Walmart Holding Canned Food Drive For Its Own Employees
One of the richest companies in the world has found a solution to help feed their struggling underpaid workers – donations from their other underpaid workers. Walmart has defended the practice as part of the “company’s culture” of charity but the question remains as to why people who are working need such charity.
A 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.
So guess who picks up the tab for housing and food when the canned food drives don’t work? You. Because Walmart does not want to pay its workers a living wage taxpayers are forced to make up the difference to help workers barely survive.
All this while the wealth of 6 of the Walmart heirs is greater than the bottom 42% of Americans combined.
[T]he six Walmart heirs now have more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of Americans combined, up from 30 percent in 2007. Between 2007 and 2010, the collective wealth of the six richest Waltons rose from $73 billion to $90 billion, while the wealth of the average American declined from $126,000 to $77,000 (13 million Americans have negative net worth).
Hard to believe their workers are organizing strikes, even less surprising that, according to the National Labor Relations Board, Walmart retaliated against workers who did strike.
But can anyone blame the workers for striking? When working for one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world doesn’t bring in enough money to put food on the table what choice do they have?
Walmart Holding Canned Food Drive For Its Own Employees
One of the richest companies in the world has found a solution to help feed their struggling underpaid workers – donations from their other underpaid workers. Walmart has defended the practice as part of the “company’s culture” of charity but the question remains as to why people who are working need such charity.
A 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.
So guess who picks up the tab for housing and food when the canned food drives don’t work? You. Because Walmart does not want to pay its workers a living wage taxpayers are forced to make up the difference to help workers barely survive.
All this while the wealth of 6 of the Walmart heirs is greater than the bottom 42% of Americans combined.
[T]he six Walmart heirs now have more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of Americans combined, up from 30 percent in 2007. Between 2007 and 2010, the collective wealth of the six richest Waltons rose from $73 billion to $90 billion, while the wealth of the average American declined from $126,000 to $77,000 (13 million Americans have negative net worth).
Hard to believe their workers are organizing strikes, even less surprising that, according to the National Labor Relations Board, Walmart retaliated against workers who did strike.
But can anyone blame the workers for striking? When working for one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world doesn’t bring in enough money to put food on the table what choice do they have?
