The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) members, volunteers and residents prayed Wal-Mart would work to better its pay and health benefits by Christmas Day.
A group of seven — residents, volunteers and members of the South Carolina Chapter of ACORN — prayed Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Forest Drive.
“Father God, remember the weak and the poor this holiday season ... We pray for workers who struggle to make ends meet,” said Tom Wall, a local minister.
Francean Lott, a Columbia resident and ACORN member, said she has never worked for the Arkansas-based retailer. However, her empathy for those who do motivated her to participate in the vigil.
“I care about the people who work for them — single moms and retired personnel,” Lott said. She said for Wal-Mart to be such a profitable company, its employees need more affordable health plans and better pay.
Chris Kofinis, national spokesman for ACORN and WakeUpWalMart.com, said Wal-Mart’s health insurance plans with deductibles as high as $3,000, associates with earnings near poverty levels and restrictions and penalties for employee absences have hurt the retailer’s 1.3 million workers.
David Tovar, director of media relations for Wal-Mart, said the group’s comments and actions are not deserved.
“Our critics continue to focus on negative tactics and antics,” he said. “The fact is Americans know Wal-Mart is good for thousands of families.”
Tovar said the No. 2 Fortune 500 company creates thousands of jobs each year. He said health insurance is provided to full-time and part-time workers after six months and a year, respectively.
“Alot of our competitors don’t do that,” Tovar said, adding that the company’s “value plan” health insurance has premiums as low as $11.
Tovar said just as Wal-Mart shoppers in South Carolina and other states benefit from its $4-generic drug plan so does its employees.
As of November, Wal-Mart employed 25,551 associates in South Carolina, according to Marisa Bluestone, another Wal-Mart spokesperson.
And the average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in South Carolina is $10.30 a hour. Also, associates are eligible for performance-based bonuses, she said.
The WakeUpWalMart.com site reports that the average Wal-Mart associate earns about $17,000. The average two-person family needs close to $28,000 for basic needs, its researchers found.
As car after car turned into the Forest Drive Wal-Mart store, Lott tried to give each driver a flier about the vigil.
She said her hope is that the company uses its billions of dollars in profits to make life more affordable for its workers.
