Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Friday, January 13, 2006
Another Blow to WalMart
From the Baltimore Sun:
The Maryland General Assembly overrode Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s veto of a bill requiring Wal-Mart to pay more for employee health care yesterday, a measure that has sparked a nationwide debate over the level of benefits an employer should provide workers.

The so-called Fair Share Health Care Fund Act, the first of its kind to succeed in the nation, became a fight between organized labor and business, raising questions about to what extent government should intervene in private enterprise.
It now becomes law and a model for more than 30 other states, which are expected to take up similar legislation in the coming months.
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The law, which will take effect in 30 days, requires companies with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on worker health care or pay the difference to a state medical assistance fund. Of the four companies of that size in Maryland, Wal-Mart is the only one that would be affected.

Which suggests that of the four, only Wal-Mart is currently spending less than 8 percent of their payroll on worker health care. WalMart Watch has some information about the company in pdf format.
Wal-Mart fails to provide health insurance to over half its employees. Who pays for it? We all do. Wal-Mart workers top Medicaid rolls in at least 16 states.

Perhaps that is about to change.
Written at 4:41 AM by Lynne.
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