Walmart claims it was blindsided by a living wage law (AKA the Large Retailer Accountability Act) passed by the Washington, D.C. City Council. Had it known, Walmart said, it never would have built the three stores currently near completion. Further, the chain says it will likely not go ahead with three other planned stores in the district.
City leaders say they have no idea what Walmart is going on about since its executives and lobbyists have claimed over the past 10 years that the retailer would pay workers at least as much as the living wage law requires and perhaps more.
"They promised they were going to start people at $13 an hour, and they said that over and over and over," the Rev. Graylan Hagler, senior pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Northeast Washington, told The Washington Post.
Earlier this week, Walmart company spokesperson Steven Restivo told the Post the retailer planned to pay workers in its D.C. stores an average of $12.39 an hour. The new law calls for a minimum wage of $12.50.
Walmart argues that the bill is discriminatory because it singles it out while letting most other businesses out of paying the same wages.
The Post's editorial board agrees with the chain: "The hubris of the Large Retailer Accountability Act is matched by its hypocrisy." The paper pointed out that restaurant workers, union members in grocery stores and even government employees would earn less than what the new law would require of Walmart.
The bill, which was approved by an 8-5 margin, goes to Washington Mayor Vincent Gray. If Mr. Gray chooses to veto the bill, it would require nine members of the council to overturn it. The mayor has not indicated at this point what he intends to do.
- D.C. Council approves 'living wage' bill over Wal-Mart ultimatum - The Washington Post (tiered sub.)
- Wal-Mart calls D.C. Council's 'living wage' bill a bait-and-switch tactic - The Washington Post (tiered sub.)
- Wal-Mart says it would abandon plans for 3 DC stores if 'living wage' bill is approved - The Associated Press/The Washington Post (tiered sub.)
- Wal-Mart: The D.C. Council has forced our hand - The Washington Post
- How a D.C. wage bill — and the council's hubris — threaten city development - The Washington Post