D.C. Council votes to Force Walmart to pay "living wage"--50% over minimum wage.

D.C. lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill requiring some large retailers to pay their employees a 50 percent premium over the city’s minimum wage, a day after Wal-Mart warned that the law would jeopardize its plans in the city.

The retail giant had linked the future of at least three planned stores in the District to the proposal. But its ultimatum did not change any legislators’ minds. The 8 to 5 roll call matched the outcome of an earlier vote on the matter, taken before Wal-Mart’s warning.

articles.washingtonpost.com...

Forget supply and demand. Typical childish thinking from Usual Suspects. Some jobs that require little skills or knowledge simply aren't worth even minimum wage. No one should expect to be able to live independently on minimum wage jobs. Without incentive, motivation, our society will be more screwed than it is.

I Always love when a municipality sticks it to Walmart.

Portland has done so on similar matters, not allowing them to build where they want etc.

Be nice if they implemented a living minimum wage everywhere, but that will never happen.

That's the spirit! Shut Walmart down by economic force of law through Government instead of ever having just had the political guts to deny them their permit to build. At least California has some class in that area. They just outright tell Walmart and some others 'No...You can't build 5 Super-Stores to each city here'. It sounds like D.C. wanted all the benefits and now want them out or ruined to dumb ideas.

Walmart has told them in absolute terms of cause and effect, if they do this....they will basically layoff all the workers in that store as Walmart departs the market they have this jurisdiction over. It's the Hostess Twinkies stupidity all over again...and like then, I don't think Walmart is bluffing in the least. It's cause/effect...but Politicians somehow think reality can bend to their demands or some such silliness. No one seems to care either way anyway, so I wish the best of luck to all the workers out thumbing a ride to the unemployment office. Another Government idea tried and died, if it passes all the way.

I'm fine with raising the minimum wage to a (reasonable) living wage, but to single out one company like they have here is ridiculous. I have big problems with Wal Mart, but what they've done is single out one company and forced them to adhere to laws that don't apply to others, which is ludicrous.

Seattle Mayor just got caught making an ass out of himself for something similar with Whole Foods, claiming they payed workers too low. Turns out they actually pay higher. It was pretty obvious he was trying to garner support from the unions.

If thats a "living wage" why isnt DC demanding it across the board?

Im guessing this is the special needs brainchild of a few small time pols with big time aspirations trying a shortcut by riling up Maddows seven viewers.


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Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
That's the spirit! Shut Walmart down by economic force of law through Government instead of ever having just had the political guts to deny them their permit to build. At least California has some class in that area. They just outright tell Walmart and some others 'No...You can't build 5 Super-Stores to each city here'. It sounds like D.C. wanted all the benefits and now want them out or ruined to dumb ideas.

Walmart has told them in absolute terms of cause and effect, if they do this....they will basically layoff all the workers in that store as Walmart departs the market they have this jurisdiction over. It's the Hostess Twinkies stupidity all over again...and like then, I don't think Walmart is bluffing in the least. It's cause/effect...but Politicians somehow think reality can bend to their demands or some such silliness. No one seems to care either way anyway, so I wish the best of luck to all the workers out thumbing a ride to the unemployment office. Another Government idea tried and died, if it passes all the way.

And how quickly these companies forget it was direct government intervention in the first place that allows for their business model...

NAFTA and the likes

reply to post by benrl


I'm sure all that political debate will be very meaningful to the Walmart checkers and stockers told their job has been eliminated due to the store closing. Sadly, it's stupid chasing stupid and compounding bad ideas. What brought us here wasn't intelligent governance by any stretch...but how those in office are trying to solve it is like curing a headache with a guillotine. Something just kinda gets lost between idea and result.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I am all for chasing walmart out of everywhere.
They should pay a living wage in all of their stores and maybe they would shut down and people would go back to making and buying American made products instead of "Made in China".

And my wife works for walmart.

WalMart and SamsClub should be replaced by companies that actually make a profit AND treat their employees fairly.

Like this one where I shop, Although I prefer mom and pop operations but most of them have been forced out of business by the like of Walmart.

www.businessweek.com...

The Walmart greedy corporate model is obsolete and unnecessary.
money.cnn.com...

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by benrl

 

I'm sure all that political debate will be very meaningful to the Walmart checkers and stockers told their job has been eliminated due to the store closing. Sadly, it's stupid chasing stupid and compounding bad ideas. What brought us here wasn't intelligent governance by any stretch...but how those in office are trying to solve it is like curing a headache with a guillotine. Something just kinda gets lost between idea and result.

Yea, its not like another bloated government intervention is not already hurting those workers, You know how many people are being moved from full time to part time, or hours cut to make sure they don't sneak into 40 hours on accident just to skip the insurance requirement?

Walmart is already exempt from that, just like Mcdonalds, HOW about we cut all government intervention for business?

We end up paying for these companies by their employees having to receive benefits from the government just to live.

OH poor walmart needs to pay its employees jack and !@#$ in order to reap the full benefits that the government allows them by allowing cheep trade tariffs and the exportation of jobs.

Cry me a river for walmart Wrabbit, Lets Cut the government out, tax export goods like we should, let walmart buy their goods while facing the same cost with out the tax breaks, and lets see how the free market works this out.

OH no? thats not what we are asking? we are asking walmart pay their god damn employees a wage they can survive on?

How screwed are we as a country.

Originally posted by MuzzleBreak


Forget supply and demand. Typical childish thinking from Usual Suspects. Some jobs that require little skills or knowledge simply aren't worth even minimum wage. No one should expect to be able to live independently on minimum wage jobs. Without incentive, motivation, our society will be more screwed than it is.

Horse hockey. I hate wal-mart and how they treat their employees but anyone can live comfortably on a good minimum wage job now that it's up to what.. 9 dollars and something an hour. Are you saying a Wal-Mart Greeter's job is so simple they don't deserve minimum wage? You seem to contradict yourself in your statement, so i'm confused.

I make less than minimum wage and I own my house outright, own cars paid for, own computers and other nice things. I only work when i want to or need to. I personally make no more than 6 thousand dollars a year. It all depends on your spending habits and how thrifty you can be and how smart you are with the money you do have. ( I did work for over 20 years in Air conditioning and Heating but foolishly wasted most of that money because i was single - largest purchase 12 years ago with this condo - cost 16.000 dollars. I haven't worked a regular job since 2004.)

Communities for years have tried to stop Wal-Mart from going in and taking over the town forcing all other business to close down - this is one way that community can fight the giant and win it seems.

Sadly what will happen now is that, in that market, Wal Mart will advertise something along the lines of "We've been forced to raise prices to all consumers in this market to offset our increased costs of labor...."

In doing this they will actually end up making a boon in profit far outstripping their actual increased costs. They will then begin spreading this policy to other markets.

Meanwhile four of the ten richest people in America will still have the last name "Walton".

Remember when prices all went up post Katrina because of the "increase in fuel costs" - fuel costs that were supposedly due to refinery and pipeline issues? Still paying a fortune for gas? Still paying those increased costs? Yup.

Here's a fact for all of you that think this is a great idea.

If you force businesses to pay a living wage the prices go up to cover those new increased cost and all of a sudden the new living wage is too little again. You can't legislate a country into prosperity.

Economics 101.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by MuzzleBreak


Forget supply and demand. Typical childish thinking from Usual Suspects. Some jobs that require little skills or knowledge simply aren't worth even minimum wage. No one should expect to be able to live independently on minimum wage jobs. Without incentive, motivation, our society will be more screwed than it is.

Horse hockey. I hate wal-mart and how they treat their employees but anyone can live comfortably on a good minimum wage job now that it's up to what.. 9 dollars and something an hour. Are you saying a Wal-Mart Greeter's job is so simple they don't deserve minimum wage? You seem to contradict yourself in your statement, so i'm confused.

I make less than minimum wage and I own my house outright, own cars paid for, own computers and other nice things. I only work when i want to or need to. I personally make no more than 6 thousand dollars a year. It all depends on your spending habits and how thrifty you can be and how smart you are with the money you do have.

edit on 30-7-2013 by JohnPhoenix because: sp

Yea there's level of survival I could manage as well on minimum wage, I call that homeless or starving, because at that rate your gonna have to chose.

Originally posted by Metallicus
Here's a fact for all of you that think this is a great idea.

If you force businesses to pay a living wage the prices go up to cover those new increased cost and all of a sudden the new living wage is too little again. You can't legislate a country into prosperity.

Economics 101.

Than we shouldn't be trying in the first place, the problem is the genies already out of the bottle.

Jobs should pay a livable wage. And seeing how Walmart employees cost tax payers over a billion dollars a year in federal aid then they should have to pony up more money.

reply to post by benrl


It's not about crying for Walmart. I could care less about the Walton family and they will have money like nothing more than an abstract concept at those levels, whether they pay Min. wage or $500 an hour. If they are artificially forced to raise wages outside market forces though? Two things will happen. They always do, historically.

Stores and operations (like distribution centers out in rural areas giving badly needed jobs out there) will close where they were borderline or questionable to begin with. In a case like this, with local stupidity, they'll just close the whole operation. Is Walmart hurt? Hardly... They count pennies and make Lincoln scream like a school girl on each one of them, but that's given them enough pennies to throw dollars and not personally care either way. WORKERS get hurt. No one else.

Where they don't shut down? They raise prices. The cute little price chopper with the sword becomes the little price fixer with the hammer and nails. Inflation and economics 101 tho...and rooting for the fall of the big guy is self defeating when the big guy is THAT BIG and tends to fall ONTO the little people it was all supposed to be about. '

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by MuzzleBreak


Forget supply and demand. Typical childish thinking from Usual Suspects. Some jobs that require little skills or knowledge simply aren't worth even minimum wage. No one should expect to be able to live independently on minimum wage jobs. Without incentive, motivation, our society will be more screwed than it is.

Horse hockey. I hate wal-mart and how they treat their employees but anyone can live comfortably on a good minimum wage job now that it's up to what.. 9 dollars and something an hour. Are you saying a Wal-Mart Greeter's job is so simple they don't deserve minimum wage? You seem to contradict yourself in your statement, so i'm confused.

I make less than minimum wage and I own my house outright, own cars paid for, own computers and other nice things. I only work when i want to or need to. I personally make no more than 6 thousand dollars a year. It all depends on your spending habits and how thrifty you can be and how smart you are with the money you do have.

Communities for years have tried to stop Wal-Mart from going in and taking over th town forcing all other business to close down - this is one way that community can fight the giant and win it seems.

edit on 30-7-2013 by JohnPhoenix because: sp

Congratulations on living "independently" on $6K/yr Do you have a car?, a dog? health insurance? wife or kids? Do you have city water, electric, gas? Do you buy food, or find it? take any medicine? Start out with a big nest-egg??Just curious! full time is about 2000 hr/yr. at $8/hr, that $16000/yr.

Washington DC min wage is $8.25 this law forces Walmart to pay a min of $12.50. The city can still pay it's employees lower than 12.50 and they do.City clercks are paid $10 and Janitors are paid $9. It also allows other retailers to pay min wage Safeway pays $8.25 and they do.

This is about union dues and nothing about living wages. Safeway and city employees are union, Walmart aren't.

reply to post by MuzzleBreak
All this will do is cause Walmart to move their businesses elsewhere, taking the jobs they brought with them. I'm sorry but all this will do is hurt the people by taking away jobs in an already struggling jobs market.