Wal-Mart is able to sell products manufactured at sweat shops in China at incredibly low prices, because it treats its employees only marginally better than the sweat shop bosses treat their slaves.

Wal-Mart has a history of vigorously opposing any attempts by its employees to form unions. The giant retailer considers unions anathema, because they don’t want to pay their employees a living wage or offer them a decent health care package.

I wasn’t surprised to read an article in The Wall Street Journal that accused the discounter of holding mandatory meetings with store managers and department supervisors to warn that if Obama wins the general election, Wal-Mart will be pressured to unionize its stores.

“Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, denied a report Friday that it had pressured employees to vote against Democrats in November because of worries that a bill the party supports would make it easier for workers to unionize.

The measure, called the Employee Free Choice Act, would allow labor organizations to unionize workplaces without secret ballot elections. It was co-sponsored by Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential candidate, and opposed by John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee.” — Quotation from MLive.Com

Whether this report is true or not, no consumer who believes in human rights should patronize Wal-Mart. I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart years ago; I may pay a few more bucks for a DVD player, but I sleep with a clear conscience.

Wal-Mart not only is a blatant union-buster, but it also bankrupts small businesses when it opens one of its huge stores. Support your local businesses by eschewing Wal-Mart and patronizing the small businesses operated by your friends and neighbors.

It’s imperative that we elect Barack Obama to the White House, it’s high time that the hardworking Wal-Mart employees enjoy the benefits of belonging to a union.