In 1996, Sylvester Johnson left his post as a commanding officer in the US Army and began a career managing logistics at Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. Once there, he received a series of rapid promotions, eventually overseeing the HR management of over 26,000 employees in five states. He became friendly with Walmart executive Mike Duke, who became CEO in 2009. In 2002, Johnson received the Sam M. Walton Hero Award, a prestigious company distinction. In 2003, he moved to North Carolina where he oversaw eleven Walmart Supercenters. The company fired him in 2009 for allegedly giving orders to manipulate inventory counts, a claim Johnson denies

The state of California has ordered a Southern California warehouse that processes merchandise for Walmart and other retailers to pay 865 workers more than $1 million in stolen wages. The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement issued the citations Monday, Jan. 28 against Quetico, LLC, a large warehouse complex in Chino, California. Back wages and unpaid overtime total more than $1.1million and in addition the state issued about $200,000 in penalties.

On September 18, international human rights and labor groups released at statement expressing support and seeking redress for some 200 garment workers locked in a dispute with Kingsland Garment Cambodia Ltd., a supplier of the global clothing brands Walmart and H&M. The workers are owed approximately $200,000 in wages and indemnity by Kingsland, a Hong Kong-based company.

The move by the world’s largest retailer toward cutting waste and energy use and otherwise downsizing its environmental impacts is explored in detail in Edward Humes’s book “Force of Nature” (Times review). Any such push, if it’s more than rhetoric, is commendable, as I pointed out in my 2008 post referenced above. But the company — like any successful enterprise — is indeed marketing consumption as much as any particular product. A case in point would have to be Wal-Mart’s effort to outdo competing retailers in the push to start Black Friday on Thanksgiving Thursday.

How small can a giant corporation get? I don't mean in size, but in spirit. Once again, America's biggest commercial empire — Walmart — is displaying its incredibly shriveled ethical center by whacking the already meager health care benefits that hundreds of thousands of its workers count on.

Alice Walton, the heiress to the Walmart fortune, is opening a museum this Friday, November 11th in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum was funded to the tune of $1.2 billion by the Walton Family Foundation. At the same time, Walmart, (of which the Walton’s own 48% control) just slashed health care for hundreds of thousands of workers. Many of these workers were already living below the poverty level.

Eighteen years ago, a former professional basketball player named Will Allen made an unlikely career move: He decided to launch a farm in a low-income neighborhood in Milwaukee. His farmhands would be underemployed or unemployed neighborhood teens.

Last week, retail behemoth Walmart announced a $1.01 million donation to Milwaukee-based Growing Power, a well-known urban farming nonprofit, whose founder Will Allen has gained many accolades for his hard work to bring local, healthy food to low-income areas.

What's the reason for the unabated plunge of Wal-Mart's sales for the past two years? We assumed it was because Wal-Mart sucks a big one. In fact, there may be a mathematical explanation!

Walmart's self-branding as the Every Day Low Price retailer has been an essential element of its success. But a recent survey of Walmart shoppers indicates the vast majority – a whopping 86% – no longer believe Walmart offers the lowest prices. With the nation's economic recovery sputtering, this "identity crisis" is cause for concern at the Bentonville Giant. It also offers an explanation for why Walmart's U.S. stores have suffered seven consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines, most recently a 1.1% dip for the quarter ending April 29, 2011. (Walmart will announce its Q2 results later this month.)