Maryland speaks up against Wal-Mart

In an effort to cut costs, Maryland has approved legislation which requires businesses to pay at least 8 percent of their payroll on health benefits. And by businesses, they mean Wal-Mart. Currently, 650,000 of Wal-Mart employees do not receive health-care. In response to this "uneeded intrusion," Wal-Mart spokesperson replied with the following:

Many of our competitors, let's face it, would like to continue to be rewarded for operating in ways that are less efficient.

It's good to see that at least one state government is not hesitant to slap Wal-Mart in the face for its poor labor practices. Practices, which many argue, cost taxpayers money while saving their shoppers money on sub-standard household items, such as car batteries which are over 6 months old. In a Berkeley report by Arindraijit Dube and Ken Jacobs, the families of Wal-Mart employees in California represent 40% of recipients of taxpayer-funded health care.