Edwards and Obama Battle Against Wal-Mart

Senator Obama and another potential Democratic 2008 presidential contender, a former North Carolina senator, John Edwards, will speak to activists from one of Wal-Mart's most vociferous union-backed critics today as debate over the world's largest retailer becomes increasingly political.

Washington-based WakeUpWalMart.com, created by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, said Messrs. Obama and Edwards will address the group's supporters on two national conference calls that will launch a six-week campaign targeting Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Wal-Mart urged Messrs. Obama and Edwards to get to know the company and its employees before making up their minds about the retailer.

"We've found that most of the politicians who are most critical of Wal-Mart are the ones that know us the least," Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar said.

Mr. Obama's office said the Illinois senator "is participating in this call because he believes all workers in America, no matter who they work for, deserve to be paid a living wage and have access to comprehensive health care their families can afford."

The battle between Wal-Mart and its critics has taken on an increasingly political tone since WakeUpWalMart and another union-backed group, Wal-Mart Watch, were formed last year to pressure the retailer for changes including higher wages and better benefits.

Both sides use political campaign-style tactics, including polling, ads, Web logs, direct mail, grass-roots organizing, and strategic "war rooms."

Chief Executive Lee Scott took time during a company earnings conference call yesterday to comment on the Democrats' new majority in Congress, stressing that Wal-Mart is a "bipartisan company" that can work with both parties on issues like health care.

WakeUpWalMart enlisted several potential Democratic presidential candidates other than Messrs. Obama and Edwards for a series of rallies in Iowa this summer.

Wal-Mart replied with a letter to its 18,000 Iowa workers warning them that the politicians were wrongly attacking their company. In August, Wal-Mart hired a former Democratic operative, Leslie Dach, as its head of communications and government relations.

The company also funded a survey in June that claimed that most voters would reject a Democratic candidate who attacks Wal-Mart. Separately, a Pew Research poll in August found a split among Democratic supporters, with 53% of liberal Democrats disliking Wal-Mart while 70% of conservative and moderate Democrats viewed the company favorably.

WakeUpWalMart said Messrs. Obama and Edwards "will be speaking out and calling on Wal-Mart to put families first and become an employer that reflects the best of American values"during two conference calls today for the group's activists.

The call will inform the group's membership, which it puts at more than 285,000, about plans for rallies and other holiday events aimed at putting public pressure on Wal-Mart to change business practices that the critics say are anti-family, such as work scheduling changes and pay caps introduced this year.

"As two of the brightest stars in American politics who have fought to put families first their entire lives, we couldn't be prouder that Senator Obama and Senator Edwards are joining with us to change Wal-Mart and change America for the better," WakeUpWalMart spokesman Chris Kofinis said.

Wal-Mart has rejected criticism of the pay caps and scheduling changes, saying they are standard for the retail industry. Wal-Mart argues the pay caps encourage employees, who it calls associates, to move up through the ranks and that it still takes account of worker preferences in setting schedules.