{"id":351972,"date":"2021-10-13T02:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T23:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-value-gap-boosting-walmart-base-pay-by-5-wouldnt-just-mean-livable-wages-it-could-help-workers-live-longer-new-report-says\/"},"modified":"2021-10-13T02:13:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T23:13:00","slug":"the-value-gap-boosting-walmart-base-pay-by-5-wouldnt-just-mean-livable-wages-it-could-help-workers-live-longer-new-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-value-gap-boosting-walmart-base-pay-by-5-wouldnt-just-mean-livable-wages-it-could-help-workers-live-longer-new-report-says\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Value Gap: Boosting Walmart base pay by $5 wouldn\u2019t just mean livable wages \u2014 it could help workers live longer, new report says"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a256f82b8975\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a256f82b8975\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-value-gap-boosting-walmart-base-pay-by-5-wouldnt-just-mean-livable-wages-it-could-help-workers-live-longer-new-report-says\/#The_worlds_largest_retailer_lags_main_competitors_as_hundreds_of_thousands_of_its_US_associates_still_earn_below_15_an_hour_research_shows\" >The world\u2019s largest retailer lags main competitors as hundreds of thousands of its U.S. associates still earn below $15 an hour, research shows.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-value-gap-boosting-walmart-base-pay-by-5-wouldnt-just-mean-livable-wages-it-could-help-workers-live-longer-new-report-says\/#Levi_Sumagaysay\" >Levi Sumagaysay<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#The Value Gap: Boosting Walmart base pay by $5 wouldn\u2019t just mean livable wages \u2014 it could help workers live longer, new report says<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_worlds_largest_retailer_lags_main_competitors_as_hundreds_of_thousands_of_its_US_associates_still_earn_below_15_an_hour_research_shows\"><\/span>\n  The world\u2019s largest retailer lags main competitors as hundreds of thousands of its U.S. associates still earn below $15 an hour, research shows.<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"article body\">\n<div class=\"article__side\">\n<div class=\"container--sticky not-active\">\n<div id=\"cx-next\" data-nosnippet>\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000436510\" role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetArticleReader\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetArticleReader\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-object-article-reader\">\n<div class=\"audioplayer\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000436510\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Listen to Article\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"articlereader\" data-show-title=\"false\" data-theme=\"wsj-article-reader\" data-show-header=\"false\" data-show-subscribe=\"false\" data-ads-enabled=\"true\" data-save-publication=\"false\">\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       <strong><em>The Value Gap<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>\u00a0is a MarketWatch Q&amp;A <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> with business leaders, academics, policymakers and activists on reducing racial and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> inequalities.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Walmart, the employer of more than 1.6 million workers in the nation, has long been urged to improve conditions and pay for the many hourly workers at its stores. The latest call comes from a California nonprofit that\u2019s asking the world\u2019s largest retailer to raise base pay for its hourly U.S. workers by $5 an hour in the name of improving public health.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       Human Impact Partners, a national nonprofit made up of public-health practitioners and researchers, wrote a letter this week to Walmart<br \/>\n        WMT,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/207374728\/composite\" class=\"negative\">-0.11%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n       executives and board members, enclosing its new research that shows how boosting pay could result in specific improvements in its workers\u2019 health and therefore benefit their communities. Those include prolonging their lives by two years, preventing low birth-weight rates and more. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll people deserve the right to economic security \u2014 and as public health experts, we know how critical livable wages are to health and wellbeing,\u201d the letter says. \u201cWalmart has the opportunity to set a precedent of how essential workers are valued in our society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to HIP\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/humanimpact.org\/walmartwages\" class=\"icon none\">research brief<\/a> \u2014 which is based on other studies, epidemiological datasets and information from the company itself \u2014 Walmart is the largest employer of women and people of color in the U.S. Although the company last month raised its base wage for hourly workers from $11 an hour to $12 an hour, that is \u201cstill wholly inadequate for working families,\u201d the group says.<\/p>\n<p>A Walmart spokesman pointed to previous statements by the company about the recent wage increases, which it said bumped up the average wage of 1.2 million hourly workers to $16.40 an hour. Starting wages range from $12 to $17 an hour, according to Walmart. In a written response to HIP, the company\u2019s chief sustainability officer, Kathleen McLaughlin, said the company\u2019s \u201cwages are competitive with others\u2019 role-for-role and location-for-location.\u201d She also said the company aims to \u201cachieve 2\/3 full-time for hourly store associates this year,\u201d which should help boost pay and predictability.<\/p>\n<p>The research brief is an example of how the Oakland, Calif.-based organization tries to help spark policy change that centers health and equity. MarketWatch spoke with HIP co-director Lili Farhang, who has extensive experience in governmental public health and research, about the nonprofit\u2019s work and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach, as well as why the nonprofit is targeting Walmart. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWalmart is not alone in how they treat their workers,\u201d Farhang said. \u201cThe U.S. is unique in how much it relies on a person\u2019s place of employment to provide them with what they need to live a healthy life. \u2026 We need to fight on the policy front to make sure our government institutions also do their part. And we need to continue to put pressure on these companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The interview has been edited for length and clarity:<\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketWatch:<\/strong> If you were at a dinner party, how would you describe HIP\u2019s mission and work?<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Farhang:<\/strong> Most of us think about health and how it happens as a product of our individual choices. About going to the doctor and listening to what the doctor says. If you look at the universe of research that\u2019s out there, the truth is what drives a person\u2019s health is their social, economic and environmental conditions.<\/p>\n<p>What we do is bring together expertise and make it useful to social movements trying to improve people\u2019s lives and conditions. A lot of times, people don\u2019t know there\u2019s evidence base that connects it all to health. We\u2019re trying to make it useful and actionable. <\/p>\n<p>I think COVID-19 has opened people\u2019s eyes to public health. We need to act as a community. My health is bound up in your health. My well-being is bound up in your well-being.<\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"inline\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetPullQuote\n            inline\n    scope-web|mobileapps\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetPullQuote\n            article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsj-article-pullquote article__inset__pullquote \">\n<p class=\"pullquote-content article__inset__pullquote__quote\">\n        <span class=\"l-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--left\">\u201c<\/span>\u2018Not having a stable income, not knowing whether you can pay your bills, not knowing your schedule ahead of time \u2014 all of that translates into stress.\u2019<span class=\"r-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--right\">\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       <strong>MarketWatch<\/strong>: You\u2019re asking Walmart to raise its hourly workers\u2019 wages by $5 by centering health. Can you explain?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <strong>Farhang<\/strong>: The genesis of this work is how economic security affects health and well-being. Having a job and income are the most consequential drivers of health. We have also looked at paid sick leave at Walmart and other corporations.<\/p>\n<p>We focus on Walmart and how a raise would lead to very tangible improvements in its workers\u2019 lives. Our study shows that it would help an increase in life span, in prevention of low birth weight, [and] bring improvement in self-reported health status and a reduction in mental health problems related to anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n<p>This would primarily accrue to women and people of color, because that\u2019s who makes up the company\u2019s [hourly wage] workforce.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketWatch<\/strong>: How important is a living wage to mental health specifically?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Farhang<\/strong>: All of these external factors \u2014 things like having a living wage or affordable housing, or any of these social and economic determinants \u2014 get under your skin directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n<p>Not having a stable income, not knowing whether you can pay your bills, not knowing your schedule ahead of time \u2014 all of that translates into stress. Some stress manifests as worry and anxiety, depression, or as anger and frustration. For some people, it\u2019s across all of these.<\/p>\n<p>Those mental health effects are important independently and can directly affect physical health. You can develop [physical] health problems. They\u2019re all bound up in each other.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketWatch<\/strong>: How would raising Walmart hourly associates\u2019 wages affect the rest of the nation economically? Data shows that many Walmart associates receive public assistance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Farhang<\/strong>: We focus on $5 as opposed to $1, $2 or $3 because we know Walmart is paying well below a living wage, according to MIT\u2019s and other calculations. Many associates make about $19,000 annually, lower than the federal poverty level. No one can reasonably live on that anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>We wanted to focus on Walmart because of their scale, scope and their ability to set a standard. What they do really matters. Their compensation practices really matter. Hundreds of thousands of their employees are still earning below $15 an hour [according to our research], while a lot of other major retailers have raised their wages to a base of $15.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong> A $15 wage is becoming the norm as employers struggle to fill jobs<\/p>\n<p>Why not see what would happen if they could lead? We know they can afford this. Their profits have soared during the pandemic. There\u2019s so much research that Walmart associates have to rely on public benefits to fill the gaps, or rely on public healthcare. Raising wages would decrease reliance on those benefits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketWatch:<\/strong> How would Walmart heeding your call align with its stated commitment to racial equity?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Farhang<\/strong>: If you look at their workforce, and who they\u2019re asking to subsist on those wages, their commitment to racial and gender equity are not borne out in their commitment to their workers. On top of not making things better, they\u2019re actually making it worse.<\/p>\n<p>When you think about their public commitments, sure, I\u2019m glad they made a $100 million commitment [last year] to support philanthropy on equity. But their commitment can best be seen in how they treat their own family and community. And right now they\u2019re making choices around wages and benefits that don\u2019t demonstrate their stated commitment.<\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"inline\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetPullQuote\n            inline\n    scope-web|mobileapps\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetPullQuote\n            article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsj-article-pullquote article__inset__pullquote \">\n<p class=\"pullquote-content article__inset__pullquote__quote\">\n        <span class=\"l-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--left\">\u201c<\/span>\u2018The more you can widen the circle of concern and bring other sectors along, and advocate with organizers, the more you can create change.\u2019<span class=\"r-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--right\">\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       <strong>MarketWatch<\/strong>: Does anything Walmart has done recently suggest it will seriously consider your call? The company this year urged shareholders to vote against a call for a report on alignment of racial justice goals with starting wages. Do you have other actions planned to try to put pressure on the company?<\/p>\n<p> <strong>Farhang<\/strong>: We have a responsibility as researchers and public health experts to continue to look at these issues and to bring them to institutions and corporations responsible.\u00a0We\u2019re part of a larger ecosystem that\u2019s committed to holding corporations accountable. This is about keeping up the drumbeat.<\/p>\n<p>As an example, HIP is supportive of United for Respect\u2019s work, including worker-driven campaigns like Walmart associates\u2019\u00a0push for an additional $5 [an] hour during the pandemic. <\/p>\n<p>HIP\u2019s outreach to Walmart with our analysis and findings is in the same spirit of associates\u2019 efforts to push Walmart to make concrete policy changes. We hope our research underscores and helps make the case for what associates have been calling for for nearly a decade: a raise in base pay to at least $15 an hour, if not more.<\/p>\n<p>The more you can widen the circle of concern and bring other sectors along, and advocate with organizers, the more you can create change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketWatch<\/strong>: Can you talk a little bit more about HIP\u2019s approach to equity? How has HIP has made a difference in other cases?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Farhang<\/strong>: One of the very first projects I worked on when I first came to HIP in 2008 focused on paid sick days. There was no law in California requiring employers to provide employees with paid sick days. We got involved with gender-equity and other groups. <\/p>\n<p>What would it mean to bring a public health perspective to advocate for paid sick days? Literally, people shouldn\u2019t go to work sick and make other people sick. We put out reports in California, New Jersey, New Hampshire and other places.<\/p>\n<p>It took six years for California to require employers to provide paid sick leave. These things take time. You have to be in it for the long haul. And it\u2019s still not done because there\u2019s no national paid sick leave law, though it\u2019s being considered by Congress.<\/p>\n<p>We keep chipping away, keep using our voice as public health professionals. We very explicitly talk about structural racism and other forms of power. One of the key ways we work is to support people who are working on issues including housing affordability, economic security, policing, bail reform and immigration.<\/p>\n<p><em>This story has been updated with Walmart\u2019s response to HIP.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>    <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author mobile-scrim hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Levi Sumagaysay\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"bio\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/author\/levi-sumagaysay\",\"text\":\"Biography\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"twitter\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/levisu\",\"text\":\"@levisu\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"email\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/mailto:levi.sumagaysay@marketwatch.com\",\"text\":\"levi.sumagaysay@marketwatch.com\"}]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\" aria-label=\"links to  author page\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Levi_Sumagaysay\"><\/span>Levi Sumagaysay<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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The Value Gap\u00a0is a MarketWatch Q&amp;A series with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":351973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-351972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}