Walmart Wants You To Know That Their Workers 'Love Their Jobs'

Bonnie Kavoussi
11/30/2012

Walmart workers “love their jobs.” Just ask Walmart.

The retail giant took to Twitter and the opinion section of the San Francisco Chronicle Friday to defend itself against allegations from workers and labor organizers protesting on Black Friday, who claimed Walmart pays its employees low wages, offers little room for raises or benefits and retaliates against employees who complain about poor working conditions. Walmart did not immediately respond Friday to request for comment on the tweets:

Walmart is the world’s largest employer and retailer. But Walmart is paying its workers the least out of all big U.S. companies, according to a recent analysis by 24/7 Wall St. of a National Employment Law Project study.

Many Walmart workers are employed part-time, meaning that the company doesn’t have to provide them with benefits. About 70 percent of workers at one Walmart store work part-time.

Low-level Walmart workers typically start at the minimum wage, and Walmart policy dictates that their highest possible pay raise in a year is just 60 cents per hour, according to internal documents reviewed by The Huffington Post. It is rare for hourly Walmart workers to get promoted to a salaried store manager position.

Michael Bender, president of Walmart West, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday that “the overwhelming majority of Walmart associates who love their jobs deserve a voice, too.” He claimed that 86 percent of Walmart hourly workers said in a survey they agree with the statement “I really love my job.” He did not specify the survey’s response rate.

“Our associates know the truth: We typically pay as much or more than the competition, the majority of our associates work full time, and entry-level pay often exceeds that of union hires,” he wrote. “We also offer careers, not just jobs.”