Walmart to raise wages, provide one-time bonus and expand hourly maternity and parental leave for associates in South Carolina
January 22, 2018
Recently, Walmart announced plans to increase the starting wage rate for all hourly associates in the U.S. to $11, expand maternity and parental leave benefits and provide a one-time cash bonus for eligible associates of up to $1,000. The company is also creating a new benefit to assist associates with adoption expenses. The combined wage and benefit changes will benefit the company’s more than one million U.S. hourly associates, including just over 18,400 Walmart associates in South Carolina.
“We are building on investments we’ve been making in associates, in their wages and skills development,” said Doug McMillon, Walmart president and CEO. “It’s our people who make the difference and we appreciate how they work hard to make every day easier for busy families.”
“We’re proud to have Walmart as a leading employer in our state and salute the company for investing its tax reform savings in higher wages for South Carolina workers,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. “Walmart is helping keep South Carolina’s economy strong with investments in people and its facilities in South Carolina.”
Associates will continue to hear more from their managers in the coming days about details. But, broadly, associates in South Carolina are receiving the following benefits:
• More than 18,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in South Carolina will soon receive wage increases and bonuses totaling $32.9 million.
• A one-time bonus benefiting all eligible full and part-time hourly associates in the U.S. The amount of the bonus will be based on length of service, with associates with at least 20 years qualifying for $1,000. In South Carolina more than 18,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates are expected to be eligible for the one-time cash bonus, which is estimated to total nearly $7.7 million.
• An increase in Walmart’s starting wage rate to $11 an hour, effective in the Feb. 17, 2018, pay cycle. The change is in addition to wage increases already planned for many U.S. markets in the coming fiscal year. The increase applies to all hourly associates in the U.S., including stores, Sam’s Clubs, eCommerce, logistics and Home Office. More than 16,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in South Carolina are expected to receive a wage increase, which is estimated to total more than $25.2 million. Walmart’s new average hourly wage for full-time associates in South Carolina will be $14.08.
• An expanded parental and maternity leave policy, providing full-time hourly associates in the U.S. with 10 weeks of paid maternity leave and six weeks of paid parental leave. Salaried associates will also receive six weeks of paid parental leave.
• Walmart will provide financial assistance to associates adopting a child. The adoption benefit, available to both full-time hourly and salaried associates, will total $5,000 per child and may be used for expenses such as adoption agency fees, translation fees and legal or court costs.
About Walmart in South Carolina In South Carolina we serve customers at 123 retail units and online through Walmart Grocery Pickup, Walmart.com and Jet.com. We are proud to employ more than 32,000 associates in South Carolina. Walmart supports local businesses, spending more than $1.6 billion with suppliers in FYE17, which supported more than 26,000 supplier jobs here. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are active in South Carolina communities where we live and work and invest in communities through local grants, customer engagement and associate volunteer efforts. In FYE17, we contributed nearly $30 million in cash and in-kind donations to South Carolina nonprofits and our associates here volunteered more than 20,000 hours with local causes. Learn more at the Walmart Today blog, and our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram channels.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. The company’s legal name will become Walmart Inc., effective on Feb. 1, 2018, to reflect its growing status as an omni-channel retailer. Each week, over 260 million customers and members visit our more than 11,600 stores under nearly 60 banners in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of $485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
