CONSUMER
PRESSURE FORCES
WAL-MART
TO FINALLY DO THE RIGHT THING
FOR
DISABLED WORKER
World’s
largest retailer drops lawsuit against disabled employee
Public pressure has forced Wal-Mart to drop
its lawsuit against Debbie Shank, a former Wal-Mart employee who is disabled,
brain damaged and living in a nursing home after a car accident a few years
ago.
When Debbie was awarded approximately
$500,000 by the trucking company responsible for the accident, Wal-Mart
immediately sued the Shanks for repayment of medical bills paid under the
company’s insurance plan.
After years of threatening to bankrupt the
Shank family, Wal-Mart announced on April 1 that it would no longer pursue the
matter.
According to Debbie’s husband Jim Shank “…it
was the outcry of the American people that made this happen…”
Shank was talking about public awareness
campaigns -- launched by organizations such as WakeUp Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart
Watch – that focused attention on the Shank Family’s plight and garnered
coverage in major media outlets in recent weeks.
The victory for Debbie and her family is a
victory for the American people too and proves that if we come together and
speak out, we can still be heard.
For more information on WakeUp Wal-Mart -- and
their efforts to make Wal-Mart do right by its 1.3 million American employees
on issues like health care, discrimination and working conditions – click on
the WakeUp Wal-Mart link on our home page.
Posted