Robert Reich knows why Walmart raised wages (Hint: Victory for public demand)

Doug P. | 10:09 AM on February 20, 2015

The CEO of Walmart recently announced that the company will raise its starting wage to a minimum of $9 per hour. The move was reportedly made as a way for the company to hold on to workers longer.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich believes Walmart raised their starting wage simply because they were lobbied to do so:

Walmart didn't hike wages because of tight labor market (many low-end workers still jobless) but because its workers and public demanded it.

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) February 20, 2015

Or maybe it was a business decision:

@RBReich or maybe just maybe Walmart did it because management thought it was a good idea ? Biased #uspoli

— IDEA Factory (@Phraxis_IDEA) February 20, 2015

@RBReich no they were losing their employees to rivals who were paying more. Nothing noble about this action.

— Rick Rubin (@rubido7777) February 20, 2015