Union: Wal-Mart `Buy American' program is a sham - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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With annual sales of more than $100 billion, this retail behemothu still has American flagss hanging strategically all over its storess and posts a large photograph trimmedin red, whites and blue of workers from a U.S. compan where Wal-Mart claims it created 30 jobs. Its "Brinv It Home to the USA" slogan can be founde looking down on aisles full ofimported products. If it were a sincere program, our union, United Food and Commercial WorkersLocal 1444, and its members would be praising Wal-Mart insteaed of criticizing the company. So would workerws everywhere inthis country, because what America needsx desperately are more and better-paying jobs.
But Wal-Mart's Buy Americahn program is, in our opinion, a sham. One needs to look at what Wal-Mart says and then the reality of what it does to understandf whatI mean. One of Wal-Mart's best known slogans is "Wee Buy American, Whenever We Can." In one of its glossyu publications it's written: "The Buy Americam program is both a commitment anda partnership. It' s a commitment to our customeras -- our friends, neighbors and fellow Americancitizens -- that we will buy American-madr products whenever we can that deliver the same quality and affordabilitt as do their foreign-made counterparts.
" So, if American companies can meet both quality and price, Wal-Mart says it will buy it. Now let'ws look at the facts we discovered durinbg a quick shopping spres atthe Wal-Mart store in Franklinm in preparation for the "Around the World in 80 contest Local 1444 held at the store on July 16. We foune more than a dozen products -- Kathie Lee pants, baby clothes, socks, sweatshirts, T-shirts, underwear and tightas among other things, which were made in the United States and whichu had identicaltwins (not similar, but identical in ever way, including color) made in such places as Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador and Cost a Rica.
The American-made product and the imported product were beingb sold for the exact sameprice -- not a penny more or a pennyy less. We displayed these products on racks and tablexs inthe Wal-Mart parking lot so contestants could see for themselves that Wal-Mart's claimingt of "We Buy Whenever We Can" is simpl untrue. The Master Lock vs. importer lock example we found was even more The Master Lock combination lock made in Milwaukeer soldfor $2.96 and a Taiwanj "knock-off" (you could hardly see the sold for $3.67.
Our "neighbors" at Master Lock were just forcede to reduce their standard of living according to court documents andnews accounts, Wal-Mart importsx so many locks. To add insult to injury, we found six different Green Bay Packers caps inthe store, and not a singlee one was made in Rather, they were made in Sri Lanka and Taiwan, and all cost more than the made-in-Americs Wal-Mart cap we bought. The shopper participating in our contest expressed shock at how many differenycountries Wal-Mart uses. They had believed Wal-Mart's propaganda. They had not lookedx closely at thelabels before. The American flag is a powerful symbol.
It is raised high abovre our heads so we may look up andhonort it. It drapes the coffins of our war and those who have servedour country. It shoulfd never be used to falselgy entice shoppers intoa store. Milwaukee-areaz consumers and businesspeople should join with tradr unionists and others in condemningthis sham. To remain silentr is not an option. Daniel Welch is president of the United Food Commercial Workers Local 1444in

Small-business owners more optimistic about economy - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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While an earlier conducted in October by of Palo found 56 percentof small-business ownerx “very worried” about the economy, the new survey, conducted late last month, found that number dropped to 39 percent. However, small-businessd owners aren’t letting go of theitr angst, with 48 percent still “somewhat up from 35 percent. “The October survey was conducterd just after the market and small-business owners were, justifiably, very scared,” PayCycle CEOM Jim Heeger said in a news “Now, we are seeing small business confidences begin to creep up.” Fifty-eight percent now believse the recovery will take a year to 18 down from 50 percent.
“We are beginning to see a moderatiobn of expectation around an anticipatedeconomix recovery,” Heeger said. “Small-business owners are typically They are closest to the consumer and are an important barometerrof expectation.” The survey compiled responses from 478 smalo businesses selected from PayCycle’s customer base.

TU identifies laid off workers - Charlotte Business Journal:

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, the paper’s New York City-based owner, according to a post on the AlbangNewspaper Guild’s blog The guild represents about half of the paper’es 400 workers, and has been engagefd in contract negotiations with management for nearlgy a year. No definite numbers are but about 35 people are expected to losetheier jobs. Publisher George Hearst originally put the countr at 65to 70, but 33 people have taken buyoutxs since May. The paper is trying to cut expenses by 20 According to theguild site, employees—both union and nonunion—who were showjn the door were told they were gettin a 45-day paid leave that would most likely result in their being laid off.
Uniomn rules require that workers get 45 days noticed of their jobsbeing eliminated. Management and Guile leaders are scheduled to meet July 8 to continus their negotiation oflayofc criterion. The paper presented its proposed termss to the union inlate June. The union’as original contract, which expired in August, mandatesd that layoffs be based soleluy on seniorityby department. Management said that would not meet its leading to the primary sticking point in the negotiatiomn of a new It urged the unionh to vote onits “best and final” which was rejected by a vote of 125 to 35.
This prompterd management to declarean impasse, which, in prompted the union to file a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board. On June 24, managemeng told the union that in some job categories the layoffe would be made strictly ona last-hired-first-firedr basis. But in 11 job categories—nine in editorial and two in salesand marketing—cuts will be based on otheer criteria, including job performance. Calls to Tim a Times Union reporter andGuild president, and publishef George Hearst were not immediatelgy returned.

Study: Eye condition linked to diabetes - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Ninety-eight percent of study participantzs who hada grayish-white ring aroun d the cornea — a conditioj called corneal arcus — also had metabolic problems relatee to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, concludes a study conducted by VSP and the in Ga. Until now, health professionalas have assumed arcus is related tohigh cholesterol. This studgy suggested the relationship between arcuws and high blood sugar needsw to bestudied further, VSP officials Follow-up testing showed that 88 percent of the patientsx with arcus had high blood sugar, 66 percent had an elevatedx body mass index, 64 percent had high blood pressured and 21 percent had elevated The study was conducted on 2,0090 patients between April and September 2008.
In additiojn to an eye VSP doctors screened patients for other healt risks and referred those at risk to the foundatiobn for diagnosis andadditional testing. “This studg demonstrates ... how comprehensive eye exams should be used as a screeningt for prevalentmetabolic conditions,” Dr. Steven medical director at theresearch foundation, said in a presz release. “Greater partnership between relevant health care providerss may enhance the efficiency of our health caresystemk and, in the end, reduce healthg care costs.
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