End Walmart Sweatshops

Workers abroad who labor in Walmart’s supplier factories routinely experience:

Forced Labor
In violation of law, workers are routinely forced to work overtime, often 16-18 hours a day.

Minimum Wage Violations
Many workers are paid up to 30% below their country’s legal minimum wage.

Maternity Leave Violations
Most female workers are denied their legal maternity leave and their benefits.

Overtime Pay Violations
Workers are rarely, if ever, paid overtime. Although they often work more than twice the legal number of hours in a week, they are not paid more than their regular wages.

Health Care Violations
The health clinics that many countries require their factories to have often do not exist and workers are NOT provided with basic safety equipment, such as dust masks.

Right to Form Independent Unions Denied
More than 80% of Wal-Mart’s merchandise suppliers are in China, where workers do not have the right of freedom of association.

Bathroom Breaks Violations
In many of the factories, workers need a ticket and permission to use the bathroom. Their breaks are timed.

Walmart has the ability to impact business as usual because of their large numbers of direct suppliers as well as indirect suppliers. Walmart is leading the worldwide race to the bottom in wages and working conditions. It has capitalized on global trade rules that allow full access to the U.S. market, even if products are made under conditions of extreme repression. Even at a time of great economic distress faced by most other companies, Walmart continues to boost record profits.

In order for Walmart to improve conditions in its supplier factories it must first fundamentally alter its business practice of demanding a continuously lower price from supplier factories – a price which renders those factories unable to pay workers a living wage. Further, Walmart must commit to supplying from those factories in which workers have democratic representation and the right to bargain collectively with their employer. Additionally, Walmart must open its supply chain to independent monitoring so that independent, unannounced, factory assessments may take place.

Subject:

Your Letter:

As a consumer, I am deeply troubled by Walmart's disregard for rights of workers that produce its merchandise and food.  Please take these workers' demands seriously as people's quality of life is at stake:

- Enforce the Walmart Code of Conduct. Although Walmart includes "Standards for Suppliers" in its contracts with overseas factories, the company fails to enforce those standards.  Additionally, workers are kept in the dark about their rights and are unable to take advantage of these standards.

- Independent Grassroots Monitoring. Walmart's factory inspection and monitoring system is a public relations tool rather than an effective means of ensuring that workers' rights are respected. Walmart rarely if ever allows independent grassroots monitors to make unannounced visits to its suppliers abroad.

- Source Union and Worker Owned Cooperative Made Goods.  Workers all over the world have begun to take an active role in improving their workplaces.  It only makes sense that Walmart would prioritize sourcing from these facilities.  Furthermore, Walmart should continue and expand their sale of fair trade certified products.

Again I hope that as the 2nd largest corporation in the world, Walmart will become a leader in the fight for workers' rights both in the United States and around the world.

CEO Mike Duke, Walmart

This urgent action alert is maintained by the International Labor Rights Forum.