Teachers say Children's Fund money cannot be spent at Wal-Mart because of its unfair labour practices

The Washington Education Association will no longer allow money from its Children’s Fund to be spent at Wal-Mart because of its unfair labor practices. The fund reimburses state teachers for purchases such as coats, shoes and other emergency items needed for disadvantaged students.

The president of the state teachers’ union, Charles Hasse, said the decision came after many teachers asked the union to change the Children’s Fund policy or distribute information about Wal-Mart’s labor practices. The proposal passed by a 20-1 vote to eliminate Wal-Mart reimbursements.

In the union’s newsletter distributed to teachers, Hasse said Wal-Mart’s “exploitative labor practices have added to public assistance burden in our state and across the nation.”

While raking in profits over 10 billion dollars last year, Wal-Mart has been publicly cited as having the most employees on taxpayer-funded health care programs in several states. On top of shifting costs to the public, Wal-Mart continues its record of abusive, illegal and irresponsible conduct. Wal-Mart is facing the largest sex discrimination lawsuit in history, court convictions for forcing employees to work without pay, and government complaints for the illegal firing and intimidation of workers exercising workplace rights. In Canada, Wal-Mart is closing a store and taking away the livelihoods of almost 200 workers rather than comply with the law providing a fair and impartial process to reach a contract with workers.

A high school Spanish teacher in Vancouver, Wash., applauded the Washington Education Association’s decision and said she and many of her fellow teachers refuse to shop at Wal-Mart.

“One of my students has an 80-year old grandmother who works there and has no benefits,” said Marlene Olveda. “There are so many other places we could be spending our money other than Wal-Mart.”