Blackwater, Archer Daniels Midland and Walmart Inducted in Corporate Hall of Shame

Today Corporate Accountability International announced the 2008 inductees into the annual Corporate Hall of Shame: military contractor Blackwater, agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and big box retailer Wal-Mart. More than 30, 000 votes were cast online and through the mail.

Inductees have been responsible for the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq, gross labor law violations, and accelerating climate change.

"The voting tells us that people are frustrated with a broad range of corporate abuse," said Leslie Samuelrich, deputy director of Corporate Accountability International. "They are tired of being lied to about corporate greed under the veil of environmentalism and they are tired of seeing their hard-earned dollars subsidizing human rights abuses abroad."

In the weeks before the polls closed:

· Blackwater was raided by federal agents in a firearms probe;

· Wal-Mart was fined $2 billion by the State of Minnesota for cutting worker break time and forcing employees to work off the clock;

· ADM has been called to task by Rainforest Action Network and Greenpeace for helping make Indonesia the third largest emitter of CO2 behind the U.S. and China.

With 28 percent of the vote, Blackwater earned the dubious honor of the year's most abusive corporation. More than 20 percent of the votes went to ADM and 15 percent to Wal-Mart for runner-up. Wal-Mart, the largest corporation in the world, is facing its second consecutive nomination.

Corporate Accountability International will now continue to monitor Blackwater, ADM, and Wal-Mart's activities, exposing abusive practices throughout 2008. In previous years, corporations like Columbia HCA and Waste Management have earned their way out of the Hall by reforming their practices in response to this type of direct pressure.

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We need to keep up the pressure.