Billionaires Could Buy These Cities

The Redfin Research Center has compared the median home prices in major US cities to the estimated wealth of well-known billionaires.

Just how rich is Bill Gates? According to Forbes, he’s the world’s richest person and is worth $77.5 billion. But that kind of wealth is hard to wrap your head around, so let’s put it another way: Gates could buy every single home in the entire city of Boston. That’s 114,212 single-family homes, condos and townhouses, at a total purchase price of $76.6 billion. Given that the average American struggles to afford a home, we wanted to illustrate just how many homes the wealthiest among us could buy. In this fictional real estate investment, the 30 billionaires on our list, with a combined fortune of $582 billion, could afford to own a staggering 6 percent of the total U.S. home equity.”

Walmart World Cup Fail

Via the Telegraph:

Supermarket Asda has defended a "wearable England flag" it has launched for the World Cup after claims it resembles a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The £3 St George's Cross, with the word "England" on the red cross, features a hood which Asda said was to allow fans to wear it and stay dry despite the unpredictable British weather. But some fans took to Twitter to point out what they believe were similarities with the hoods worn by the racist US organisation, also known by its initials "KKK". A company spokesman said it had also produced a wearable Brazilian flag ahead of the competition, with starts in the South American country on June 12. She added: "We know there's chatter on Twitter about our wearable World Cup flags, but it's simply a flag with a hood – nothing more, nothing less. "We opted for a hood on our wearable England and Brazilian flags as you never know what the British weather will bring. "We want customers to get behind the team without getting wet." The spokesman said there were no plans to withdraw the flag.

Asda is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart and is the UK's third-largest retail chain. (Tipped by JMG reader Lynda)

Like Clockwork

Headline Of The Day

Details.

NORTH CAROLINA: Union Organizers Stage Flash Mob At Raleigh Walmart

Their Facebook page is here.

(Tipped by JMG reader Brendon)

Walmart Adds Insurance Benefits For Spouses & Partners Of LGBT Employees

From a memo sent yesterday to Walmart management, forwarded to me by a reader:

This week our associates will receive a pre-enrollment postcard at their homes announcing the dates for annual enrollment and providing highlights of the 2014 benefit offerings. Among the information highlighted on the postcard: We will cover domestic partners in the medical, dental, vision, life, critical illness and accident plans. This means Walmart will offer these benefits to an associate’s same- or opposite-sex spouse or unmarried partner. For details on who qualifies and some important tax considerations, you’ll find more information on WalmartOne.com/postcard.

The memo is from Sally Welborn, Walmart's Senior Vice President of Benefits. In addition to the above announcement, Welborn's memo notes several other unrelated changes to the company's benefits plan and then adds this:

It’s a business decision, not a moral or political decision. We operate in 50 states, hundreds of municipalities and Puerto Rico, and as clarified under the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), each of these states are developing different definitions of marriage, domestic partner, civil union, etc. By developing a single definition for all Walmart associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, we are able to ensure consistency for associates across our markets.

The Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as “ObamaCare") inextricably linked health insurance with employment. As such, for our associates for whom we offer health insurance, we want to be sure we are providing access to as many individuals and their families as possible.

Given the diverse world we live in today, a comprehensive benefit package that includes domestic partner benefits appeals to the contemporary workforce. Many companies, including most of our competitors, already offer spouse/partner benefits to their employees. Of 30 retail competitors, all but two (Publix and Stop and Shop union plan) provide either same- or opposite-sex domestic partner coverage.

Your behavior matters. The words you use also matter. We are counting on you to be thoughtful, supportive and understanding of multiple viewpoints. Your visibility can make a big difference to how associates feel.

I'm no fan of Walmart in general, but they ARE the nation's largest private employer and this is nothing short of fantastic news. (Tipped by JMG reader Michael)

Wal-Mart Socked With Huge Eco-Fine

Wal-Mart has agreed to pay an $82M fine for improper disposal of hazardous wastes such as fertilizer and bleach. The cases were filed by the DOJ in California and Missouri.

As part of the California plea agreement, Wal-Mart is set to pay a $40 million criminal fine and to pay $20 million to fund community service projects including helping U.S. retailers learn how to properly handle hazardous waste. As part of the Missouri plea agreement, Wal-Mart is set to pay an $11 million criminal fine and to pay $3 million to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Wal-Mart also plans to pay a $7.628 million civil penalty to the federal government. In 2006, Wal-Mart put an environmental compliance program into place that it says has helped to rectify such issues.

Walmart Pulls Sandy Hook Gun

It was on their website yesterday and now it's gone.  The Nation reports on how Walmart made the gun "the most popular assault weapon in America."

Walmart Customers Riot For Cell Phones

The most predictable video of the year?

JCP Jabs At Walmart & Target

Walmart and Target are facing petitions and consumer backlash over their decision to open tomorrow.

From MoveOn.Org

Source.

Walmart Loses Again In NYC

Walmart's years-long battle to open in New York City has failed again due to staunch opposition from activists and unions. On Friday the retail giant waved the white flag over their attempt to open in Brooklyn.

Walmart today announced that we were unable to agree upon economic terms for a project in East New York. We remain committed to bringing new economic development and shopping options to New York City, especially in the neighborhoods that need them most. Two things remain constant: most New Yorkers want us here and we remain interested in providing more convenient access to Walmart for local residents. We appreciate all our supporters –the Mayor’s office, Borough President Markowitz, Reverend Youngblood and countless others in and outside East New York – who helped us strengthen local relationships and build bridges with the community. In addition to providing good jobs and affordable groceries, residents want a retailer in Brooklyn that would hire and buy local, and look to make a positive economic impact by hosting job fairs, workforce development initiatives and supplier summits. Walmart will continue to evaluate local opportunities across all five boroughs.

East New York, which is close to JFK, is one of Brooklyn's most impoverished neighborhoods. The majority of residents live in public housing.

Does Wal-Mart Spawn Hate Groups?

In a fascinating study, researchers say that the number of Wal-Mart locations in any particular region tends to correlate with the number of SPLC-certified hate groups.

The number of Wal-Mart stores was second only to the designation of a county as a Metropolitan Statistical Area in statistical significance for predicting the number of hate groups in a county, according to the study. The researchers, who reported their findings in the online version of Social Science Quarterly, said that the number of Wal-Mart stores in a county was more significant statistically than factors commonly regarded as important to hate group participation, such as the unemployment rate, high crime rates and low education.

Researchers say they are not singling out Wal-Mart in particular and that other big box retailers likely have a similar effect on "community cohesion."

Wal-Mart Adds Trans Protections

The Human Rights Campaign offers muffled applause.

“What matters in the workplace is how you do your job, not your gender identity or sexual orientation,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “As the nation’s largest private employer, Wal-Mart shows that doing the right thing is also good for business. We urge them to continue to move forward by ensuring all of their LGBT employees receive equal benefits.”

Still, this is a huge move from the nation's largest retailer. Expect some blowback from the hate industry.

Today In Mildly Interesting Trivia

In order to enjoy the same grocery sales share they have in the rest of the country, Wal-Mart would have to build 159 stores in New York City. They presently have none, a situation they are paying PR firms millions to remedy as unions and city officials continue to fight them off. According to a recent study, NYC residents spent $215M last year at out-of-borough Wal-Marts.

Wal-Mart Tries Buy Its Way Into NYC

After years of being rebuffed by city leaders despite expensive PR campaigns, Wal-Mart is trying a more tried-and-true method of gaining a foothold in the nation's largest market.

The city's summer job program, which had been cut back this year, is seeing an influx of support from Wal-Mart, which donated $4 million -- enough to save about 3,400 jobs for teenagers. The location of the press conference announcing the donation was the Brownsville, Brooklyn, recreation center, a spot within a few miles of the site where Wal-Mart would like to put its first New York City store. When the Wal-Mart rep was asked if this donation had anything to do with the future potential site, the mayor stepped in. "I hope so. Why would anybody not hope so?" he said. The mayor then went on to say the city will not promote or discriminate against any stores who want to come here.

MINNESOTA: Anti-Gay Preacher Told To Stop Raising Money At Walmart

Anti-gay Minnesota preacher Bradlee Dean, who last week came to national prominence for his prayer before the state legislature, has been told by Walmart that his ministry may no longer solicit donations in their parking lots. Also, Dean has lost one of the Christian radio networks that ran his show.

Wal-Mart and Salem Communications have severed ties with two entities run by pastor Bradlee Dean, who made headlines last week for a controversial prayer before the Minnesota House of Representatives. David Brauer reports that AM 1280 The Patriot, owned by Christian broadcaster Salem Communications, dropped Dean’s “Sons of Liberty” radio show, and Nick Pinto writes that Wal-Mart has told Dean’s ministry, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, that it can no longer fundraise in the parking lots of its Minnesota locations. MinnPost’s Brauer notes that Dean was fired from AM 1280 before he gave his controversial speech before the House. The station pulled Dean after he engaged in a six-minute song mocking African Americans and then likened President Obama to Osama bin Laden. “For a minister to do that made no sense,” station manager Ron Stone told MinnPost. Dean is in talks to move to Clear Channel owned KTLK, but that station says that Dean would have to make changes to his show.

According to a Walmart spokesperson, Dean had registered to solicit funds under a false name.

(Tipped by JMG reader Chris)

ILLINOIS: Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Anti-Gay Walmart Employee

The Seventh Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court's ruling against an Illinois woman who sued Wal-Mart for religious discrimination. According to the woman, she has a God-given right to scream anti-gay epithets at her coworkers. Gay City News reports:

According to the unsigned ruling, Tanisha Matthews, who describes herself as an Apostolic Christian, worked as an overnight stocker at a Wal-Mart store in Joliet, Illinois. While on a break, she took part in a heated conversation with other employees about God and homosexuality. Another employee who participated reported to management that Matthews was "screaming over her" that God does not accept gays, they should not "be on earth," and they will "go to hell" because they are not "right in the head." During a company investigation of the incident, five other employees confirmed that Matthews said gays are sinners who are going to hell. Wal-Mart managers considered these remarks to be "serious harassment" in violation of the company's "Zero Tolerance" harassment policy, which bars any conduct that could be interpreted as harassment on the basis of categories that include sexual orientation. Serious harassment is considered "gross misconduct" that is grounds for dismissal.

The ruling observes: "If Matthews is arguing that Wal-Mart must permit her to admonish gays at work to accommodate her religion, the claim fails. Wal-Mart fired her because she violated company policy when she harassed a co-worker, not because of her beliefs, and employers need not relieve workers from complying with neutral workplace rules as a religious accommodation if it would create an undue hardship." The above-linked article notes that Christian legal groups have been ramping up claims of the right to proselytize in the workplace. Courts, so far, have largely disagreed.

Read the entire ruling.

Walmart Changes "Gay" Review Policy

"I apologize that this situation has been created. It was a systemic oversight, in which ‘gay’ was on a list of filtered words. Certainly it makes absolute sense for you to include this word in your review. This is a no-brainer for us." - Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala, responding to JMG reader and It Gets Better contributor Mark King, who on Monday had his book review flagged as "profane" because he included the word "gay."

King notes that Walmart has also issued the below statement.

Recently it was brought to our attention that Mark King was unable to complete a review of the book “It Gets Better” on Walmart.com. We regret that a filter did not allow his review of the book to post and we quickly worked to resolve this technical issue. We reached out to Mark directly to discuss the issue and, as an extra measure, we have reviewed the system to ensure that it will allow the use of all appropriate words related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Mark King concludes: "There is probably no national retail chain with as problematic a reputation as Walmart, and I can only imagine the topics that other advocates would have wanted me to broach with these corporate representatives. But I had one issue, one specific complaint that I asked to be addressed. And on this day, on this issue, Walmart did right by the LGBT community. Now, everybody go buy It Gets Better."

Well done, Mark! And thanks to all the JMG readers who also reached out to Walmart.

Walmart Blocks "Gay" From Book Reviews

JMG reader Mark S. King reports that Walmart's website refused his review of the It Gets Better book until he removed the word "gay." King, who contributed to the book with his openly gay brother, writes us: "My submission was nixed because I used the word 'gay,' which the site explained was 'profanity.' I felt properly chastised and removed the offensive word from my review, which remains 'under review.' The most socially accepted term for my sexuality is profane! I guess uttering 'homosexual' or 'queer' would have produced a total meltdown." King say he's hasn't yet received a response from his complaint to Walmart's corporate office. Visit his personal website for his review as well as an amusing video with his brother.