2007-06-05 TSUPERSTORES - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

HARDEN: Oh, sorry. When I’m insulting someone I like to address them directly. Okay. Also this website said that Wal-Mart does give many donations, but they’re apt to be small donations. So you’ll see a large number of donations and not realize they’re not very big. When Wal-Mart opens sales nearby businesses go down 17 to 61 percent. The effect is worse in rural areas. It takes some time but it does happen. In Hilo we still have lots of downtown businesses opened. They seem to be catering to cruise ship passengers. Is that the kind of town that we want? Average hourly Wal-Mart employee earns about $4,000 less than the Federal annual poverty level for a family of four. Almost half of Wal-Mart Associates children are on Medicaid or not under any health insurance program at all. Wal-Mart has been sued in several states for wage and hour abuses, such as having employees work off the clock and deleting time from payroll records. And if these folks here take issue with anything I say, I’d be happy to hear from them. Wal-Mart is being sued for discrimination against 1.6 million former and current female employees. Wal-Mart instructs its managers to increase numbers of part time employees to keep their costs down. When Wal-Mart comes to an area the wages are apt to go down. WATANABE: Mr. Chair, you know, she’s addressing a lot of stuff to Wal-Mart and etc., but it’s really a generic type of definition. So I for myself I’d appreciate it if you’d referred to superstores as opposed to Wal-Mart. It’s not us against Wal-Mart kind of issue. HARDEN: I’m citing the statistics because Wal-Mart is a very likely candidate. They’re planning to, they’re thinking seriously of the Hilo site; and the superstore effects, as I said, could be similar to the Wal-Mart. I’m not assuming that it would all be Wal-Mart. So -. ALAMEDA: Could you summarized. HARDEN: But I’ll finish quickly. Wages tend to go down not, around the Wal-Mart in general. Wal-Mart’s environmental record is outstanding for violations, $1 million in violations (2005), 22 stores; $3 million for storm water violations in nine states (2004); $1 million for violations (2001), 17 locations. In Pennsylvania they halted all the Wal-Mart construction after water quality violations. And Wal-Mart is apt to leave behind large vacant stores, which is what they’re talking about also doing in Hilo. They’re going to move to the next one so they’re apt to leave these eyesores behind. So basically if you’re looking at Wal-Mart effects also in the superstores, I don’t think it’s something we can afford. ALAMEDA: Thank you, Ms. Harden. Any questions for Cory? Seeing none, you may be seated. Thank you for your testimony. Yes, sir, Samuel. EXHIBIT D 17