Wal-Mart, the Alpha Dog of discount stores, has also become the Alpha Hog at the
public trough.
The growth in billionaires took a dramatic leap since the early 1980s, when the
average net worth of the individuals on the Forbes 400 list was $400 million.
Today, the average net worth is $2.8 billion. Wal-Mart's Walton family now has
771,287 times more than the median U.S. household.
Wal-Mart's Labor Record
CONGRESSMAN GEORGE MILLER
Wal-Mart's success has meant downward pressures on wages and benefits,
rampant violations of basic workers' rights, and threats to the standard of living in
communities across the country. The success of a business need not come at the
expense of workers and their families. Such short-sighted profit-making strategies
ultimately undermine our economy.
WESTMINSTER - Michael Melio was furious. Wal-Mart wanted to build a third
200,000-square-foot Supercenter in his hometown and the Westminster City
Council had welcomed the retail giant with open arms.
Melio was among more than 1,000 city residents who protested the project during
meetings last summer. Far fewer showed up at City Hall to support the plans.
To Melio and others, it seemed as if their local government had pledged its
allegiance to Wal-Mart and its bundle of promised sales tax revenue, rather than to
residents of the city.
Documents and web sites for the Wal-Mart researcher.
