Dear Subscriber,

Tell me, what is the responsibility of a corporation in America today? And what is the responsibility of the largest corporation in America?

They're hard questions to answer. But is following the law too much to ask? Is treating employees - women and men - equally in hiring, pay, promotion, and health care too much to ask?

For 30 years, I've advocated for women's employment rights, and now, as a proud partner and board member of Wal-Mart Watch, I ask you to join me in exposing the truth about Wal-Mart's attacks on women worldwide.

I write with an important message for American women: Wal-Mart wants your business. You've probably heard how they are trying to spruce up their image to get new customers. But women must be wary.

On critical issues of women's health, women's work, and women's worth, Wal-Mart's real record is a sad one. As the largest private employer in the United States, that record is shameful for the messages it sends to the millions of women whose lives are affected by the company - as an employee or as a consumer.

GET THE FACTS -- Read the complete report.

Wal-Mart Watch has been leading the charge to reform Wal-Mart by exposing the facts behind their business practices. From issues of pay, promotion, sweatshop manufacturing, health care, and the environment, Wal-Mart fails to meet even the lowest of public expectations every single time. And their media-focused reform efforts only come when forced by electoral mandate, regulatory requirements, court orders, legislation or shame.

Consider this: Just after a Massachusetts state agency forced Wal-Mart to carry emergency contraceptives in that state, the company professed concern: "Women's health is a high priority for Wal-Mart." That stance is surely news to Wal-Mart employees. This company's record hardly demonstrates that "priority".

When it comes to fairness in the workplace it's too often "Wal-Mart vs. Women." The Massachusetts decision was a step forward, but a long road is ahead. Wal-Mart Watch has compiled shocking examples of the discrimination and disadvantage women face at the world's biggest corporation. The message is clear: women be wary of Wal-Mart.

Please read and share Wal-Mart Watch's report on Wal-Mart vs. Women, an overview of shocking headlines, blunders and statistics from Wal-Mart's systemic assault on women in America.

Thank you for joining in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Judith L. Lichtman

Member, Wal-Mart Watch Board of Directors

Dear Subscriber,

Today, our campaign has the business world and blogosphere abuzz once again with our uncovering of more secrets from Bentonville. Will you help us spread the truth?

From today's New York Times:

In a confidential, internal Web site for Wal-Mart's managers, the company's chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., seemed to have a rare, unscripted moment when one manager asked him why "the largest company on the planet cannot offer some type of medical retirement benefits?"

The Web site, which Mr. Scott uses to communicate his tough standards to thousands of far-flung managers, gives a rare glimpse into the concerns that are roiling Wal-Mart's retailing empire, from the company's sagging stock price to how it treats its workers. Judging by the managers' questions, Mr. Scott has an internal public relations challenge that in some ways mirrors the challenge he faces from outside critics.

Read the full story

And the story had an immediate effect on Wall Street. This is from this morning's Bloomberg News:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fell after the New York Times reported the chief executive saying that providing some medical benefits would be harmful. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, fell 15 cents to $46.48. CEO H. Lee Scott told company managers on a confidential, internal Web site that providing medical retirement benefits would leave the world's largest retailer at a competitive disadvantage, the New York Times reported, citing a copy of the posting provided by a group lobbying for better work conditions.

In hundreds of confidential posts leaked to Wal-Mart Watch by a Wal-Mart manager we get a rare glimpse into the internal workings of the world's largest corporation. "Lee's Garage" is an internal, confidential blog where CEO Lee Scott talks to his workforce about policy, competitors, union threats and so much more.

We can see now that inside Wal-Mart's own workforce, people share our concerns about Wal-Mart's business model. And yet again, what we learn about Wal-Mart comes not through transparency by the world's largest company, but through leaks by concerned employees.

Wal-Mart has an opportunity to lead and create change. The question is: will they?

Tell your friends about this latest breaking story.

Thanks for all you do.

Andrew Grossman
Executive Director