Walmart Is Holding Food Drives Again to Urge Workers to Help Feed Their Co-Workers

Last year, when Walmart workers in Ohio released a photo (below) of food donation bins in their break room, the corporation was faced with fierce backlash. A sign on the bins read: “Please donate food items here so Associates in need can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.” The hypocrisy of such a large and profitable corporation asking its low-wage workers to help feed its other low-wage workers rightfully sparked outrage. 

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Despite last year’s criticism, Walmart has brought the food bins back (pictured below), this time in Oklahoma. A press release from Making Change at Walmart’s public consultants stated that in addition: “A worker from Indiana reports that managers there are also organizing bake sales, encouraging workers to support their co-workers with food donations.”

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The news comes on the heels of a new report by Eat Drink Politics, a food industry watchdog consulting firm, which found that Walmart is a major contributor to the country’s hunger crisis.  

“National organizations and experts working to reduce hunger consistently cite low wages and part-time work as the most common root causes of hunger – both major problems for workers at Walmart,” the report states. “Walmart and the Waltons can have a direct impact in fighting hunger for the 1.3 million Americans that it employs.”

Walmart’s food drives show that the corporation knows that many of its workers are in need. But instead of giving workers fair wages and hours, the corporation would rather other people take care of its workers. In the case of the food drive, Walmart is relying on some of its workers paid poverty wages to help its other workers paid poverty wages, which is bad enough. But it also makes taxpayers bear the brunt of their low pay. An Americans for Tax Fairness report released in April, found that Americans are paying an estimated $6.2 billion annually for Walmart workers’ food-stamps, health care and other taxpayer-funded programs. Meanwhile, the corporation brings in $16 billion in profits each year.

Next Friday, Walmart workers have promised to stage the largest Black Friday strikes in history to demand $15 an hour and provide full-time work.  It is estimated that workers will hold more than 1,600 protests nationwide.