<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/friday.gif" border=0> Wal-Mart pledges more diversity, advancement

June 05, 2009 09:17 am

— FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Vice Chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright is pledging to shareholders at its annual meeting today that it will press for more diversity in its workforce and create more career opportunities for advancement.
The company’s business has been one of the few bright spots in retailing as it steals market share and customers away from rivals amid the recession.
But as the nation’s biggest private employer, it is under pressure by labor-backed critics to improve its labor practices.
Castro-Wright says that 40 percent of regional general managers are “of color.” Twenty percent of that group are women.