Md. Pushes Wal-Mart On Health Care

State Requiring More Be Spent On Employees Or Paid Into Medicaid

(AP) 
Clark also hinted that the distribution center may not open as planned because of the vote. "This certainly gives us pause to sit back and look at the situation," she said.

The veto override had been one of the session's most intensely lobbied, with business groups taking out print ads supporting a veto and labor groups rallying and taking out their own ads siding with supporters.

The decision is being closely watched by labor unions and legislatures around the country.

"We expect that today's vote will generate important momentum in many other state legislatures," said Nu Wexler, a spokesman for Washington-based Wal-Mart Watch, which is funded by a union.

Some Maryland Democrats had harsh words for Wal-Mart.

"Don't dump your employees that you refuse to insure into our Medicaid system," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Gloria Lawlah.

In the House, Delegate Anne Healey compared Wal-Mart to a schoolyard bully. "We're here to tell this bully to change his behavior," she said.

But House Republican Leader George Edwards called the measure an unwarranted intrusion into private enterprise. "If you don't want to work for Wal-Mart, no one's twisting your arms. Go somewhere else and work," Edwards said.

The company faces legal pressure nationwide.

In Pennsylvania, a judge this week approved a class-action lawsuit by employees who say the company pressured them to work off the clock. Last month, a California jury awarded workers $172 million for illegally denied lunch breaks, and Wal-Mart settled a similar Colorado case for $50 million.

The company is appealing the California verdict and may pursue an appeal of the class-action certification in Philadelphia.