After months of harsh criticism, Wal-Mart bowed to popular pressure and said it will offer more generous health care benefits to its workers, including coverage for some part-timers. The company also said it plans to quadruple the number of walk-in healthcare clinics it operates in its stores. CEO H. Lee Scott is scheduled to deliver a speech on Sunday in which he is expected to lay out his company's healthcare plans to the National Governor's Association. Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the U.S. with 1.3 million workers.
- see this article from the Seattle Times
ALSO: Predictably, critics are not impressed with the company's concessions. The group Wake-Up Wal-Mart put out a report in advance of Sunday's speech which estimates that the company's weak healthcare coverage policies are costing taxpayers about $1.4 billion a year. Press release