“The question here is a living wage; it’s not whether Walmart comes or stays,” council member Vincent B. Orange, a proponent of the bill, told the Washington Post. “We’re at a point where we don’t need retailers. Retailers need us.”
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
D.C. Lawmakers Pass Minimum Wage Mandate Despite Walmart’s Threats To Pull Stores
Walmart’s efforts Tuesday to deter Washington D.C’s city council from passing a bill that would require certain large retailers to pay their employees at least $12.50 — a significant bump above the city’s minimum wage of $8.25 — didn’t work. Despite the big box company telling lawmakers it’d scrap plans for three stores in the area and take a close look at the three already underway, council members passed the bill by a vote of 8 to 5 yesterday.
“The question here is a living wage; it’s not whether Walmart comes or stays,” council member Vincent B. Orange, a proponent of the bill, told the Washington Post. “We’re at a point where we don’t need retailers. Retailers need us.”
“The question here is a living wage; it’s not whether Walmart comes or stays,” council member Vincent B. Orange, a proponent of the bill, told the Washington Post. “We’re at a point where we don’t need retailers. Retailers need us.”
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15 comments:
Walmart's full of it. They figured they would try this tactic thinking officials would bow down and fall to their wishes.
All they see is all the people on welfare/food stamps in the area who will flock to their store and buy things.
Who cares if Walmart has a problem with it. Walmart acts like it provides a so many jobs while it doesn't. They already started to replace cashiers with machines leaving 20 people out in each store and 5 people to help if assistants is need. They need people to take inventory, stock up, and deliverers which isn't many people.
There isn't room for a sprawling WalMart in DC anyway...we really need more mom-n-pops instead.
I hope Walmart closes up shop there.
consider the leaders. no common sense, no business sense, never owned a business or understands how business and commerce works; however they do understand how communism works and this is the model they seek to follow.
the losers; the black and white low income or no income, uneducated citizens. they just lost 1800 jobs in 6 stores. construction workers and anyone else who would have benefited from the income generated; gas stations, theaters, eateries and much more.
the poverty wage there is 9700.00. walmart would have paid over 17,000 for the minimum wage full time employee. I realize that many of the jobs are part time, but since the unemployment rate for the black teen and young adult population is extremely high (over 42%), this would have at least given them more money in their pockets.
yes; the leaders in D.C. with the likes of Marion Cocaine Barry sitting on the council will never have a great city.
I really don't think that Walmart needs the kind of traffic that DC. offers anyway.
Are we talking about China?
DC would have presented special operating challenges in many respects but W-M was willing to make the investment to build 6 stores and to hire and train workers. If they didn’t offer a good enough deal, nobody had to apply or remain an employee, or to shop there. W-M’s risk entirely.
DC would have benefited from land taxes, sales taxes, income taxes on employees, and to the extent that other employers had to raise pay to retain workers, from their higher wages, too. If any new hire came off of welfare, etc that would benefit DC also. As well as the wages and fees paid to construct the stores.
So why was it desirable to compel W-M to pay almost 50% higher minimum wages than all other DC employers? Simply to protect unionized workers at other grocers from the loss of business W-M might cause if customers saw a lower priced, closer to home alternative.
Rather than serving the citizens, DC Council served the union bosses. Period, plain. Shame on them!
I shop W-M, its competitors of all sizes, and internet, depending on the item so I’m not beholden to W-M. All merchants have issues regarding what they stock vs. what consumers want to buy.
$12.50 for unskilled labor, who are not worth a penny? OK. Bring that $12.50 (Hell, even $9+) to MD and watch how fast companies move.
You can paint a turd, but it's still a turd.
I hope Walmart pulls out of DC.
Now the food workers at the National Museum of American History and the Air and Space Museum are striking because they are being paid minimum wage.
Good for the goose/ good for the gander. Raise the wage for ALL employees or none. Yes, raise it so they are not on welfare.
Such a law is unconstitutional. Laws in this country must be equally applied to all, not just for one particular group or special interest.
Good point 5:39. A part time employee making $8.50 is still on the taxpayer dime for aid and food stamps. It's so not about communism or a business model. It's about fixing a problem that said 1600 "crappy jobs" will not address. Wal-Mart can make the choice. Put up or shut up. Your either part of the solution, or part of the problem. See ya, Wal-Mart. Your exit only underlines which side of the fence you are on and have been.
I think it is a good idea to raise the minimum wage for big box retail stores. If you look at the statistics of how many Wal-Mart employees are on welfare I think you will agree too.They have the money to pay their employees a fair living wage they just choose not to (unless forced to like in this case). Costco already voluntarily pays their employees a fair living wage. If Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in America then they can and should do the same.
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