Springsteen Snubs Unions? New CD Sold Exclusively at Wal-Mart

I thought Bruce Springsteen was pro-labor. Then I read that The Boss' Greatest Hits will be released exclusively by Wal-Mart. Okay, its only his greatest hits, which you can download anyway song by song if you have the patience. But still, wtf?

Some of my illusions about Springsteen were destroyed at a concert in the mid-80s when an usher told me that every night he pulled a girl out of the audience at exactly the same time for "Dancing In the Dark"--naive me, I thought that was like, spontaneous.

Could Springsteen's exclusive release be a reward for Wal-Mart's attempts at reform? Okay, the mega-retailer has made some effort, but not from the goodness of their own heart. They were forced.

In May, 2008 the mega-employer expanded their anti-discrimination policy to included transgendered employees, a proposal made by shareholders, and opposed by the WalMart board of directors.   And today the New York Times reports:

Wal-Mart said  it would pay at least $352 million, and possibly far more, to settle lawsuits across the country claiming that it forced employees to work off the clock...In a case still pending, Wal-Mart has appealed a 2005 verdict in which a California jury ordered it to pay $172 million for making employees miss meal breaks.

 But Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar told the Associated Press in August: