Mr. Rob Walton
Chairman of Wal-Mart board of directors
Wal-mart
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716
November 21, 2014
Dear Rob Walton:
With more than $16 billion in annual profits, Walmart can afford to pay its hard working
employees enough to support their families. Instead, Walmart chooses to manipulate schedules
and hours to pay the majority of its workers less than $25,000 a year, keeping hundreds of
thousands of Walmart workers from covering the basics for their children and from being able
to achieve the American Dream.
At the same time Walmart workers are struggling to pay their bills, the Walton family – majority
owners of the company – is building its $149 billion in wealth. The Waltons are robbing
American workers and taxpayers in their effort to keep the title of richest family in the country.
Walmart's and the Waltons' low pay business model is not just wrong; it's holding America
back.
Walmart workers like expecting mom Ronee Hinton don’t know when they will work from week
to week. She recently had to rent out a room from a family friend to avoid living on the street
because her inconsistent schedule at $8.10 an hour makes it impossible to plan and save for her
baby’s future when she is earning less than $400 every two weeks.
As allies whose work focuses on the environment, women’s rights, faith, economic justice, civil
rights and more, we believe Walmart can afford to pay more and has an obligation to do so. We
are calling on Walmart to pay a minimum of $15 an hour and provide consistent, full-time hours
for its workers.
As the largest employer in the country, respect and justice for Walmart associates is central to
the fights we all fight every day.
● Workers’ rights. Walmart can afford to pay $15 and provide full-time jobs to employees
and can respect and listen to workers calls for change rather than illegally firing or
disciplining them for standing up for better lives for their families.
● Women. Walmart can be a leader in providing working women with good jobs with
decent wages, freedom from discrimination and harassment, equal pay for equal work,
paid sick days and time to take care of their families;
● Environment. Walmart can model practices that contribute, not detract from, the
health of people, the climate, and the planet;
● Civil rights. Walmart can contribute towards closing the wealth gap by using its position
as the largest employer in the country to raise the wages of hundreds of thousands of
black and latino workers, and correct its history of discrimination by ensuring that all
demographics are proportionately represented in management.
● Faith. Moral and just treatment of workers – The Walton family, as Presbyterians, has
the opportunity to model what it means to be people of faith who honor the intrinsic
value of all workers by treating them with respect and paying wages that allow workers
to live and raise a family with dignity.
● LGBT and Vets. Walmart can create a workplace that fosters inclusivity, appreciation
and understanding rather than fear and uncertainty; protect the rights of workers to
exercise their own faith tradition; protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights;
and provide opportunities for our nation’s veterans.
Walmart and the Waltons are hurting our families and destroying the American Dream. If
Walmart and the Waltons don’t commit to giving workers a fair shot, and stop holding workers
and our country back, I WILL BE AT WALMART ON BLACK FRIDAY!
Sincerely,
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of Teachers
ColorOfChange.org
Corporate Accountability International
Friends of the Earth
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Jobs with Justice
Demos
MoveOn.Org
9to5
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Organization for Women
National People's Action
SumOfUs
Robert B. Reich
United Food & Commercial Workers International Union
The Center for Popular Democracy
USAction
United States Student Association (USSA)
Jews United for Justice
Green For All
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Interfaith Worker Justice
Center for Community Change (CCC)
18MillionRising.org
9to5 Atlanta
9to5 California
9to5 Colorado
9to5 Wisconsin
A. Philip Randolph Institute-Seattle Chapter
Action Network
Alliance for a Greater NY (ALIGN)
American Federation of Government Employees
American Postal Workers Union
AMOS
ARISE Chicago
Arise for Social Justice
Arizona Worker Rights Center
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance - San Francisco
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
ASU USAS- Arizona State University United Students Against Sweatshops
Baltimore (SCLC) Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Baltimore Worker's Assembly
Black Youth 100
BMore Local
Brandworkers
CA Black Workers Center
California Institute for Rural Studies
CASE (Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy)
Center for Media Justice
Center for Neighborhood Leadership Phoenix
Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa/IWJ
Chicago Jobs with Justice
Chicago Midwest Regional Joint Board
Children's Alliance
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, Los Angeles (CLUE-LA)
Coalition for Social and Environmental Responsibility in Boulder (CSERB)
Coalition Of Black Trade Unionists
Coalition of Labor Union Women
CODEPINK Dallas
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Colorado Jobs With Justice
Columbia University/Roosevelt Institute
Community Alliance for Global Justice
Cornell Organization for Labor Action
Courage Campaign
CultureStrike
CWA District 9
DC Jobs With Justice
Disciples Justice Action Network
Domesticas del Valle
Dream Corps Unlimited
Dream Defenders
DuPage County Interfaith Worker Justice/ Pax Christi Illinois
East Bay Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy/IWJ
Environmental Action
Fair World Project
Faith Action Network
Family Values @ Work
Filipino Community Center
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Freedom Socialist Party
GetEQUAL
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
HEAL-ONLINE.ORG
Highlander Center
IBEW 574
ICNA Council for Social Justice
ICSD
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice in San Diego
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
Interfaith Worker Justice of East Tennessee
Interfaith Worker Justice of New Mexico
International Labor Rights Forum
International Socialist Organization
Ironworkers Local 847
Islamic Circle of North America - Council for Social Justice
IUE-CWA
IWJ/Community Faith & Labor Coalition, Indianapolis
IWJ/Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
IWJ/Lonsdale UMC
IWJ/Voces de la Frontera
Jewish Labor Committee Western Region
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
Jobs with Justice East Tennessee
Jobs with Justice SF
Jobs with Justice-Whatcom County
Kairos: The Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice
Kitsap County Central Labor Council
Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives Congregation
Labor-Dem Work Group
Ladies of Charity
Law Offices of Garry Ferraris
Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW
Long Island Jobs with Justice
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)
LUCHA- Living United for Change in Arizona
Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative
Majlis Ash Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of Metropolitan New York
Make the Road New York
Making Change at Walmart Puget Sound
Many Voices One Tribe
Martinez Street Women's Center
Massachusetts Jobs With Justice
Massachusetts Interfaith Worker Justice
MassCOSH
Maternal and Child Health Access
Media Alliance
Miami Valley Organizing Collaborative
Million Hoodies Movement for Justice
Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project
Movement Strategy Center
Mujeres Unidas y Activas
National Congress of Negro Women
National Guestworker Alliance (NGA)Network for Environmental & Economic
Responsibility of United Church Of Christ
New Economy Project
New Hampshire Conference, UCC Economic Justice Mission Group
New Jersey Citizen Action
New Jersey United Students (NJUS)
New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice
North Bay Jobs with Justice
Northwest Ohio CLUW Chapter
NTLB North Texas Light Brigade
NY United
Ohio Organizing Collaborative
Ohio Student Association
ONE DC
Pilgrim United Church of Christ
Praxis
Priest-Labor Initiative
Progressive Democrats of America
Promise Arizona
PUENTE Human Rights Movement
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action
Puget Sound Sage
Radical Women
Resource Generation
Restaurant Opportunities Center
Retail Action Project (RAP)
Retail Justice Alliance
Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU)
Rise Up Georgia
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
SEA
Seattle Chapter National Organization for Women
SEIU United Service Workers West
Shop Well LA
SLAP of WWU
SoCalCOSH
South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice
Southern Maine Workers' Center
St. Joseph Valley Project--Jobs with Justice
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Strong Economy for All Coalition
Student Labor Action Project
SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development
System Change Not Climate Change
the Akron Organizing Collaborative
The Black Institute
The Enviro Show
The Other 98%
The Poverty Initiative of Union Theological Seminary
The Praxis Project
The Ruckus Society
The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Union-Western Region
Toledo Area Jobs with Justice & Interfaith Worker Justice Coalition
UCIMC
UFCW Local 711
UFCW 951
UFCW Local 1439
UFCW Local 1442
UFCW Local 1500
UFCW Local 1776
UFCW Local 2013
UFCW Local 21
UFCW Local 23
UFCW Local 555
UFCW Local 75
UFCW Local 88
UFCW Local 888
UFCW Local 951
Umass Student Labor Action Project
UNITE HERE Local 2
Unite HERE Local 631
UniteBlue
United Mine Workers of America
United Students Against Sweatshops
United Students Against Sweatshops-Local 15
United Workers Congress
University of Louisville Student Labor Action Project
University of Maryland - Student Labor Action Project
Veterans For Peace Chapter 106, North Texas
Voices for Racial Justice
VOTE MOB
WA YELL Spokane
Walmart Free NYC
Warehouse Worker Resource Center
Washington CAN!
Washington Fair Trade Coalition
Washington Public Employees Association
Washington YELL
Western Mass. Jobs with Justice
Workers Defense Project
Young Workers United
*Legal Notice: UFCW and OUR Walmart have the purpose of helping Walmart
employees as individuals or groups in their dealings with Walmart over labor rights and
standards and their efforts to have Walmart publicly commit to adhere to labor rights
and standards. UFCW and OUR Walmart have no intent to have Walmart recognize or
bargain with UFCW or OUR Walmart as the representative of its employees. Courts have
enjoined non-Associate UFCW and OUR Walmart agents from entering any Walmart
property, except to shop, in Arkansas ((read order), Florida ((read order), Texas ((read
order), Colorado (read order), and Maryland ((read order); and in California from
entering inside stores (read order).