Several of the nation’s largest corporations announced they are giving employees a bonus as a result of federal tax reform. Walmart, who employs tens of thousands of Louisianans, announced they are increasing bottom salaries from nine dollars to 11 dollars, and authorizing up to a thousand dollars in bonuses for employees. Zachary Walmart manager Cornelius Lombard says workers appreciated the gesture.
Lombard says the bonuses are the results of a hugely profitable run for the retail giant.
Walmart has come under fire in recent years for paying workers poverty level wages. Making Change at Walmart Director of Communication Amy Ritter says Walmart’s thousand dollar bonus headline was fairly misleading.
Ritter says the tax cut should provide the company with another 1.85 billion a year.
Ritter says even with the pay increase, hundreds of thousands of Walmart workers will still be below the poverty line. She says the costs for impoverished workers falls back on the taxpayer.
Walmart posts yearly profits of roughly 14 billion dollars, Ritter says the one to two dollar pay increases will cost the company about 200 to 300 million a year.