PEORIA -- Strange but true: the Peoria Mayor's Prayer Luncheon, on Sept. 26, will feature a Walmart executive, Gary Maxwell, senior vice president at Walmart.
Yes, Walmart, the anti-union, anti-worker retailer.
Walmart pays such low wages that taxpayers subsidize its operations by giving food stamps and health care to its workers, who don't make a living wage. Estimates are that each store soaks up almost $2 million annually in such payments.
The final insult: it costs $25 to eat lunch with the mayor and his speaker. That's way too expensive for many people.
Maybe those who can afford to attend will pray that Maxwell and his company will start paying living wages. But don't bet on it.
Meanwhile those outside can pray that Walmart doesn't drive more small businesses out of business. Or that Peoria's low wage economy, that results in more than 68 percent of the school district's students considered low income, doesn't get any worse thanks to anti-union activities of Walmart and its corporate pals.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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