Just released from the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid reports of pay inequality and a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 1.5 million current and former female Wal-Mart employees – the largest in history – over fifty members of Congress led by U.S. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) today requested Wal-Mart release its wage statistics to Congress. In a letter to CEO Lee Scott, the members said they sought the information “to further understand why Wal-Mart pays its women associates less than men and promotes its female workers less frequently than their male counterparts.”
Almost 700,000 women work for Wal-Mart – nearly three-quarters of the company’s workforce – and on average earn higher performance ratings than men and stay with the company longer. Yet women account for only a third of the company’s managers – only 15 percent of store managers. In comparable positions, Wal-Mart pays its female hourly workers 40 cents less per hour than their male counterparts, with female managers earning nearly $5,000 per year less than managers who are men.
“This is part of a public education campaign to familiarize a public that knows Wal-Mart the retailer with the practices of Wal-Mart the employer – the largest employer in the country,” said DeLauro. “Our nation’s largest employer is the single most influential corporation in the world right now. We need to make sure it is a responsible corporate citizen.”
The full text of the letter follows.
Lee Scott, CEO
Walmart
7000 Marina Boulevard
Birsbane, CA 04005
Dear Mr. Scott,
We are writing to bring to your attention an ongoing matter involving Wal-Mart and its policy regarding gender discrimination. As you know, pay inequity is a serious issue in the United States, with women still earning only 76 cents for every dollar that a man earns. That is why it is of great concern to us that Wal-Mart, America’s largest employer, does not pay its women the same wage as men for the same work.
A recent analysis of Wal-Mart’s own payroll record conducted by Professor Richard Drogin, Professor Emeritus at University of California, Berkeley, showed that Wal-Mart paid its female hourly workers 40 cents less per hour than their male counterparts, with female managers earning nearly $5,000 per year less than managers who were men. In addition, while women comprise 72 percent of your workforce, almost 700,000 overall, women only account for a third of your managers and only 15 percent of your store managers – this, despite the fact that your female employees, on average, earn higher performance ratings than men and turnover less frequently.
In view of this, we would ask Wal-Mart to disclose its wage statistics for congressional review, including any documents submitted to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In doing so, we seek to further understand why Wal-Mart pays its women associates less than men and promotes its female workers less frequently than their male counterparts.
We welcome your new commitment to begin a national discussion about Wal-Mart’s business practices; certainly, as the nation’s wealthiest and largest employer and largest company, Wal-Mart has a unique role and responsibility to do the right thing and set the best standard for America. But it remains unacceptable for any employer, much less our nation’s largest, to discriminate against its women workers. We would urge you to take a personal interest and active role in resolving this issue as soon as possible.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Rosa L. DeLauro
George Miller
Hilda Solis
Anna Eshoo
Barbara Lee
Rush Holt
Jim McDermott
Frank Pallone
Raul Grijalva
John Conyers, Jr.
Anthony Weiner
Carolyn Maloney
Tom Lantos
Bernie Sanders
Peter DeFazio
Joe Baca
Sam Farr>
Neil Abercrombie
Rahm Emanuel
James McGovern
Carolyn McCarthy
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Linda Sanchez
Robert Wexler
Corrine Brown
Mike Honda
Louise Slaughter
Jan Schakowsky
Brian Higgins
Dennis Kucinich
Robert Brady
Shelley Berkley
Debbie Wasserman- Schultz
Lane Evans
Madeleine Bordallo
Lois Capps
Gwen Moore
Bob Filner
Bill Pascrell
Elijah Cummings
John Tierney
Sherrod Brown
Jerrold Nadler
Ed Markey
Zoe Lofgren
Stephen Lynch
Eleanor Holmes Norton
John Olver
Barney Frank
Betty McCollum
Michael Capuano
