| US:Nike Adds Indian Artifacts to Its Swoosh by Andrew A. Green, NY Times October 3rd, 2007 To the amusement of some and the disapproval of other, Nike introduces a shoe designed specifically for American Indians, complete with arrowheads and feathers. |
| UK: Three 'face jail' over Ikea deals BBC News Online September 7th, 2007 A supplier and two employees of the furniture giant Ikea have admitted to using bribes in purchasing deals. |
| US: Lead found in more baby bibs? Bibs sold in Toys R Us, Babies R Us questioned
by Anna Marie Kukec, Daily Herald August 16th, 2007 A California consumer group said Wednesday it has filed a legal action against Toys R Us and Babies R Us for selling vinyl baby bibs said to contain high levels of lead. |
| INDIA: Indian Activists' Rising Clout by Jackie Range, Wall Street Journal August 16th, 2007 India's Supreme Court is poised to decide whether a British company has the right to mine in a sacred tribal forest, a case that underlines the complexity of undertaking large-scale industrial projects here. The case's hearing by the court reflects the growing clout of activist groups in India. |
| INDIA: Indians Protest Wal-Mart’s Wholesale Entry by Amelia Gentleman, The New York Times August 9th, 2007 Wal-Mart, in a struggle to expand its global reach, is trying to enter India through the back door, but many consumers here have taken notice. |
| WORLD: We must count the true cost of cheap China by Richard McGregor, Financial Times August 2nd, 2007 In the wake of the multiple scandals over tainted Chinese food and drug exports in recent months, Chinese goods now have an indelible image of being not just cheap, but life-threatening as well. But the fact that wrongly labelled foods, liquor and pharmaceuticals have routinely sickened and even killed people en masse in China has been largely overlooked. |
| US: Mattel Recalls One Million Toys by Louise Story , New York Times August 2nd, 2007 Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products’ surfaces are covered in lead paint. According to Mattel, all the toys were made by a contract manufacturer in China. |
| MEXICO: Thousands of Unpaid Teens Bag Groceries for Wal-Mart by Joseph Contreras, Newsweek August 1st, 2007 Wal-Mart prides itself on cutting costs at home and abroad, and its Mexican operations are no exception. Wal-Mart is Mexico's largest private-sector employer in the nation today, with nearly 150,000 local residents on its payroll. An additional 19,000 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 16 work after school in hundreds of Wal-Mart stores, mostly as grocery baggers, throughout Mexico-and none of them receives a red cent in wages or fringe benefits. |
| US: States Target Big-Box Stores; Maine Is First to Require That Wal-Mart, Rivals Undergo Impact Studies by Kris Hudson, The Wall Street Journal June 29th, 2007 Maine Gov. John Baldacci last week signed into law a measure requiring developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to conduct studies gauging the project's impact on municipal services, the environment and local businesses. Similar measures have been passed in other states. |
| US: At Home Depot, How Green Is That Chainsaw? by Cliffard Kraus, New York Times June 25th, 2007 As companies rush to carry "environmentally friendly" products, Home Depot encourages suppliers to pitch to have their products included in its new Eco Options marketing campaign. Critics argue that the green label is overused and overmarketed. |
| US: Fired worker wins Wal-Mart case BBC News June 20th, 2007 A female pharmacist dismissed by Wal-Mart has been awarded nearly $2m (£1m) in damages after a jury concluded she was the victim of discrimination. |
| US: Gag order for former Wal-Mart employee
CNN Money April 9th, 2007 Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) won a gag order to stop a fired security operative from talking to reporters and a judge ordered him to provide Wal-Mart attorneys with 'the names of all persons to whom he has transmitted, since January 15, 2007, any Wal-Mart information.'? |
| US: Laid-off Circuit City workers allege age bias in suit by Molly Selvin and Abigail Goldman, The Los Angeles Times April 6th, 2007 A lawsuit by three older Circuit City Stores Inc. employees, alleging that the retailer violated California age discrimination laws by laying them off because they were earning too much, is part of a surge in age bias complaints from disgruntled baby boomers. |
| US: Fired Wal-Mart worker claims surveillance ops: report Reuters UK April 4th, 2007 The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. |
| US: Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay $33 Million in Back Wages (Update3) by Lauren Coleman-Lochner, Bloomberg January 25th, 2007 Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. private employer, will pay $33 million in back wages plus interest under an agreement with the U.S. Labor Department |
| US: US farming watchdog accuses Wal-Mart of mis-selling by Stephen Foley in New York, Independent (UK) January 21st, 2007 Wal-Mart, the controversial retailing giant, is under investigation in the US over allegations it is trying to pass off non-organic foods as organic. |
| US: Wal-Mart Charged with Selling Nonorganic Food as Organic by Mark A. Kastel, The Free Press November 14th, 2006 The Cornucopia Institute, the nation's most aggressive organic farming watchdog, has filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA asking them to investigate allegations of illegal “organic” food distribution by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Cornucopia has documented cases of nonorganic food products being sold as organic in Wal-Mart’s grocery departments. |
| US: Wal-Mart must pay workers $78m BBC October 13th, 2006 The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has been ordered to pay at least $78m in compensation to workers who were forced to work during breaks. |
| US: Wal-Mart to Add More Part-Timers and Wage Caps by Steven Greenhouse and Michael Barbaro, The New York Times October 2nd, 2006 Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer, is pushing to create a cheaper, more flexible work force by capping wages, using more part-time workers and scheduling more workers on nights and weekends. |
| US: Wal-Mart to Shrink Options For New Hires' Health Care by Ylan Q. Mui and Amy Joyce, The Washington Post September 27th, 2006 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is scaling back the health-care plans available to new employees, sparking fresh criticism over whether the giant retailer is providing adequate coverage to its workers. |