posted on January 18, 2007 02:45:44 PM newGood for them. It's about time they put a stop to this nonsense
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Court Rejects Maryland's ANTI-WalMart Law
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
January 18, 2007
(CNSNews.com) -
A federal appeals court on Wednesday said the State of Maryland may not require large retailers (Wal-Mart was the target) to spend 8 percent of their payrolls on health care for employees.
In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that said Maryland's law violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. (That federal labor law says companies may offer uniform health benefits across the country rather than deal with a variety of state requirements.)
"Hopefully this will send a message to other states," said the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that represents the interests of state lawmakers and advocates free-market policies.
According to ALEC, five other states - Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi and New York -- have all filed "Fair Share" bills like the one that became law in Maryland.
A Wal-Mart defense group -- Working Families for Wal-Mart -- applauded the appeals court ruling.
"Last year, the union leaders failed in 32 of the 33 states where they announced they would enact a so-called Fair Share Health Care bill," said Catherine Smith, Interim Chair of Working Families for Wal-Mart.
"In Maryland, the only state to enact the legislation, a federal judge promptly struck it down as illegal.
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed. We applaud the court's actions and are gratified that yet again this measure has been exposed as both illegal and bad public policy," Smith added.
Working Families for Wal-Mart is urging union leaders to "abandon these failed gimmicks and use their members' dues to help pass meaningful reforms that expand affordable health coverage to all Americans."
A union-affilated group that repeatedly attacks Wal-Mart for its "low wages" and "unaffordable health care" said the company still fails to provide company health care to more than half of its employees -- costing American taxpayers $1.3 billion every year, said Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com:
Blank said the latest court ruling "does nothing to change the public's desire to require large, profitable corporations like Wal-Mart to pay its fair share for health care." He added that the American public "will not tolerate such corporate irresponsibility."
"We look forward to working with lawmakers on new ways to make irresponsible corporations, like Wal-Mart, provide affordable health care to their employees and stop shifting their health care costs onto taxpayer," Blank said.
Wal-Mart last week released a survey showing that 90.4 percent of its associates have health coverage of some kind, although not necessary through the retailer.
According to that survey, 47.4 percent of Wal-Mart's 1.3 million eligible associates are covered by Wal-Mart's health plans.
Additionally, Wal-Mart'estimated that 43 percent of its associates have health care coverage through another source -- a spouse, Medicare, a parent, or another employer.
Wal-Mart describes itself as one of the largest providers of private sector health insurance in the nation.
On Thursday, the retailer released a statement saying that Maryland's Fair Share law was politically motivated and did nothing to control the cot of health care or improve access to health care.
See Earlier Stories:
Wal-Mart Health Care Law Struck Down by Federal Judge (July 19, 2006)
Maryland Forces Wal-Mart to Pay More for Employees' Health Care (Jan. 13, 2006)
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on January 18, 2007 03:41:03 PM new
Well, linduh, I knew YOU would be against anything dealing with the word "fair"
Also I'm sure anything that sides with WallyWorld, YOUR favorite place for clothes and other cheap crap,besides the gas station T-shirts you buy, you would favor
As long as you can get your hands on cheap crap you, of course, wouldn't care if others had basic needs, like health care, met.
posted on January 18, 2007 06:10:26 PM new
""""We look forward to working with lawmakers on new ways to make irresponsible corporations, like Wal-Mart, provide affordable health care to their employees and stop shifting their health care costs onto taxpayer," Blank said."""
But..but..but...linduh WANTS to pay for health care costs through her taxes !!!!
