For anyone keeping score, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has been striking out in a surprising number of state capitals. Mr. Sweeney launched a campaign in 33 states several months ago to force Wal-Mart and other retailers either to spend more on health care or pay more in taxes. His legislation was intended as a first step in mandating employer-provided health care, and his campaign began as Maryland enacted the first "Wal-Mart tax."
Well, the early results are in, and the Sweeney tax has been a political flop. Not a single state has followed Maryland's lead, even liberal Rhode Island. In 26 states from Maine to New Mexico, so-called "fair share" legislation has either stalled or, in the case of Kansas, Louisiana and Missouri, been withdrawn. With many state legislatures wrapping up their work or already adjourned for the year, it's clear the anti-Wal-Mart groundswell isn't coming.
Hardly surprising. Despite the impression one gets from the media, Wal-Mart is actually a popular place among Americans. The company's industry-leading sales figures are one indication of this, as is the fact that many opening Wal-Mart stores are swamped with job applicants.
People like shopping at Wal-Mart and they like working at Wal-Mart, and that is exactly why the "Wal-Mart is evil" campaigns aren't gaining any traction.