---------- * L E T T E R F R O M T H E U. C. F. W. * ----------
3/24/2005
Dear Friends,
Wal-Mart as an "Only in America" sponsor?
I am sure you are as shocked as I am to learn that Wal-Mart appears to
be the primary paid sponsor of Good Morning America's "Only in America"
series, which tells stories of common Americans and their love for the
country and its citizens. While Wal-Mart seeks to deceive America with
public relations stunts such as this, I hope you will join me and the
growing number of Americans who are exposing Wal-Mart for its hypocrisy.
We at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) have launched
an on-line petition to stop Wal-Mart's sponsorship of this series. You
can take action by signing the petition now at:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/abcnews
Wal-Mart sponsoring an "Only in America" series just does not match with
these troubling facts:
- 70% of Wal-Mart items are made overseas, often in Third World
sweatshops (China Inc., Ted Fishman, 2/12/05)
- More than 80% of the 6,000 factories in Wal-Mart's database of
suppliers are in China (Washington Post, 2/8/04)
- If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China's
eighth largest trading partner (China Business Daily, 11/29/04)
- As documented by the PBS report on Wal-Mart, "...only after Wal-Mart's
'Buy American' ad campaign was in full swing did the company become the
country's largest importer of Chinese goods in any industry." (PBS
Frontline, Is Wal-Mart Good for America)
This advertising campaign is not the first time Wal-Mart has attempted
to deceive the American people. In the 1990's, Wal-Mart introduced its
"Made in America" and "Bring it Home to the USA" campaigns. Broadcast
and other news outlets soon exposed the gross deceptions in this ploy
forcing Wal-Mart to drop the marketing campaign. We urge you to join us
in successfully stopping Wal-Mart's latest ploy.
Sign the petition and send an email to ABC News President David Westin
urging him to drop Wal-Mart immediately as a sponsor of this segment,
and to take down the company's Internet ads which further attempt to
connect Wal-Mart with the "Only in America" slogan:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/abcnews
And stay tuned for more opportunities to become involved in the United
Food and Commercial Worker's aggressive fight to hold Wal-Mart accountable.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hansen
President,
United Food and Commercial Workers
International Union
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