The organizer of a food drive to help fellow Wal-Mart workers has no regrets, despite her efforts leading to protests and negative national attention about the treatment of the company's employees.
Dawnne Sulaitis, the dairy department manager for a Supercenter in Oklahoma City, said she has paid little attention to any negative feedback that has happened as a result of her attempt to help two co-workers who have been on extended medical leave. Sulaitis led the effort to collect food and helped raise money through a bake sale.
"You better believe I would do it again. Without a doubt," said Sulaitis, who has been with the company for 19 years. "I truly would take this on and encourage anybody to look around them and see where there is a need, how they can help. One person can snowball things. You can make a difference."
Protesters seized on the opportunity to shine a light on Wal-Mart's pay, including placing a large food bin replica outside the New York City apartment of Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton on Monday. That followed a Friday letter from La'Randa Jackson, a Cincinnati Wal-Mart employee, that reads: "Ms. Walton, my co-workers and I don't want your food bins. We work hard and we don't want your charity. We want you and your family to improve pay and hours for Walmart workers like me so that we can buy our own groceries."
Jackson described taking the bus an hour each way to get to work and how she and her family need food stamps and food banks to eat on a regular basis. In her letter Jackson advocates Wal-Mart paying its employees $15 an hour.
"Ms. Walton, you can decide whether or not we're paid enough to make sure our families don't go hungry," Jackson wrote.
Alice Walton is not among the Wal-Mart board's 16 members. Siblings Rob Walton and Jim Walton do serve on the board of Wal-Mart, which reported $473 billion in revenue and returned $12.8 billion to shareholders during its 2014 fiscal year.
OUR Walmart is planning Black Friday demonstrations across the country to protest what it views as unfair treatment of Wal-Mart employees. Similar protests occurred last year after an employee-led food drive at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Canton, Ohio. Wal-Mart said last year the collection was taken out of context.
Baskets for the two Oklahoma City employees were delivered Monday. Sulaitis did not personally deliver the gifts but said she understood them to be "well received."
It costs around $50 to feed a family of 10 for Thanksgiving, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Helping the associates in need cover those costs should allow them to have money for other necessities, Sulaitis said.
"I would think it could have a rippling effect," Sulaitis. "This allows them to channel that money for other needs. I'd like to think collectively we did a nice thing today."
Business on 11/25/2014