Nearly 40 percent of Wal-Mart's US workers to get pay raises

[unhappycamper]

http://kdhnews.com/business/nearly-percent-of-wal-mart-s-us-workers-to-get/article_49ce087c-b847-11e4-9b92-3beaa4c113d4.html

Nearly 40 percent of Wal-Mart's US workers to get pay raises
Associated Press
Posted: Thursday, February 19, 2015 8:55 am

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is spending $1 billion to make changes to how it pays and trains U.S. hourly workers as the embattled retailer tries to reshape the image that its stores offer dead-end jobs.

As part of its biggest investment in worker training and pay ever, Wal-Mart told The Associated Press that within the next six months it will give raises to about 500,000 workers, or nearly 40 percent of its 1.3 million U.S. employees. Wal-Mart follows other retailers that have boosted hourly pay recently, but because it's the nation's largest private employer, the impact of its move will be more closely watched.

In addition to raises, Wal-Mart said it plans to make changes to how workers are scheduled and add training programs for sales staff so that employees can more easily map out their future at the company.

"We are trying to create a meritocracy where you can start somewhere and end up just as high as your hard work and your capacity will enable you to go," CEO Doug McMillon told the AP during an interview this week at the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. It will make little difference, since...

DU will still shop at Amazon where worker conditions are worse.

[shenmue]

2. ?!?!?!

Did they actually see the light?

[Still Sensible]

3. I think they finally discovered that

their own workers can't even afford to shop at WalMart anymore.

[daleanime]

4. +1

Plus no business with customers likes the press that they've been receiving.

[House of Roberts]

5. So, as their pay goes up,

their government subsidy will go down. The workers won't really gain until their wage rises above the threshold where they need food stamps, subsidized housing, etc.

[Thor_MN]

6. "so that employees can more easily map out their future at the company... "

Don't really need training programs for that...