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Union members marched Wednesday in front of the picket lines on campuses and hospitals of the University of California to participate in a one – day strike. Senator Bernie Sanders, who is again running for president, spoke to strikers at the University of California at Los Angeles. (March 20th)
AP, AP
Senator Bernie Sanders in an interview on Tuesday criticized the resistance of mega-retailer Walmart to raise the minimum wage of its employees to $ 15 per hour, calling it "grotesque" and "absurd".
Sanders made these comments in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on the eve of Walmart's annual shareholder meeting. The Democratic presidential candidate has been invited to speak in this forum as an attorney for the Walmart Workers' Rights Group, United for Respect.
"When you have a situation where the wealthiest family in America, Walton Walton family, has a wealth of $ 174 billion, it's really absurd and unacceptable that they're paying a famine pay to their workers, "Sanders told USA TODAY before heading to Arkansas for the meeting.
The Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Made waves after speaking at the Organizing Convention of the Democratic Party Organization of California in 2019 in San Francisco, Sunday, June 2, 2019. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP)
United for Respect advocates for a resolution to increase Walmart's minimum wage to $ 15 at the time, to add a workers' representative to the board of directors and to take other measures to assist the employees. workers. The group's resolution seems unlikely, but Sanders hopes the moment will begin to put pressure on Walmart to "do the right thing."
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His campaign on Tuesday used his social media accounts highlight the financial hardship and working conditions of some Walmart employees.
The visit to Arkansas will also allow Sanders, who has already supported successful campaigns to push Amazon and Disney to increase their minimum wage, to highlight the focus of his campaign on the issues of wealth and inequality. income.
Last year, Disney announced that it would increase its minimum wage by $ 11 per $ 1 annual installment, resulting in a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour in October 2021. In November, Amazon increased its minimum wage, which was less than $ 11 per hour for temporary warehouse workers in some areas. at $ 15.
Hearing of Senator Bernie Sanders, I-VT, on the minimum wage of $ 15, at an event held on Friday, March 8, 2019 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Joseph Cress, citizen of the press in Iowa City
Minimum wage in the countryside
The pressure in favor of a minimum wage of $ 15 has gained momentum during the current campaign.
The entire Democratic presidential field has approved the increase in the federal minimum wage, currently set at $ 7.25 per hour, to $ 15. California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, have all passed laws requiring that a minimum wage of $ 15 or so place here 2025 or before.
Other major retailers, such as Costco and Target, have recently begun to increase their hourly wages because of the constant pressure from unions and union activists to raise the minimum wage. But Walmart, with about 1.5 million employees, has resisted.
Sanders took direct shots Tuesday against the company's founding family, the Walton, and its CEO, Doug McMillion, who had received $ 24 million last year.
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"The American people are very tired of grotesque levels of income inequality," said Sanders. "You have a situation where Walmart's CEO – Walmart family – is making about 1,000 times the average worker. And really, that's not what America should be. "
What Walmart is already doing
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said company officials were hoping Sanders would not consider the shareholder meeting a stop for the campaign but would use it as a "constructive opportunity". 39 learn the many ways in which we work to increase economic opportunities, mobility and benefits. " our associates. "
"We've increased our starting salary by 50% over the last four years (from $ 7.25 to $ 11 an hour)," Hargrove said. "The other thing I'm going to tell you and our employees is that it's not just wages. These are other opportunities and benefits we provide them. "
Walmart pays an average of $ 17.50 per hour in salaries, bonuses and benefits to its partner, said Hargrove.
The company has opened training schools in approximately 200 stores across the country over the last few years to help steer hourly associates to a higher paying position. The company also announced this week that it is expanding its program allowing associates to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration and supply chain management for a dollar a day.
"The $ 11 is a starting salary," Hargrove said. "It's an opportunity. It's about moving people beyond entry-level jobs by providing our employees with clear career paths, qualified training and increased control over their schedules. "
Sanders argues that American taxpayers actually subsidize Walmart because many of its paid employees at the hour earn so little that they have to rely on government help.
Walmart's low-wage workers have cost US taxpayers an estimated $ 6.2 billion in government assistance, including food stamps, Medicaid, and subsidized housing, according to a 2014 report by Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of progressive national and state groups.
"Taxpayers in this country – the working class, the middle class – should not have to subsidize the richest family in the country," said Sanders.
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/06/04/bernie-sanders-walmart-minimum-wimum-wotes-grotesque-and-absurd/134554910001/
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