Walmart: Less Justin Bieber Music Won’t Satisfy The $15-An-Hour Pay Movement
According to the management of Walmart, less Justin Bieber and Celine Dione music could have a noticeable effect on Walmart employee morale. Instead, the retail giant is introducing a new Walmart Radio station which will choose the music selection. But will this be enough to improve morale when many workers are demanding Walmart pay $15 an hour?
In a related report by the Inquisitr, certain Walmart stores will see their air conditioning temperature rise from 74 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or fall from 76 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, based on the climate and locale. The strict Walmart dress code is also being relaxed a little bit in order to allow jeans to be worn by those who work in more physical parts of the store.
A recent shareholder meeting led to many changes being made. Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon also claimed that the biggest problem is the management structure, and he likened the situation to Star Wars.
“The truth is the real villains are lurking within the company,” said McMillon, according to Time. “Our real villains are things like bureaucracy, complacency, a lack of speed, or a lack of passion. We can be like scrappy rebels in Star Wars, fighting an insurgency against the galactic empire.”
Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran explained one aspect of the new Rebel strategy by Walmart: less Justin Bieber also means they will attempt to freshen up their music selection instead of recycling the same CD loops over and over, which has probably been driving there many Walmart associates — and many a customer — completely nuts. Radio Walmart will have an actual DJ to choose the music selection, and although they have yet to announce their playlist it is hoped it will be something fresher than Bieber’s evil empire.
While the decision to have Walmart play less Justin Bieber may seem rather silly in comparison to other issues, Foran believes the changes are intended to show workers that senior management is listening to their complaints.
“There is nothing I like better than hearing about your jobs, your ideas, your hopes and dreams, and frustration, and listening to how we can make your lives easier,” he explained, according to Fortune.
Mike Moore, executive vice president of supercenters, also admitted that mental health was a consideration.
“One of my fellow associates recently developed a serious eye-tic from hearing Celine Dion’s greatest hits on loop in our stores,” he said, according to The Washington Post.
Unfortunately, the Rebels were blown up by the Death Star in their biggest fight. The recent shareholders meeting also had some proposing a $15-per-hour starting wage, but this was shot down by the Walton family, which owns 51 percent of all shares in the company.
Some Walmart employees also claim that their stores were abruptly closed in retaliation to the demands for $15-an-hour pay. For example, Venanzi Luna was given a five-hour notice before losing her job.
“If Wal-Mart executives are not punishing us, then they should promise us right here right now that they’ll reinstate us when our store opens,” she said. “That’s the right thing to do.”
Mary Watkins, who works at a store in Washington, explained why she thinks a $15-an-hour minimum wage is fair.
“The Walton family receives billions of dollars in dividends from our company each year,” she said. “Yet, tens of thousands of associates receive so little each year that they are eligible for food stamps. That’s a double standard and that has to stop.”
The company believes they have done more than enough, with a statement noting it has invested more than $1 billion in its associates “including raising wages, creating new training programs and giving associates more control over their schedules.”
[Image via Teamster Nation]
