WALMART HAS ANNOUNCED A WAGE
INCREASE FOR ITS EMPLOYEES.
THEY ARE INCREASING THE RATES
FROM $10 AND ALLOW OUR TO
$11 AN HOUR AND THEY ARE CITING
TAX REFORM AS THE REASON
FOR WHY THEY ARE DOING SO.
THERE IS A CATCH.
I WILL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE
BUT FIRST LOOK GET TO THE
GOOD STUFF.
AMONG THE THINGS THEY'RE GOING
TO IMPLEMENT INCLUDE:
FOR MATERNITY LEAVE,
THEY'RE OFFERING 10
WEEKS OF PAID MATERNITY LEAVE
FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN
SIX WEEKS OF PATERNITY LEAVE
FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND
AGAIN, THIS WILL BE PAID SO THAT
IS GREAT NEWS.
THEY ARE ALSO OFFERING A
ONE-TIME CASH BONUS FOR ELIGIBLE
ASSOCIATES.
THAT CASH BONUS
WILL DEPEND ON HOW LONG THE
EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN WITH THE
COMPANY.
SO IF THEY'VE BEEN WITH THE
COMMITTEE FOR 20
YEARS, THEY ARE LIKELY TO GET
MORE.
THAT IS THE LEAST INTERESTING
PART ABOUT IT.
IT'S THE ONE GETTING THE MOST
PRESS BECAUSE IT IS THE
TRICK THAT WILL ALLOW THESE
COMETH, AT&T, COMCAST,
AMERICAN AIRLINES HAVE BEEN
DOING THAT THE WORSE THEIR
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS, THE MORE
THEY ARE INCLINED TO DISTRICT.
IT IS A WHO'S WHO OF MISERABLE
CUSTOMER SERVICE.
WALMART SAYS UP TO $1000.
IF YOU SERVE 20 YEARS OR MORE.
IT IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE GUY
WHO'S BEEN WORKING WOMAN FOR TWO
YEARS AS AN GOING TO GET ANY BUT
HE IS NOT GOING TO GET $1000.
DON'T GET TRICKED BYÖ OTHER TWO
PARTS I DO REALLY LIKE THAT.
THAT IS A GENERALIST PAID
MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE.
I WISH IT WAS EQUAL TO ANOTHER
THE IDEAS THAT MEN DON'T DO
THE CHILDCARE AS MUCH AS WOMEN
DO BUT I THINK THAT IS
CHANGING AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE
EQUALIZE A LITTLE BIT.
WITH THAT SAID, IT IS IMPORTANT
TO KEEP IN MIND THAT BECAUSE OF
THE TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY AND
FOR THESE CORPORATIONS, WALMART
STANDS TO INCREASE THEIR REVENUE
OR THEIR PROFIT I WOULD SAY BY
$2 BILLION THIS YEAR ALONE.
YES, SOME OF THAT MONEY SHOULD
GO TOWARD ITS EMPLOYEES AND
I'M GLAD THEY ARE DOING THAT
HOWEVER, THERE IS A CATCH.
LET'S GO TO GRAPHIC 63.
BY THE WAY, THIS ISN'T SOMETHING
THEY'RE PLANNING ON DOING,
THEY HAVE ALREADY CLOSED
SOME OF THE STORES WITHOUT
NOTIFYING 
THE EMPLOYEES.
YOU WILL BE GETTING A BONUS AND
ARRAYS INCREASE IF WE HAVEN'T
ALREADY FIRED YOU, SO IT'S
WEIRD HOW THEY LEFT IT ON THE
PRESS RELEASE THE THOUSANDS OF
EMPLOYEES THEY JUST FIRED.
WHAT HAPPENED, ABOUT THE TAX
CUTS WERE SUPPOSED TO
CREATE JOBS?
TURNS OUT, NOT SO MUCH.
AS I SAID IN THE PAST ABOUT
THIS ISSUE, I AM NOT IN THE
BUSINESS OF TELLING WALMART HOW
TO RUN THEIR BUSINESS.
IF THEY THINK THE SAM'S CLUB'S
ARE NOT MAKING MONEY THAN
THEY AREN'T AND THEY HAVE TO
CLOSES DOWN, BUT DON'T COME
AND PRETEND THE TAX CUTS YOU ARE
GOING TO TAKE HOME TO THE
TUNE OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
MAINLY GOING TO YOUR
EXECUTIVES AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE
SOMEHOW FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE
EMPLOYEES THAT YOU FIRED OR THAT
IT IS GOING TO CREATE MORE JOBS.
THAT IS WHAT ALL THOSE BUSINESS
GROUPS SAID AND WE TOLD YOU
AND WE DIDN'T INVESTIGATE AND'S
ON IT AT UNC INVESTIGATE
SHOWED YOU.
KNOW IT IS NOT GOING TO CREATE
JOBS.
BUT THERE IS FAIR, I LOVE THAT
THEY MOVED THE WAGES UP TO $11.
THAT IS ONE OF THE TOP PROBLEMS
ARE NOT THE TOP PROBLEM IN THE
COUNTRIES THAT HER WAGES ARE SO
LOW IT'S RIDICULOUS AND WALMART
IS A GIANT EMPLOYER IN THE
COUNTRY BECAUSE THEIR STORES ARE
HERE, THEY CAN'T OUTSOURCE OR
START STORE IN THE MIDDLE OF
ARKANSAS SO THOSE ARE JOBS AND
THOSE GUYS ADDING PAID $11
RATHER THAN SOME OF THE
PLACES IT WAS $7.25,
WAS THE MINIMUM WAGE NATIONALLY.
IT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR
LIFE.
WAS IT BECAUSE OF TAX
REFORM?
NOT
THEY WERE GETTING TREMENDOUS
PRESSURE TO MOVE OUT THOSE
WAGES WHICH WAS GREAT.
FOR EXAMPLE, TARGET MOVED UP
THEIR WAGES IN THE FALL,
BEFORE TAX REFORM.
I'VE SOME DETAILS ON THAT
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FASCINATING.
IN SEPTEMBER 2017 TARGET DID
DECIDE TO INCREASE ITS
WAGES AND THEY PUT OUT A
PRESS RELEASE LIKE MOST
CORPORATIONS WOULD AND THEY
STATED THAT THEY WANT TO BE
COMPETITIVE IN A WAGES SO THEY
CAN ATTRACT MORE EMPLOYEES
AND WHO DO YOU THINK THEIR
COMPETITOR IS?
TAKE NAME STORES LIKE WALMART
AND SO THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF
ENGAGING IN A LITTLE BIT OF A
WAGE WAR FOR A WHILE AND SO
LOOK, SAM'S CLUB, WALMART,
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM,
THEY ALREADY HAD THEIR WAGES AT
$10 AN HOUR FOR FULL-TIME
EMPLOYEES AND YEAH, ADDING ONE
MORE DOLLAR IS GREAT, BUT I
DON'T THINK THAT IT NEARLY HAD
TO DO WITH TAX REFORM OR
TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY.
I THINK THEY WERE ALREADY
ENGAGED WITH THIS WAGE WAR
WITH TARGET AND THAT PLAYED INTO
THEIR DECISION TO DO THIS.
I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO ALL
THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT ON THIS.
EVERYONE FROM GUYS ON PICKET
LINES OR JUST PROTESTING TO
GET HIGHER WAGES.
I ALWAYS REMEMBER NICK SMITH
FROM WESTERN VIRGINIA THAT
WE INTERVIEWED DURING THE
ELECTION, WORKED AT A WAFFLE
HOUSE LOOKING FOR A $15 MINIMUM
WAGE, TO ROBERT GREENWALD WHO
RUNS BRAVE NEW FILMS, ALL THE
PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE, THEY DID
THE MOVIE ABOUT WALMART, HIGH
COST OF LOW PRICES THAT BROUGHT
SO MUCH ATTENTION TO THIS, THAT
KIND OF PRESSURE WORKS AND
TO PROGRESSIVES LIKE BERNIE
SANDERS WHO KEPT SAYING $15.
YOU KNOW THAT OBAMA AND THE
BEGINNING, WAS HERE FROM $15?
HE IS NOT EVEN FOR NOW AS FOR AS
I KNOW DONE THE BEGINNING,
WHAT WAS THE FOUR?
FOR NINE DOLLARS AND THEN HE
RAISED HIS PROPOSAL FROM
NINE DOLLARS TO $10.10
AND THEN THE NUMBER WENT TO,
FINALLY WENT TO $12.
IF WE HADN'T PUSHED OBAMA, HE
WOULD'VE STATED NINE DOLLARS.
DO YOU THINK WALMART WOULD'VE
GONE TO $11 WHEN OBAMA WHO
THEY CALL A SOCIALIST WAS DOWN
AT NINE DOLLARS?
KNOW, WE PUSHED AND WE PUSHED
AND WE PUSHED.
WE PUSHED FOR $15 SO WE CAN
GET WALMART UP TO $11 THE
CORPORATE DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY OF
NO, ASKED FOR A QUARTER OF
A LOAF, ANCHOR KNIT MENTALISM IS
NOT THE CORRECT STRATEGY.
IT'S A LOSING STRATEGY.
INSTEAD WE PUSHED FOR HIGHER
WAGES AND LO AND BEHOLD,
EVEN WALMART JUST GAVE US HIGHER
WAGES.
IS A HIGH ENOUGH?
NOT NEARLY.
11 BUCKS AN HOUR FOR A FULL-TIME
JOB GETS YOU ABOUT $22,000
OR SO A YEAR.
THAT IS INCREDIBLY LOW WAGES BUT
AT LEAST WE ARE MAKING SOME
PROGRESS.
SO FOR ALL OF THE BERNIE SANDERS
THAI PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT SO
HARD FOR THIS, AND ALL THE
PROGRESSIVES WHO FOUGHT IN THE
TRENCHES FOR THIS AND FOR THEIR
COMPETITION LIKE TARGET PUSHING
THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND
FINALLY, YES, TO WALMART.
BOTTOM LINE IS WHEN THEY DO
SOMETHING RIGHT, GIVE THEM
CREDIT AND SO THEY ARE FIRING
THOSE GUYS ARE SAMS.
IT IS A MIXED BAG BUT THE
MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE
LEAVE IS A GOOD THING AND MOVING
UP TO $11 IS A GOOD THING.
AT LEAST IS HIGHER THAN IT USED
TO BE AND LET'S KEEP ON
PUSHING TO GET TO AT LEAST $15.
