WAL-MART — A serious threat to unionized clerks and meat-cutters: WAL-MART spin-doctors are crowing about their new health plan, costing employees $11.00. Hogwash. Perhaps an $11.00 plan would provide a box of band-aids and a box of aspirin — provided the worker had an injury, accident or illness on Tuesdays. You can't provide much for $11.00 per month, even if the carrier is “Blue Cross”. Or Prudential. Or anybody else.

Unionized supermarkets in Local 455's jurisdiction — Texas and Louisiana — contribute more than $$$ per hour in behalf of their employees and their families to provide insurance, at no cost to the employee.

Union stores must be competitive with WAL-MART in pricing a can of peas. When WAL-MART shortchanges workers a dollar, pockets 90¢ and under cuts the price a peas a dime — they become a threat to Union stores and unionized jobs. It's about time for WAL-MART to step up — and match union standards. Our future depends on it!

Picture: April 26 th , UFCW leaflets the Public at the WAL-MART parking lot in Pasadena Texas about the Health Care Crisis WAL-MART is perpetuating.

WAL-MART — Iraq : Which place is most dangerous? Safety — that is, providing protection for employees and customers — has always been a priority of UFCW Local 455. Management spares no expense in providing top security for it's merchandise, products and inventory. Let a kid steal a stick of candy or a mother lift a cheap shirt for her child — then watch a posse of managers and employees surround the suspect. But wait. What priority does management place on protecting employees and customers? Very little, it seems. Consider the new Wal-Mart crime report sampled from 11 of its stores in Houston . From 2002 to 2005 there were 9,632 police calls from these 11 Wal-Mart stores. In 2004 alone, at a cost of $746,407 to taxpayers — and substantially more to victims — the following crimes at Wal-Mart in these 11 stores:

Crime s Reported

Murder 11

Rape & Sex Crimes 2

Auto Theft 22

Robbery 40

Police Calls 4,901

Crime at WAL-MART appears to be substantially greater than those suffered by their competitors. Could it be that Wal-Mart is skimping of providing safety for their customers and employees? We think so.

CLICK HERE TO COMPARE CRIME RATE WITH WAL MART WITH THAT OF OTHER RETAIL BOX STORES.