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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
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Local Leaders Condemn Wal-Mart's "Profits Over People" Policies
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 3:13 PM
During this week of Thanksgiving and "Black Friday" -- the largest shopping day of the year, when many retailers finally go from debt (red) to profit (black) -- some leaders are calling on the most profitable retailer in America to be more generous with its employees.
Congressman Lacy Clay and Pastor James Morris yesterday called on Wal-Mart's CEO, Mr. Lee Scott, to give many of his roughly 1.4 million employees better pay and health benefits.
"By its own admission, nearly one out of every two children of Wal-Mart workers are either uninsured or on taxpayer-funded health care programs," said Morris.
Congressman Clay quoted a memo from a Wal-Mart executive that was leaked to the press: "Our critics are correct in some of their observations. Specifically, our coverage is expensive for low-income families, and Wal-Mart has a significant percentage of associates and their children on public assistance."
Clay was joined by Alderman Frank Williamson (26th Ward) and State Rep-elect Jamilah Nasheed. Nasheed said she would be boycotting the retailer this holiday season.
Tuesday's event was organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 and coincided with similar events in seven other cities across America as part of WakeUpWalMart.com's 2006 holiday campaign called "Hope for the Holidays."
Wal-Mart has for years resisted efforts to unionize its workforce. The company has maintained that it is a good employer and does everything it can to ensure prices are kept low for its millions of loyal customers.
Former School Board member (and perennial mayorial candiate) Bill Haas is apparently running for alderman of the 18th Ward. Just a few weeks after losing his latest campaign for state representative, Haas is now holding a place in line at the Board of Elections to run against incumbent Ald. Terry Kennedy.
Ald. Frank Williamson also has a challenger waiting in line, Lee Willis of the 26th Ward.
Filing starts Monday at 8:00 a.m and closes January 5, 2007.
Click here to download an interview this reporter did with Haas back in 2005 during his last campaign for mayor. At the time, Haas said depression and financial troubles had him contemplating suicide. Since then, Haas says he is doing much better.
Board Hears Report on Sodexho, O'Brien Refuses to Hear Public Comments
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 11:59 PM
A PUB DEF VIDEO REPORT
The St. Louis City School Board heard a report tonight by Chief Operating Officer Deanna Anderson on the costs and benefits of ending the district's contract with Sodexho and bringing back in-house many of the maintenance operations that the contractor oversees.
Congressman Says He'll Take Wal-Mart's Money and Still Vote Against Them
By Antonio D. French
EXCLUSIVE PUB DEF VIDEO
At a press conference today meant to call attention to the working conditions of employees of Wal-Mart, America's largest private employer, Congressman Lacy Clay was asked about contributions he has accepted from the retailer.
At the conclusion of Clay's speech, which slammed Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott for his company's huge profits in the face of persistent poverty among his roughly 1.4 million employees, reporter Matt Sepic of local NPR affiliate KWMU asked Clay whether he would return nearly $7,000 in campaign donations from Wal-Mart's political action committee.
"Not at all," said Clay. "That's the name of the game is raising money. I have dues to pay to my Democratic Party, about $150,000 a year. So wherever I can get that money to pay those dues, I will take it."
Clay said even though he has accepted money from Wal-Mart, he has not voted how the company would have wanted him to on many issues in Congress.
"You have to have money to run effectively," said Clay. "I'm going to take all the money I can get."
Check back later for more exclusive video from today's press conference...
The following report is by Nick Clement of the St. Louis Schools Watch:
St. Louis School Board President Veronica O'Brien again has found a way to divert attention from students and teachers to herself. In a bizarre performance before the Desegregation Monitoring Task Force, O'Brien called on the state to intervene in the school district to remove the superintendent.
Only two months ago, O'Brien engineered the removal of the word "interim" from Diana Bourisaw's title, making her "superintendent" instead of "interim superintendent." Now she is relentless in her attacks on the superintendent. The reason for the attacks lies in a disagreement over O'Brien's role.
In recent weeks, O'Brien has been telling anyone who will listen that administrators in St. Louis Public Schools do not respect her authority as president. She complains that administrators are holding meetings without inviting her and making decisions without running them by her first. In short, she is confirming the truth of board member Bill Purdy's claim that she is trying to micromanage the district.
Sources familiar with O'Brien say Bourisaw's reluctance to let O'Brien make up jobs and salaries precipitated split. The disagreement between the two came to a head over the hiring of Anthony Bonner.
Sources say O'Brien promised Bonner's family, with whom she is close, that she would give Bonner a job and pay him $125,000 a year. She ordered Bourisaw to hire Bonner as a "special assistant" and pay him $125,000. Bourisaw reportedly refused. She is said to have told O'Brien that Bonner could apply for whatever openings were advertised and if he was qualified, she would hire him at the advertised salary. He qualified for a job in the community information office and was hired at a salary of $72,000 a year.
Many people in the school district were outraged that someone with just a bachelor's degree could come off the street and waltz into a $72,000 a year gig to make more than many principals with doctorate degrees are making, but O'Brien was outraged that her order to pay him $125,000 was ignored. She reportedly ran around school board headquarters ordering one person after another to code Bonner in the payroll system for $125,000. Person after person refused, and her grudge against Bourisaw grew.
People who know O'Brien say she has become obsessed with getting rid of Bourisaw, to the point where nothing else in the school district matters to her. That obsession has led to the strange speech reported in the Post-Dispatch yesterday.
As upsetting as her speech is to supporters of St. Louis public schools, it at least indicates that she does not have the support of the majority of the board. She would not be calling on the state to remove the superintendent if she had the votes on the board to do it.
The school board meets tonight at 5:30 p.m. for a special presentation on Sodexho, then again at 7:00 p.m. for their regular monthly meeting. Click here for the agenda.
In the wake of the city's recent tagging as the "most dangerous" in the country, and numerous attempts by City and police officials to downplay crime in the city as affecting only "some neighborhoods," one alderman is telling police brass that they aren't doing enough to keep those neighborhoods safe.
In a letter sent last week to a St. Louis City police captain and copied to Chief Joe Mokwa, 27th Ward Alderman Greg Carter recounts a Nov. 11 incident that occured at a northside gas station. Carter said while purchasing gas at the Shell station on Goodfellow and Highway 70, a man approached him and attempted to sell him drugs.
"Here I am, the alderman for the community and I can only imagine how other individuals are approached when they visit our community and our city," wrote Carter.
The alderman said this kind of problem has been going on for too long. He said he has been in contact with police and city officials as well as the corporate owners of the gas station, but nothing has changed.
"I am becoming very frustrated and I am sure that if this was in any one of your neighborhoods, it would have ended a long time ago," wrote Carter.
"I guess this is no longer a myth there is no aggressive approach regarding the drug selling in the communities that are predominantly African-American."
Carter sent copies of the letter, dated Nov. 14, 2006, to Police Chief Joe Mokwa, Mayor Francis Slay, State Senator Pat Dougherty, State Senator-elect Jeff Smith, State Rep. Connie Johnson, Missouri Attorney Gen. Jay Nixon, and the Council of Black Elected Officials.
According to a Downtown St. Louis Partnership newsletter, City Grocers, the only full service grocery market in downtown St. Louis, plans to relocate to the newly renovated Syndicate building thereby expanding from 6,500 square feet to over 14,000 square feet.
Last week, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation that targets shady Election Day tactics that seek to intimidate voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote.
"The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2006", would make it illegal for anyone to knowingly attempt to prevent others from exercising his or her right to vote by providing deceptive information and would require the Attorney General to fully investigate these allegations.
Penalties include up to $100,000 in fines and/or one year imprisonment.
"Too often, we hear reports of mysterious phone calls and mailers arriving just days before an election that seek to mislead and threaten voters to keep them from the polls," said Obama. "And those who engage in these deceptive and underhanded campaign tactics usually target voters living in minority or low-income neighborhoods. This legislation would ensure that for the first time, these incidents are fully investigated and that those found guilty are punished."
Obama said that in last week’s election, mailers distributed in predominantly African-American counties in Maryland wrongly implied that African-American Democrats had endorsed Republican candidates. The fliers were paid for and authorized by GOP Senate candidate Michael Steele and Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.
In House races across the country, reports surfaced of Democrats receiving dozens of harassing robocalls designed to imply that they came from Democratic candidates. In fact, the calls were paid for by Republicans and were intended to suppress turnout among Democrats. Read more about these calls at www.TalkingPointsMemo.com.
The legislation would also require the Attorney General to work with the Federal Communications Commission and the Election Assistance Commission to determine the feasibility of using the public broadcasting system as a means of providing voters with full and accurate Election Day information.
