Wal-Mart & ALEC Scandal: Company Subjects Female Prison Laborers to 'Slave-Like' Conditions

http://www.policymic.com/articles/7771/wal-mart-alec-scandal-company-subjects-female-prison-laborers-to-slave-like-conditions

We’ve learned that Wal-Mart and ALEC have been involved in trying to weaken federal laws prohibiting acts of bribery of foreign officials, while Wal-Mart actively tried to cover-up a bribery scandal in Mexico.

I believe that when an unfavorable or potentially public pattern of harm emerges, regardless of excuses or public denials, the culprit needs to be publicly exposed.

Wal-Mart claims they will not tolerate prison or forced labor in the manufacturing of products sold in their stores through a “Standards For Suppliers” mandate. This represents the “public face” of Wal-Mart – leading consumers to believe the company is against such exploitation, refusing to “profit” off of forced labor.

Wal-Mart uses ALEC’s Prison Industries Act. Under federal legislation, private companies have access to prisoners as a workforce. Thousands of products are made for consumers; from produce to aftermarket auto parts, the list is endless. This allows companies to attach labels reading “Made in USA.” Wal-Mart has tried to hide their use of prison labor for more than two decades by using sub-contractors and cut-outs.

(More at the link.)