If you are a current of former associate, sign our letter to Lee Scott.
Update: Wal-Mart has officially dropped its claim against the Shanks. Over 750 Wal-Mart Associates signed our petition to Lee Scott. Thank you all, you truly made a difference.
Wal-Mart claims its lawsuit against Debbie Shank--a helpless, brain damaged mother of three--was filed "out of fairness to all associates."
What "fairness" can be found by suing a woman whose life is already shattered beyond repair? If you are a current or former Wal-Mart associate, please, sign our petition to Wal-Mart's CEO Lee Scott. Tell Wal-Mart that associates won't be the scapegoats for Wal-Mart's immoral lawsuit against Debbie Shank.
Here is the letter to Lee Scott
As Wal-Mart employees, we write to you today in support of one of our own, Debbie Shank. As you surely know, Debbie was a Wal-Mart associate, whose life took a tragic turn for the worse when a tractor trailer struck her minivan in 2000, leaving her with permanent brain damage. Two years after this heartbreaking tragedy, Debbie was awarded a comparatively small sum of money to cover the cost of her medical care for the rest of her life.Even with a one million dollar settlement, Debbie's family has been unable to move forward in the eight years since this terrible tragedy, and our company, Wal-Mart, is largely to blame. Under your direction, Wal-Mart has inexplicably gone to court to claim a right to Debbie's settlement money. Even worse, you are doing it in our name.
As Wal-Mart employees, we understand that the fine print of the Wal-Mart healthcare and benefits contract gives the company the right to claim money from a settlement like Debbie's to cover expenses already incurred by Wal-Mart's health care plan. However, we believe Wal-Mart, as America's largest employer and a company built on Sam Walton's belief of "respect for the individual," has an obligation to do better. The extraordinary circumstances of Debbie's case, coupled with the extraordinary profits earned by this company, would justify Wal-Mart overlooking what it is "owed" by virtue of fine print.
Our purpose in writing today is to ask you to give up your claim to Debbie's settlement and allow the Shank family to heal. In addition, we would ask that Wal-Mart cease using us, Wal-Mart associates, as an excuse for your actions against the Shank family. We specifically refer to shameful quotes by Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, who said Wal-Mart's lawsuits were brought "out of fairness to all associates."
With all due respect, "fairness to all associates" is an ill-fitting veil designed to cover the true motivation of Wal-mart on this issue. We, the associates below, believe that if anything, Wal-Mart is on the wrong side of "fair." In fact, if we were in your position, we would drop this terrible legal claim and stop prolonging the Shank family's tragedy.
In closing, we hope you will reconsider your actions and allow the Shank family to heal.
Sincerely,
<Your Name>