Wal-Mart’s myth is shattered. All eyes on “secret” memo.

On Wednesday, the New York Times broke the story of a secret Wal-Mart Board of Directors memo obtained by Wal-Mart Watch. Today, just 24 hours later, millions of people around the world are discovering the true ruthlessness of Wal-Mart's business practices.

Wal-Mart tries hard and spends an unbelievable amount of money to make us believe that they treat their workers like family. We've all seen the television commercials and will see many more in the days and weeks ahead. But we've shattered this myth once and for all.

The secret memo reveals the complete disregard - if not outright hostility - with which Wal-Mart's executives view their more than 1.3 million employees in the U.S. It confirms facts that Wal-Mart has long denied, including that 46% of the children of Wal-Mart's U.S. employees are uninsured or on Medicaid.

To remedy Wal-Mart's healthcare crisis, the memo lays out plans to:

* Cut spousal benefits
* Hire more part-time employees and encourage faster turnover
* Discourage older and unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart by requiring more jobs to require physically challenging tasks such as collecting carts and stocking shelves

Read the secret Wal-Mart memo here and join the discussion about it on our blog.

We leaked the memo to the New York Times on the heels of a media blitz by Wal-Mart about its latest plan to offer more affordable employee healthcare benefits. But as this memo proves, yet again, Wal-Mart is ignoring the true crisis of their uninsured and underinsured employees. It's more than a moral crisis, it's one that costs you and all American taxpayers billions each year.

"Live by the sword, die by the sword"

For too long, Wal-Mart has evaded criticism of its employment policies by spending millions on soft-toned television and print ads featuring happy "associates" spinning hollow-sounding statistics about their jobs. They've spent hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising ($800 million in 2004 alone) to hide from the harsh realities that Wal-Mart employees face each day.

Today, they can't hide anymore.

Thanks to your support of our work, the truth is getting out. Below are just a few press excerpts from around the world:

CNN's Situation Room:

"They Have An Online Team Aggressively Putting This Information Out There"

Wall Street Journal: "Can Employers Alter Hiring Policies to Cut Health Care Costs?"

NPR's All Things Considered: "Health Care Memo Further Tarnishes Wal-Mart"

Los Angeles Times: "Wal-Mart's Memo Blurs Its Message On Benefits"

USA Today: "Wal-Mart Memo Sparks Criticism"

The New Republic: "Wal-Mart Still Doesn't Get It"

American Public Media's Marketplace: "Wal-Mart's Unsettling Benefits Memo"

The Independent (UK): "Fat? Over 40? Don't Bother Applying for a Wal-Mart Job"

Fort Smith, Ark. ABC affiliate KHBS: "Memo Sheds Light On Wal-Mart Intentions"

But it's not enough to have headlines; we're working for lasting change.

Partnering with over 400 national and local organizations, we're preparing to give Wal-Mart many more headaches in the days ahead. Thousands of real people - like you and me - are joining local efforts to hold Wal-Mart accountable for its negative impacts on our communities.

As of today, over 1,000 events are planned in 41 states for "Higher Expectations Week", November 13-19.

Find and event in your area.

Plan a house party to screen Robert Greenwald's new film The High Cost of Low Prices.

Now please, take a moment to help further our campaign by introducing us to your friends and family. Now that they've seen the headlines and heard the truth, it's time to get them to join our cause. Please encourage them to take action today. Forward this email to everyone you know.

Thank you for all you do,

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Andrew Grossman
Executive Director