Wal-Mart to Raise Pay for U.S. Workers, Boost Personal Leave, Disability Benefits

Amy Traub, senior policy analyst at Demos, a New York-based nonpartisan public policy research organization, told Bloomberg BNA Jan. 20: ‘‘It’s really striking the way the growing protests we’ve seen by Wal-Mart workers, and increasing public pressure, has really pushed the world’s largest employer to raise wages and improve [work] schedules. It’s a huge victory for Wal-Mart workers [and] will ultimately benefit the company itself as employees have increased buying power.’’

Traub added, however, that recent research Demos conducted analyzed the extent to which $10 an hour would benefit workers, and that wage falls short of what they need. ‘‘We found that’s still not adequate for people to live on, especially when so many workers are stuck with part-time work when they want to work full- time,’’ she said.

In addition, Traub said, she remains troubled about the news last week about the company’s plan to close 269 stores.

‘‘What one would really want to see from Wal-Mart is a commitment to ensuring that people are not just out of work, but would be rehired by the company at other stores,’’ she said. ‘‘Certainly, it’s a company that can well afford to offer these workers other opportunities.’’