Plenty Of Protesters Expected At Wal-Mart Meeting (Little Rock)

[struggle4progress]

Union To Protest Wal-Mart Health Benefits Policies

POSTED: 1:21 pm CDT June 2, 2005
UPDATED: 1:39 pm CDT June 2, 2005

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Wal-Mart will provide a stage for its critics on Friday during its annual shareholders meeting.

Bentonville-based Wal-Mart -- the world's largest retailer -- has customarily used its annual meeting as an opportunity to talk about its power as a retailer and its global reach. But the company's critics are using the shareholders meeting in Fayetteville to criticize Wal-Mart's health benefits, wages and other issues.

The group Wake-Up Wal-Mart is backed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. It staged events Wednesday in Little Rock and other state capitals to press states to require Wal-Mart to provide employees affordable health care.

Wake-Up Wal-Mart director Paul Blank said the group wants to do more than create media pressure on the retailer. Blank said a grassroots movement will force the retail giant to change its policies.

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