Walmart workers and their advocates smelled something fishy about their employer’s latest action.
The retail giant recently announced that their workers, along with Sam’s Club associates, will receive a pay increase under the second phase of a two-year, $2.7 billion investment in employees. Walmart officials have praised it as the “largest single-day, private-sector pay increase ever.” The raise goes into effect on Feb. 20. In a release, Walmart officials congratulated themselves for also “implementing new short-term disability and simplified paid time off programs.”
“We are committed to investing in our associates and to continuing to simplify our business,” said Judith McKenna, chief operating officer for Walmart U.S. “When we do so, there is no limit to what our associates can accomplish. Our customers and associates are noticing a difference. We’re seeing strong increases in both customer experience and associate engagement scores.
The national campaign to change Walmart, known as Making Change at Walmart, believes that this is all a sham by the company. In an emailed statement, the organization made references to a previous announcement of a wage increase as evidence that the old boss is just like the new one. “Walmart greed knows no bounds,” MCAW’s statement read. “They just closed hundreds of stores, destroyed thousands of jobs and devastated countless small communities, but now they are trying to convince America they’re giving our workers a raise? After Walmart’s last wage increase stunt, many workers almost immediately saw their hours cut and take-home pay go down.
“It’s easier to find a unicorn than a Walmart worker who has received a meaningful raise or hasn’t had their hours cut. You want to know the real impact of Walmart? Ask the communities and workers whose stores are closing. Or even better, ask the workers who are still waiting for the last raise.”
In related news, an administrative judge for the National Labor Review Board ruled Walmart retaliated against workers for participating in strikes. The judge stated that the store must offer 16 former employees full reinstatement to their former jobs, give them backpay and hold a meeting in 29 stores around the country to inform employees of their right to strike and promise to not threaten or discipline employees for doing so.
“Today’s decision proves beyond a doubt that Walmart unlawfully fired, threatened and disciplined hard-working employees simply for speaking out,” said Jess Levin, communications director for MCAW, in a statement. “Not only is this a huge victory for those workers and Walmart workers everywhere, who continue to stand up for better working conditions, but it sends a message to Walmart that its workers cannot be silenced. We will continue to fight to change Walmart for the better.”
