By Doug Cunningham

New York City Central Labor Council President Brian McLaughlin says the national campaign to organize Wal-Mart workers and reverse it's corporate "race to the bottom" policies is gaining momentum and teachers are part of that struggle.

"More and more people are comin' to the forefront recognizing that if we're going to make Wal-Mart play by the rules and do things that are in the best interests of their employees and working people, including giving them the right to form or join a union it's going to take all of us. And the teachers in our city have provided that kind of leadership."

The latest effort is a boycott on back to school supply purchases at Wal-Mart. McLaughlin says the movement to change Wal-Mart can succeed.

"Everywhere they've had success there's been a negative impact on the number of jobs in that community, the tax revenue from the retail industry in that community and the impact on the taxpayers
who by and large pay for the health care of all of the Wal-Mart employees - a disproportionate number of them . So if we can just get the information out, which is countered by the multi-million dollar ad campaign that Wal-Mart is waging we're going to have some success. Because there's one thing Wal--Mart cannot do and that's run away from the truth."