Posted on 06/30/2009 3:50:57 PM PDT by FromLori
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, announced in a letter to President Obama today that it will support a requirement that all businesses provide health insurance coverage as part of sweeping health reform legislation.
The endorsement of the so-called employer mandate represents a dramatic reversal for the retailing giant and a boost for the White House as it tries to inject momentum into its top domestic priority.
“We are for shared responsibility,” Wal-Mart President and CEO Mike Duke wrote. “Not every business can make the same contributions, but everyone must make some contribution.”
The letter, which was co-signed by the heads of a prominent labor union and a left-leaning think tank, does not detail how the requirement would be structured or what sort of penalties could be imposed on companies that fail to offer insurance.
Nevertheless, today’s announcement following a meeting at the White House with chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, buttresses administration arguments that rising health costs are an integral component to the weakened economy and hamper global competitiveness.
“From a business perspective, health reform could not be more critical,” according to the letter. “Premiums are expected to rise by 20 percent in less than four years, according to research by professors at Harvard University—costing 3.5 million workers their jobs, and cutting insured workers’ average annual incomes by $1,700.”
Some employers and business groups have spoken against Democratic plans to include an employer mandate in comprehensive reform packages. Just three years ago, Wal-Mart fought efforts in states such as Maryland that would have required large companies to offer health insurance to workers.
Though it succeeded in defeating those initiatives, the company endured a raft of bad publicity and since then has moved toward covering more of its 1.4 million employees.
Duke suggested it is time for compromise.
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...
Good thing I never shop at that sh*thole full of chinese made junk. I won’t have to bother boycotting it now.
That’s why it’s called Chairman Mao’s Discount Store.
great way to put the little competition out of biz
Sam Walton is spinning in his grave.
What does obama have on the CEO?
That would be my question.. Maybe keeping the junkyard union dogs off his back?
Wish we knew don’t you.
Wal Mart announce a few weeks back that they were going to hire a whole bunch of new employees (20,000 I think). At the same time, they did away with the self checkouts in the local store, with part of the rationale being that it put people out of work. I think they’re kissing Liberal butt...
Thsi is a horrific idea. The government-created artificial link between employment and health insurance is the first thing that needs to be *eliminated* in any meaningful healthcare reform program. The number of people staying in jobs they hate and at which they are doing the bare minimum of work needed to avoid getting fired, just to keep the health insurance, is huge and is creating a massive drag on our economy.
I do not shop at china mart anyway but I thought others would like to know.
Think about it. Wal-Mart is ONLY acting in its OWN interest.
It’s basically a trade for the Dems not going forward with card check which would undoubtedly result in WM being unionized.
It’s easy to talk about fighting to the death on all these issues, but another one entirely when faced with the overwhelming reality of the Baraqqi stampede to socialism.
All you folks who trash WM can go shop at your unionized Kroger.
Most people HATE being forced into “self checkout”. Also, the cost of keeping the scanning units going and the added chance of some goods not being scanned is what are driving them to getting rid of the scanning units and “going human”.
Detroit became the most successful auto manufacturing center in the world and then it committed suicide.
Now, it’s Walmart’s turn.
The first cuts are underway...
Sam Walton is long dead now, he would not be so foolish.
Coming from retail, I can tell you that items walk out of the store on their own when there are ‘self checkouts’ around. Worst idea ever! Also, think of how often those machines are down and need maintenance.
Wallmart saw the writing on the wall. All it did was buy some time. The SEIU eventually kills its hosts.
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