Home Depot and Bush--"Laughing Off Victims"

[SHRED]

Laughing Off Victims
December 16, 2004

Knight-Ridder reports Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli and President Bush took turns bashing trial lawyers to waves of audience laughter at the White House economic summit yesterday. Nardelli said, "What you have today is business on one side, and you've got the trial lawyers on the other side. You've got deep pockets colliding with shallow principles." But if you ask scores of ordinary American shoppers and workers killed or maimed at Home Depot – or hurt by poisonous Home Depot products - they might not think bashing people's legal rights and refusing to protect innocent victims is so funny. As the Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported, Home Depot reported 185 customer injuries a week in 1998 and has since refused media inquiries into its safety record. The company also uses its vast legal team to bully victims into signing confidentiality agreements about their injuries. The federal government "has recorded nine worker deaths in the past four years at Home Depot stores" and, in 2002, recorded a "45 percent jump" in workplace safety violations. In one high-profile accident, NASA astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien's shoulder was crushed when a 68-pound drill press fell on him from more than 10 feet up – ending his career. Because Home Depot refuses to take adequate safety precautions, "They are creating canyons of death and injury and inviting customers to walk down them," said one attorney representing families of victims. According to that attorney, the company has made a management decision that it is cheaper to pay claims to injured customers than pay for the necessary safety changes. Read the full expose in the Atlanta Business Journal.

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=100480

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Home Despot is a HUGE cash cow for the Chimpinator.

I'll never set foot in one of their stores again just for that reason. Knowing that stuff might fall off a high shelf on you is even more incentive than I need.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Mike Malloy talked about this on Air America Radio tonight.

I think he saw the article.

[eleny]

3. I was so happy when a Lowe's opened nearby

Now we shop there and at our locally owned Ace Hardware store down the street. Home Depot doesn't need our money and we don't need it.

[bobweaver]

4. Is Lowe's any better? If so I'll only shop at Lowe's from now on

[morillon]

5. As far as I know, there have been no deaths at Lowe's.

But you're better off sticking with Mom 'n Pop hardware stores, if you're doing any consumer activism.

[Liberty Belle]

6. I sent them an e-mail and cc'd every progressive group

My e-mail went to Home Depot's public relations department.
I told them I was outraged by their callous indifference to the safety of their customers and workers, and that I'm also disturbed by their contributions to the Republican Party. I listed off some of the ways that the GOP is hurting America.

I told them that as a home improvement writer, I've recommended their stores to many readers through my magazine articles, but that I will no longer be doing so, or shopping there personally.

I added that this article and a proposal to boycott Home Depot is being circulated to activist organizations across America and posted at Democratic websites. I made sure to cc Democracy for America, Moveon, and a few other progressive groups so that Home Depot's PR people will understand that this is serious.

Please, will all of you bombard Home Depot with calls and e-mails?

You can find links to customer service and public relations at www.homedepot.com; click on contact us or corporate information to get the links.

Incidentally, although Lowe's owner reportedly belongs to a conservative organization, I checked Opensecrets.com and couldn't find any donations from Lowe's or its CEO listed to either party. So Lowe's is probably the lesser of two evils; better yet, shop at local hardware stores.
:kick:

[morillon]

7. Search on Tillman and North Carolina.

The searches on opensecrets.org can be a little flaky sometimes. Lowes execs do give some money to Republicans, apparently, but not even remotely in the same league as Home Depot.

Bernie Marcus, one of the founders of HD, and Bob Nardelli, the current CEO, are HUGE Republicans, but Arthur Blank, another co-founder and now the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, is a Democrat. For his sake, I'm glad that Arthur's gone from the Depot and doing something he loves, but he took a big chunk of the company's heart and soul with him when he left. He was greatly respected and liked by the employees, a few of whom have been lucky enough to go to work for him at the Falcons.

I hope he runs for governor of Georgia!

[Liberty Belle]

8. Thanks for the info!

Let's not forget that Costco carries some tools, too--and Costco gives virtually all of its political donations to Democrats.