Corporate Accountability International: Polls Open for the Corporate Hall of Shame

Candidates include ADM, Blackwater, Countrywide, Mattel, Nestle, Toyota, Wal-Mart and Wendy's

BOSTON, March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This year's election is all about the issues -- global warming, war-profiteering, predatory lending -- or at least that is the case in the annual Corporate Hall of Shame. Polls open today at http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/ for people to select the most abusive corporations of 2008.

This year's nominees made headlines for breaking the law, influencing elected officials, undermining democratic decision-making and outright endangering the environment and public health.

The Hall is a creation of Corporate Accountability International, a membership organization that has worked to protect people from irresponsible and dangerous corporations for the last 30 years.

"We believe all of the nominees deserve this infamous dishonor, but we look forward to seeing which corporations voters select as the worst of the worst," said Kelle Louaillier, executive director of Corporate Accountability International. "The ballot box is a way to call politicians to task. The Hall of Shame is a way of calling corporations to account for major abuses of the public interest."

Last year, more than 20,000 votes were cast to induct ExxonMobil, Halliburton and Wal-Mart. Corporate Accountability International expects record turn-out this election season before polls close on July 4th.

The nominees include:

-- ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), for contributing to global warming by clearing endangered forests to develop palm oil plantations;

-- Blackwater Worldwide, for killing unarmed Iraqi civilians, and using its ties to the Bush Administration to secure lucrative contracts;

-- Countrywide, for predatory mortgage lending to elderly and non-English-speaking borrowers, and for gouging minority borrowers with discriminatory rates and fees;

-- Mattel, for producing lead-contaminated children's toys, and lobbying against bans on other toxic chemicals;

-- Nestle, for labor violations -- including child exploitation -- and threatening community water supplies when siting water bottling plants;

-- Toyota, for lobbying against measures to reduce global warming gas emissions while hypocritically spending millions to advertise its environmental "leadership" and Prius hybrids;

-- Wal-Mart, for displacing local businesses, failing to cover employees under the corporation's health plan, and opposing legislation that would increase homeland security;

-- Wendy's, for its contribution to the growing childhood obesity and diabetes epidemics, and for refusing to meet nutritional labeling regulations.

Voters are also encouraged to write-in candidates and submit commentary.

CONTACT: HallOfShame@StopCorporateAbuse.org

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Corporate Accountability International

CONTACT: Sara Joseph of Corporate Accountability International,
+1-617-784-5278, sjoseph@StopCorporateAbuse.org

Web Site: http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/

2008-03-19 23:02:35 0316814 PRNEWSWIRE