Wal-Mart Executives To Be Subpoenaed For Federal Grand Jury -ABC

Quicken ^ | 10-23-03 | Dow Jones newswires

[libertyisnotfree]

Wal-Mart Executives To Be Subpoenaed For Federal Grand Jury -ABC  

Thursday, October 23, 2003 07:03 PM ET   

NEW YORK

-(Dow Jones)- U.S. authorities were preparing Thursday to subpoena executives of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT, news) to testify before a federal grand jury in connection with an illegal immigration crackdown, ABC News reported.

Federal agents raided Wal-Mart's headquarters and 60 of its stores across the country Thursday, arresting more than 300 illegal workers at the world's biggest retailer.

The workers were members of cleaning crews hired by outside contractors, but federal law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that Wal-Mart had direct knowledge of the immigration violations. They cited recordings of meetings and conversations among Wal-Mart executives, managers and contractors.

All those arrested in the raids at stores in 21 states were in the country illegally. Many of those arrested are said to be from Eastern Europe.

Dow Jones Newswires 10-23-03 1903ET

[keithtoo]

You don't follow my point. The union thugs want to hurt Walmart. Whether or not they hurt illegals - Mexican or Eastern Europeans - is secondary.

Walmart is the largest company in the world and the nations largest employer. Walmart is vehemently anti-union. There is a national 'piling-on' going on with Walmart and the unions and the Dim's see a chance to hurt one of their enemies, so they arbitrarily and capriciously slam Walmart instead of one of the other thousands of companies that is currently employing illegals.

[dirtboy]

Our government does nothing about illegals. What's the real story behind this?

IMO this isn't what it seems. There is little traction for the amnesty bills being floated about. If the INS hits a couple of the big boyz such as Wal-Mart and goads them into pressuring politicians to pass amnesty...

[dirtboy]

DOJ is going after Wal-Mart first to enhance fear among all employers who do this.

Call me cynical, but I think the DOJ is doing this for the opposite reason - there is little political traction for the amnesty bills floating about because employers haven't faced legal sanctions for hiring illegals. However, if the DOJ makes a couple of high-profile busts, it could very well ratchet up the corporate pressure on Congress to pass some kind of amnesty.

[2Jedismom]

Well, while they have them subpoenaed for this...I sure wish someone would ask them why, when they ran out of Harvest Blend bagels, they just stuck any old bagel in the container and called it Harvest Blend!

I'm sick from eating that cinnamon monstrocity they pushed off on me.

[libertyisnotfree]

I still disagree with you

[libertyisnotfree]

I disagree

[libertyisnotfree]

lol

[2Jedismom]

It happened this morning and I'm very grumpy. It's a darn good thing I'm not sitting on this grand jury.

[dirtboy]

I disagree

It took all of a few hours for the WSJ to do exactly what I postulated:

The Wal-Mart 300--Time to put immigration reform back on the Bush agenda

Believe me, I'm in favor of enforcing immigration laws, but I don't think this action was done with that in mind.

[dogbyte12]

The question I have is, how long has this been going on? Wiretaps, bugging, recorded conversations. Obviously, somebody has been after wal-mart for a long time here. When did this investigation start? Who started it?

[Swanks]

Our government does nothing about illegals. What's the real story behind this?

I suspect this is Microsoft / Bill Gates, Round 2. A deep pockets firm that did not pay up it's fair share of extortion money to our admirable Senators, aka campaign contributions.

Can someone post Wal-Mart recorded donations, if indeed catagorized by firm?

[gubamyster]

Are you thinking that this is a one-time raid to satisfy folks who are sick of ilegal immigration?

At this point I'm not sure what to make of it. As I stated on another thread, look at all the press this is getting. We wouldn't need to "round 'em all up and deport 'em" we would only need a few of these high profile crackdowns on illegals & their employers being severly prosecuted to put the word out to the employers and the illegals.

This, along with eliminating the other incentives for illegals to come here would quickly end the flow of illegals.

It is curious to me that this crackdown happened at the same time there is a major grocery workers strike here in California. This week the supermarkets seemed to be hardening their position, some violence has broken out among the strikers, and there is talk of shopper fatigue (more shoppers are getting sick of driving to other stores and more willing to cross the picket lines). One major issue is that Wal-Mart wants to open 40 stores in CA using non-union labor. It seems that by showing Wal-Mart as an illegal alien employer, their reputation is lowered in the eyes of the shoppers, and also insinuates that they can only offer lower prices by hiring illegal aliens, thus strengthening the union’s position.

Again, I hope we see many more raids & sever penalties of many more employers, but I’ll believe it when I see it. All the bills in the house & senate, louder talk of amnesty (or guest worker programs), and many other signs indicates to me that this administration is pro illegal alien and not willing to enforce the immigration laws.

[usurper]

You think the feds are gonna use the RICO statutes against Wal-Mart?

Probably not however there is a civil aspect to the law that allows other competitors who have been disadvantaged due to the criminal conduct of another company to file a suit in federal court. The financial penalties and punitive damages under RICO are impressive.

I believe it has only been attempted once before in the Tyson Chicken case. It was thrown out but this case may have more merit.

[MeekOneGOP]

[connectthedots]

RICO?

Hiring of illegal aliens is not a RICO predicate act. That does not mean there aren't some other predicate acts committed that are related to Walmart.

[LenS]

These were janitors working for cleaning subcontractors, not Walmart sales people. If you raided the cleaning subcontrators across the US, you'd find hundreds of thousands of illegals. It's work that most poor Americans shy away from (too proud) and it's perfect work for people with little English. All they need is some false ID and they're in. All they need for the ID's is to hang out on a college campus for an hour and watch where the native young Americans go.

[CDHart]

They could get more than that at the Tyson plant in Sedalia, MO.

Carolyn

[FITZ]

Walmart is the largest company in the world and the nations largest employer.

But maybe not of Americans ----- so then who cares what happens to them? Walmart isn't benefitting our economy when it's bringing in the third world to deliberately put Americans out of work. If they broke the law, then they broke the law and should face the penalties.

[keithtoo]

You know, of course, that Walmart was actually employing CONTRACTORS, who were employing the illegals. The contractors are American and they are responsible for whomever they employ, not Wally World.

[FITZ]

But I think we all know what goes on behind "contracted work" many many times. Does the janitor still work for Walmart? Is he being expected to follow Walmart procedures and policies? Does he show up always to work at Walmart?

I've worked in places where upper management decided to "contract" the work. However ---- the same employees that were working ended up working for the contractor. They lost all the benefits they previously had --- but they were working the same way they always had. Contracting can be a good move ---- but unethical corporations are using this as a way to get out of labor laws that other corporations are having to follow. Walmart is probably doing many illegal AND unethical things that allow them to put many many honest companies out of business.