Posted on 10/25/2005 2:29:37 PM PDT by Crackingham
Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott said he's urging Congress to consider raising the minimum wage so that Wal-Mart customers don't have to struggle paycheck to paycheck. Scott told Wal-Mart directors and executives in a speech Monday that he believes "it is time for Congress to take a look at the minimum wage and other legislation that can help working families."
"The U.S. minimum wage of $5.15 an hour has not been raised in nearly a decade and we believe it is out of date with the times," Scott said. "We can see first-hand at Wal-Mart how many of our customers are struggling to get by. Our customers simply don't have the money to buy basic necessities between pay checks."
Given increasing gas prices and other economic pressures on Wal-Mart customers, Scott went on to say that Wal-Mart shoppers will further be challenged to "support themselves and their families."
"While it is unusual for us to take a public position on a public policy issue of this kind, we simply believe it is time for Congress to take a responsible look at the minimum wage and other legislation that may help working families," he said.
Tracy Sefl, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Watch, a group that's been highly critical of the retailer, said Scott's comments on raising minimum wage were "laughable and out of left field."
"I find it disingenuous and laughable that Lee Scott makes these remarks while the company hires lobbyist such as Lee Culpepper who oppose raising the minimum wage," Sefl said.
"We would be the first to applaud real change. But when a comment on raising minimum wage is dashed off and it flies in the face of Wal-Mart's own corporate stance, that's laughable," she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Yeah, like food and clothing!
Mark
no no no. They want the US government (you and me) to assist in a wealth transferrence scheme. Shoppers have more money, walmart has more money from the shoppers. They aren't growing fast enough and since people are maxed out, they are looking under new rocks for increased demand. How to do it? Print more money silly.
Walmart is one of the biggest friends we have in the Republican party.
Some of you hate everything.
And once again- I was mistaken. I was SURE this was from Scrappleface.
"Our customers(employees) simply don't have the money to buy basic necessities between pay checks."
Give me a friggin' break!
Is this rich or what! ROFLMAO
This coming from an employer whose hourly employees apply for food stamps so they can afford to buy groceries where they work.
Supply and demand. If Wal-Mart raises wages, others must follow suit to attract employees. Government intervention is unnecessary.
That nail went in with a single blow.
This is all about what Wal-Mart wants to have happen to it's competition. If Wal-Mart wants to raise the minimum wage that they are willing to pay, there is nothing you or I can do to stop them.
The power to set the minimum wage is in the same section that the right to abortion is in.
Wal-Mart's groceries are the cheapest of any grocery store in the area where I live. In addition to groceries, I buy socks, underwear, motor oil, and other things there because they are cheaper than the alternatives. How is that "useless crap"?
You are assuming that Walmart has to raise wages to attract workers....and they do not. My good friend is the local WMT manager, and he has NO trouble attracting workers.
The democrats have turned that minimum wage into a life style. If someone is making minimum wage and they are over the age of 25, then I would say they have a serious LIFETIME problem unless they get their butts in gear.
It is your responsibility to learn a skill, get an education, job training, etc. to make yourself more marketable and thus earn a better living. If you and your "wife/live in girl friend" are trying to "raise" a family of two or three kids, while you both are "earning" minimum wage, then I would suggest birth control of some type. You should not be bringing more children into the world if minimum wage is the best you are going to accomplish.
On the ferry I ride to work each morning, just a few weeks ago, this leftist was whining about making $8 an hour, the cost of gas, etc. I asked him, "if you don't mind, how old are you?" He said he was 42 years old. I asked him what he did. He was a "gofer" in an office. I asked him what college he went too? He did not go to college. I asked if he had been to some type of special training, like an electrician, plumber, carpenter, auto mechanic, etc. He said, NO! I said, then what have you done to prepare yourself for that $50,000 a year job that keeps escaping you while you are working as a gofer at an office. He got really mad. Staring at me like he could kill me. I then simply said to him, "Your inability to prepare yourself for life, learn a marketable skill, get job training, etc. is not my fault and you should not be expecting me or anyone else WHO DID to carry your ass through life." A lot of people were laughing and this guy was having a cow.
It was, of course, our fault that his life sucked. We prepared. He didn't. He "didn't get a chance" in life. I told him not everyone was a rocket scientist, not everyone was college material, etc., however, you could at least LEARN a skill that can get you through life. Heck, I didn't complete college either. I have about 2 years of college, however, I have plenty of training that I learned in the military. That is THE ONE good thing about the military, there are plenty of good training opportunities in the military. Mechanic, combat engineers learn many types of earth moving, building type skills, medical skills, clerical, military police, computers, etc. There is more than just the infantry type jobs there. Lots of jobs you get on the job training at. Like military police. At age 18, you can go through MP school, and learn for three years about being a law enforcement person. Then, get out at age 21 and become a civilian cop. MOST ALL civilian police forces will not hire you till you are 21. You'd already have 3 years experience on those people, from the military.
Well-said. Of course, the Dems would prefer to keep people struggling along at minimum wage -- these are the people who look to government to help them along.
Strictly PR. For the masses to gorge on.
LOL! You've been listening in on my conversations!
I quit going to wallyworld to shop and I have saved lots of money. My husband is very pleased, until he wants to go to wallyworld and buy useless crap and I won't let him. ;)
Here's the useless crap I had in mind:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933953
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3913741&cat=91849&type=1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A103150%3A97116%3A91849
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3302133&cat=133113&type=1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A133012%3A133113
Certainly Walmart sells at better prices than others the necessities of life, such as foodstuffs. A Walmart supercenter recently opened in our town and we've now started grocery shopping there and are saving money as a result.
But Walmart also offers useless junk at such reasonable prices that people feel compelled to buy it whether they need it or not. I'm not suggesting this is Walmart's fault, but I suspect that my family is not alone in buying useless crap from Walmart. And I further suspect that some portion of these people probably spend enough of their income at Walmart buying useless crap that it puts them in financial straits. Again, not Walmart's fault.
But here we have a CEO of a company suggesting that the federal government raise the minimum wage. I don't know what Walmart pays its employees, but certainly he is entitled to raise his company's wages. But why should other small business owners be forced to pay more just because Walmart's CEO thinks they should?
LOL. I never announce that I am off to buy useless crap, and I always hide it for some period of time after I have. That way I can honestly say, when Mrs. Yonder asked where I picked up a particular piece of useless crap, "Oh, I've had that for a few weeks now."
Besides, the whole point of them spending less is so that I have more to spend on the useless crap I want!
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