mart afford to give these workers a month or two off, with pay?

It's like a cruel joke. Gross profits of $65 Billion, a net income of $10 Billion. Workers turning to the state to provide health care and other services they can't afford on a Wal-Mart paycheck. And Wal-Mart's response to their employees? We'll see you at work next week. And oh, if your home is completely destroyed, we'll give you up to $1,000 to help with the transition. Of course, if you're home isn't flooded, if you're just locked out of your city because it's under quarantine, or all the services are down for a hundred miles, then tighten your belt, get in your car and drive. Drive far enough from the Gulf and find yourself a Wal-Mart, they're ready to put you to work. Of course you'll be sleeping in your car for a while, or an evacuee shelter. Probably a long while. But at least you'll still get your minimum wage every two weeks.

It wouldn't bankrupt this company by any means to put half a billion dollars into the relief effort, including paying their displaced employees and giving them some much needed time off.