On October 31, 1969, the Walton family helped incorporate Wal-Mart stores into American society. After a long period of controversy and debate, Potsdam, NY became home to a Wal-Mart “Super Center”.
Over the years, Wal-Mart has come to be the largest corporation in terms of annual revenue and can now be found in countries such as Mexico and the UK. Despite the rapid growth of Wal-Mart, they are currently the reason for many ongoing human rights and fair-labor violations. Groups, such as Wake Up Wal-Mart (http://www.wakeupwalmart.com“) have been formed to combat the corporation’s negative synergies. The group’s main purpose is to educate the general public about the Walton family’s company.
According to the Wake Up Wal-Mart website, in 2006 alone, the company faced fifty seven pay wage and time clock lawsuits. Over 775,000 Wal-Mart employees are currently without health benefits, and when health insurance is provided, it is not adequate for one trying to provide for one’s family. The corporation has been known to violate environmental standards and recently had a lawsuit filed against them in Connecticut for improperly storing pesticides. The company also just so happens to be the largest “storm water violator” and has been charged in nine states for disobeying the Clean Water Act. Also, Wal-Mart obtains most of its merchandise from China, and a class action lawsuit was recently filed against the company for not offering employees the legal minimum wage.