If you were in the "worker organizing will never have an effect on how Walmart operates" camp, think again. According to an
open letter from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon:
For our current associates, we’ll start by raising our entry wage to at least $9 an hour in April, and, by February of next year, all current associates will earn at least $10 an hour. I’m also excited about an innovative program we’re launching for future associates that will allow you to join Walmart at $9 an hour or more next year, receive skills-based training for six months, and then be guaranteed at least $10 an hour upon successful completion of that program. We’re also strengthening our department manager roles and will raise the starting wage for some of these positions to at least $13 an hour this summer and at least $15 an hour early next year.
This means
around 40 percent of Walmart workers will get a raise. It's a start. But only a start, and Walmart
can afford to pay more, without raising prices.
An infographic accompanying McMillon's letter also noted some improvements in scheduling practices, including that "some associates" (no word on how many, so this may well be window dressing) will get fixed schedules rather than struggling with schedules and hours that fluctuate wildly week to week, that schedules will be set two and a half weeks in advance, and that "associates who want more hours can view open shifts in their store." But the company will not be changing its balance of full-time and part-time workers.
While McMillon's letter didn't mention worker organizing and Walmart will doubtless claim that this has more to do with management benevolence than with internal and public pressure, there's simply no question that widespread low-wage worker organizing—at Walmart, in fast food, and elsewhere—changed the discussion about worker pay. That organizing has led to increased minimum wages in many states, which in turn had already forced changes at more than 1,400 Walmart stores. Emily Wells, a worker activist with OUR Walmart, said in a statement that "We are so proud that by standing together we won raises for 500,000 Walmart workers." But she also noted that:
Especially without a guarantee of getting regular hours, this announcement still falls short of what American workers need to support our families. With $16 billion in profits and $150 billion in wealth for the owners, Walmart can afford to provide the good jobs that Americans need – and that means $15 an hour, full-time, consistent hours and respect for our hard work.
