Walmart had threatened to scrap plans to build three stores in Washington, D.C. if the city council passed a living wage bill raising the minimum pay large retailers must offer to $12.50 per hour.
Today, the council approved the “living wage” act 8-5, and Walmart confirmed that they would not move forward with the new stores.
Former D.C. mayor and current city council member Marion Barry reportedly summed up his position in his own controversial fashion:
https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/355059730982510592
The economic lesson the city council taught with passage of the bill was that zero Walmart jobs at $12.50 an hour is preferable to hundreds at $8.25 an hour:
The DC City Council created a higher wage for 'big box' store jobs that will now no longer exist. Marion Barry must be sharing his stash.
— Michael Freeman (@michaelpfreeman) July 10, 2013
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