Walmart Holding Canned Food Drive For Its Own Underpaid Employees

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Think Progress

Walmart in northeast Ohio is holding a holiday canned food drive — for its own underpaid employees. “Please Donate Food Items Here, so Associates in Need Can Enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner,” a sign reads in the employee lounge of a Canton-area Walmart.

Kory Lundberg, a Walmart spokesman, says the drive is a positive thing. “This is part of the company’s culture to rally around associates and take care of them when they face extreme hardships,” he said. Indeed, Lundberg is correct that it’s commendable to make an effort to help out those who are in need, especially during the holidays.

But the need for a food drive illustrates how difficult it is for Walmart workers to get by on its notoriously low pay. The company has long been plagued by charges that it doesn’t pay its employees a real living wage. In fact, Walmart’s President and CEO, Bill Simon, recently estimated that the majority of its one million associates make less than $25,000 per year, just above the federal poverty line of $23,550 for a family of four. When the Washington DC city council passed a living wage bill requiring Walmart to pay workers a minimum of $12.50 per hour, the chain threatened to shut down its new stores if Mayor Vincent Gray didn’t veto the bill. Gray vetoed the bill.

Walmart’s low wages come at a public cost. Because low-income workers still need housing and health care, taxpayers end up doling out millions in benefits to bridge the gap faced by many of the store’s retail workers. They have also led to strikes at Walmart stores from Seattle to Chicago to Los Angeles in recent weeks.


Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/18/2960371/walmart-food-drive/

[TBF]

1. Why don't they just pay them? smh ... nt

[enough]

5. Pay them? You mean out of their profit? Their sacred profit? (nt)

[aggiesal]

44. Walmart numbers for 2012 (From BusinessInsider.com) . . .

In 2010, CEO Michael Duke's annual salary of $35 million

Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot, Kroger, Target, Sears, Costco, and K-Mart combined
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/crazy-facts-about-walmart-2012-11?op=1#ixzz2l2PIImLr

Revenue US$ 446.950 billion (2012)
Operating income US$ 26.558 billion (2012)
Profit: [font color=Red]$420.392 billion[/font]
World Wide Employees: 2.2 million
US Employees: 1.4 million

Based on MSNBC on (Walmart leaked documents), the average US Walmart employee makes
$19,226 per year. That's about $9.24/Hr. based on a standard 2080 hours per year.
http://www.msnbc.com/the-ed-show/leaked-document-shows-what-walmart-really-pay

Using MIT's Living Wage Calculator
http://useconomy.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=useconomy&cdn=newsissues&tm=513&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p504.6.342.ip_&tt=11&bt=8&bts=8&zu=http%3A//livingwage.mit.edu/

A living wage in San Francisco County for 1 adult is $12.83/Hr.
For 2 adults and 3 children a living wage in SF County is $31.20
I choose SF County because I think this may be one of the most expensive areas to live,
and I wanted to use worst case.

So let's work with both.
If the average is $9.24, to bring up to $12.83 would cost $3.59 per employee.
That would cost Walmart $7,898,000 million. So profits would dip to [font color=Red]$420,384,102,000 (That's Billion)[/font]

If the average is $9.24, to bring up to $31.20 would cost $21.96 per employee.
That would cost Walmart $41,206,000 million. So profits would dip to [font color=Red]$420,343,688,000 (That's Billion)[/font]

The Walton family has given away about 2 percent of its net worth to charity — Bill Gates is giving away 48 percent of his net worth and Warren Buffet 78 percent of his net worth.

I'm with Bill Maher on this (and I paraphrase) "I'm sick and tired of helping billion dollar companies pay their employees."

[KeepItReal]

6. Because they only made a profit of $3.7 Billion last quarter

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

36. BOYCOTT WALMART! They are disgusting.

Nobody needs to shop there. Give your business to mom and pop shops in your community. IF those with a conscience boycotted Walmart's cheap shit from China... clothes... toys... If ONLY repugs and baggers shopped there... You'd see them go out of business.

[liberal N proud]

9. Why pay your employees when you can shame them to pay each other.

[Arugula Latte]

38. Oh, sure, engage in class warfare!

The poor CEO only got paid a $20.7 million salary last year.

[alcina]

40. Assuming an 80-hour week

for this guy -- and that's probably being a little generous -- and 50 full-time weeks of employment a year, that's over $5000 an hour. I cannot even come close to understanding how someone can be considered worth that amount of money. I wonder what his price per pound would be....

[louis-t]

2. Once again, corporate America wants someone else to pay.

Really? "Open up your wallets and donate to our employees who can't afford Christmas because we're so stingy"? Really?

[barbtries]

3. could someone add in

how much the ceo makes?

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. guess who moved in next door to me last week?

The manager of our town's super Wal-Mart.

The house they bought is pretty cool, full basement, immaculate condition, was on sale for the last 3 years for 155 K,
have no idea what the actual price sold was.
Have not yet gone over to do the obligatory neighbor introduction thing. Gotta do that this Sat.

Don't expect to see much of them, there is half acre of woods between our house and theirs and people tend to stay indoors
in our climate.

[erpowers]

26. $20.7 Million, But That Is Not The Worst Part; Check Out His Retirement Package

According to Huffington Post and other sources Wal-Mart CEO Michael Duke was paid $20.7 million in 2012. However, he has an even bigger retirement package. His package is worth about $113 million, which according to a study discussed in the same article is about 6,200 times more than the average Wal-Mart worker.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/15/walmart-retirement-pension_n_4283341.html

[Retrograde]

4. How many of the 100 wealthiest Americans are named Walton again? (n/t)

[TBF]

7. If you look at the list of billionaires -

you don't even have to go down towards 100 - they're all up there in the top 20. You'd think they could open their own damned soup kitchen or something:

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/#page:2_sort:0_direction:asc_search:_filter:All%20industries_filter:All%20countries_filter:All%20states

[Lancero]

15. They would never do that...

It would take money, their own precious money, to do so.

Sam would be rolling in his grave to see how low his decendants have taken his company.

[AAO]

16. The Koch brothers together have 68B, more than Bill Gates 67B.

Kochsuckers!

[NickB79]

20. It's amazing. Even the fucking robber barons did SOME social good

With their money.

Hell, Carnegie was reviled by many in his time but still funded the building of many beautiful structures that still stand today. The local library near us is a Carnegie Endowment library, built 80 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie

He was also one of the highest profile philanthropists of his era; his 1889 article proclaiming "The Gospel of Wealth" called on the rich to use their wealth to improve society, and stimulated wave after wave of philanthropy.

[Brigid]

23. Carnegie had a lot to atone for.

Hiring Henry Frick was only the beginning

[NickB79]

25. Agreed, but compared to today's 1%?

He was a fucking saint.

Carnegie gave away his entire wealth, most of it before he actually died. Like I said, I can still drive by a beautiful library today that was build by his endowment.

I doubt today's ultra-rich will leave behind a positive legacy even close to the robber barons of a century past.

[OhioChick]

8. Walmart Heirs Hold More Wealth Than 42% of Americans Combined

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/07/walmart-heirs-waltons-wealth-income-inequality

[tblue]

14. And that's not enough for them. nt

[Release The Hounds]

10. Thought for sure this was from The Onion

[ErikJ]

11. Walmart made $16 billion pure profit and got $3 billion govt aid for its employees

in 2011

[tblue]

12. Too bad that mayor gave in to extortion.

He's trying to keep jobs in DC. But these are not the kind worth keeping if they don't pay a living wage!

[KansDem]

13. Let me understand this...

McDonald's is telling its employees in need to get food stamps and medicaid while Walmart is asking its employees to donate canned goods to help out other employees?

Do I understand this?

I remember a day when the US was the beacon of empathy and compassion for all the world to see...

[mysuzuki2]

17. Oh the irony!

[SoapBox]

18. Disgraceful.

[berni_mccoy]

21. Walmart is SHAMELESS

They don't care about anything except $

[erpowers]

22. If True

If this story is true this is crazy. It can make one ask what is wrong with the Walton family. It seems the Walton's could raise the pay of its associates to $25,000 per year and then give then $500-$1,000 holiday bonuses.

I think Wal-Mart stores is one of the top five most profitable companies in the world. I understand that part of the company's profitability is the fact that the store workers are paid so little. However, when a company is in the top five would it hurt the company that much to take a billion dollars from its profits in order to increase the pay of its workers.

[Blue Owl]

24. The Welfare-Mart chain

The only thing lower than our prices will be your quality of life!

[Scuba]

49. Well, that and their ethics.

[warrprayer]

27. kind of like G.E.

... offering grief counseling to employees after a laid off employee commits suicide

[Brigid]

28. This is the most shameless, craven . . .

Words fail me.

[renate]

29. Walmart Profiting From Canned Food Drive for Its Own Employees

This isn't an actual headline (as far as I know) but isn't that the nasty icing on top of this disgusting cake? These bins are at a Walmart, right? So employees who haven't brought canned goods from home would go out and shop at that very Walmart. I know the profit margin at grocery stores is tiny, but still... guilting Walmart employees into shopping at Walmart because Walmart doesn't pay them enough is just salt in the wound.

[Beartracks]

37. Off-topic: Love the gif in your sig. LOL

[Hestia]

53. I commented on FB to bring in food from a unionized store and do not purchase from Walmart

at all. Disgusting to make a profit from a food drive for their own employees.

[underpants]

61. The company store... Yep. Just like the old mining towns

Great point renate

[jtuck004]

30. LOL - “This is part of the company’s culture to rally around associates and take care of them...

...when they face extreme hardships,”

This is just letting someone else pay the bills that you run up while exploiting people, just like taxpayers who pay for your inability to provide a living wage for your employees.

THAT is your company's culture.

[Brigid]

32. Dear Kory Lundberg:

Let me spell it out for you: The reason a fucking canned food drive is necessary is that that Dickensian employer of yours won't pay a living wage, dumbass. There, do you get it now?

[jtuck004]

35. I'm thinking we really screwed up as a nation when we started mailing letters to Santa.

Instead we should be mailing suggestions for visits to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

Because instead of just one day of joy, that little story indicated lasting value from those short introductions...

[underpants]

62. Can they have Thanksgiving off to have dinner with their families?

Of course not they needs all hands on deck for the shopping riots at their stores

[BlueJazz]

64. shopping riots ...LOL!! I know the action isn't funny but the words remind me of people....

...going insane like the ...ahh..."Things" on Walking Dead.

Give me your BAAAARGAINS!!

Sorry...it just cracked me up..

[Solly Mack]

31. Wow. Shameless fucks.

[aggiesal]

33. So let me get this straight . . .

Instead of just paying them more, so they wouldn't need a food drive,
they're asking their own employees to dip into their own pockets
and make up the difference.

The company sure does have a pair!

[herding cats]

34. Walmart can't even donate the food?

First they won't pay a living wage to their workers which leaves them dependent on social services to survive, then the have the nerve to expect their own workers to buy food from them to donate to other workers so they can "enjoy Thanksgiving dinner."

[bedazzled]

57. they'll have to "enjoy thanksgiving dinner" on their next day off

most will undoubtedly be working to staff their vital "black thursday"
sales.

[Blue_Tires]

39. Why is this not a national story??

[PSPS]

41. Walmart buys a lot of advertising, hence they are untouchable by the corporate/state media.

[DeSwiss]

45. TWO WORDS: ad + revenue

K&R

[durablend]

60. It got a mention on the Today show

Hmm...er...well...apparently things going on...umm...next up...

(needless to say Walmart of course advertises on NBC)

[davidpdx]

42. Coming to a location near you....

The Wal-Mart Employee Soup Kitchen

[TBF]

43. Only our neighborhoods and churches will likely be

footing the bill, because I don't see Walmart being quite that generous.

[rpannier]

46. Enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner?

I thought their stores were all open so Wal-mart could make even more money.
I figured they were forcing these people to work on Thanksgiving so that people (like some here at DU) can shop

[Le Taz Hot]

47. Correct me if I'm wrong but

wasn't it WalMart that was caught putting Christmas items that were donated BACK into their inventory? I can't find the article right now. Does anyone else have it?

[Scuba]

48. Wonder what WalMart Board Member Hillary Clinton will say about this.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

50. Here's a link to Wal-Mart's board of directors

Hillary Clinton is not a member.

http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/leadership/board-of-directors/

[Scuba]

51. You are correct that she is no longer a member.

Doesn't stop her from speaking out on this important labor issue.

[blkmusclmachine]

52. Low, Low Wages.

[Lancero]

54. Another intresting thing...

Traditionally, for food drives held at a food store, people go in a buy things and then donate what they've just bought.

So, not only are they holding a food drive for employee's that they ensure have to depend on such things... They are also making money from the food drive.

So one could say that this isn't done to benefit the employee's... But rather, to make more money. To exploit their workers twice over for even more gain.

[NewJeffCT]

55. Over the last 5 years (2008-2012), Wal-Mart's combined net profit has been $71.6 billion

that's billion with a B.

They employ about 1.4 million people in the United States. If they paid those people $2/hour more that is only $80/week for a person working 80 hours or about $2,000/year per person. (However, we know a lot of Wal-Mart employees work less than 40 hours/week. But, let's just use $2,000/employee.)

so, 1.4 million employees earning an extra $2,000/year. That would be $2.8 billion/year or $14,000,000,000 over five years, so would change Wal-Mart from making $71.6 billion to $57.6 billion. Still a HUGE amount of money.

[calguy]

56. Attention all "Associates" Eat tour donated food fast

I've seen where Walmart is going to open up at 8pm Thangsgiving day I'm sure they'll be expected to work thru the night. Some of the lucky ones might even get 40 hours in.

[durablend]

59. They'd better enjoy those 40 hours

Most likely will be working 0 hours next week to make up for it.

[Judi Lynn]

58. Will the human race finally regurgitate the Waltons?

They wore out their welcome so very long ago.

[City Lights]

63. Walmart is a malignant growth on society. nt