Bill Targets Wal-Mart Healthcare

According to Greenwald (D-Voorhees), the measure is "necessary to counteract untoward labor practices by Wal-Mart that give the national retailer an unfair competitive advantage against other more responsible New Jersey retailers.

"It's time Wal-Mart started treating its employees fairly," Greenwald says. "A company as large as Wal-Mart should be setting standards for responsible corporate conduct. The company appears to achieve efficiencies on the backs of its hard-working employees. It provides insufficient levels of health insurance, forcing New Jersey taxpayers to pick up the tab for the company's stingy practices."

Greenwald's measure, which would be modeled on legislation recently introduced in the Maryland legislature, would essentially require major companies like Wal-Mart to spend at least 8% of their payroll on health benefits. Alternatively, companies would use the money to reimburse the State of New Jersey for healthcare services funded through the state budget."

"Wal-Mart can more than afford to be a responsible corporate citizen that provides quality health coverage to its employees," Greenwald says, noting that the company has more than 5,000 stores and grosses $285 billion in sales worldwide.

No timetable for introduction of the legislation has been announced. Greenwald's legislative district is in South Jersey, where Wal-Mart has been most active in terms of opening stores in the Garden State. The region is also where Wal-Mart is preparing to roll out its first superstores in the state.