Maryland has become the first state to pass a law forcing big employers to pay more for health care. A bill which forces Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to spend more on employee health care won approval from state lawmakers Thursday, overriding Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich's veto.
The "Walmart Bill" requires that companies with more than 10,000 employees working in the state to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health-care benefits or to contribute the difference to a state fund toward health insurance for Maryland workers.
Here is the kicker, while several other companies are large enough to be covered, only Wal-Mart, with 17,000 Maryland employees, is believed to fall short of the minimum spending. Oh go figure! Only Wal-Mart is treating its employees like garbage. Who would have guessed? I hope this is only the beginning for big corporations to start showing their workers some respect and provide heath care coverage. The fact that America is a 'leader' in the world and doesn't have universal health coverage is obscene.
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That rocks the house. Go Maryland!
I'm constantly amazed at how our laws allow our citizenry to be absolutely screwed. For instance, I was laid off a few years ago while working for a non-profit. Well, it turns out the state of Alabama doesn't require non-profits to pay into unemployment, so I found myself uber-screwed with a house payment and a wife that had a part-time job. It sucked enough to go down to the unemployment office to try and draw a check until I got back on my feet, it was 10 times more painful discovering the place that just screwed me was screwing me on a grander scale all along with the state's permission.
Hopefully more states will take Maryland's lead on this and begin to overhaul the laws that allow employers to screw employees.
On the upside, I believe Whole Foods just moved into the Fortune 500. It's good to see a store that is largely the opposite of Wal*Mart prospering.
I agree walmart should pay up and offer health insurance for employees as they deserve health coverage.
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