Ten Companies Paying Americans the Least [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/11/15/ten-companies-paying-americans-the-least/

This summer, thousands of fast-food workers in the United States went on strike in cities across the country, demanding their wages be increased to $15 an hour and the ability to unionize. To no one’s surprise, they didn’t get it. As of 2012, an estimated 4.7% of hourly workers are paid at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. According to several groups, low- and minimum-wage workers are growing faster than any other group of earners.

Meanwhile, profits at many of the corporations that employ the most minimum-wage workers have risen. McDonald’s, Walmart and Target together employ several million Americans. While these companies’ profits have grown in recent years, most of their workers continue to earn low or minimum wages. 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 companies that employ the most low- and minimum wage workers.

Click here to see the Ten Companies Paying Americans the Least: http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/11/15/ten-companies-paying-americans-the-least/2/

Companies that pay employees poorly fall into one of three industries: retailers such as Walmart and Sears, restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Yum! Brands, and grocery stores such as Kroger. These industries are customer-facing and rely on a fleet low- and minimum-wage workers to take orders, stock clothing and goods and wait tables. “The service sector across the board — the retail and restaurant industries — those are the core of the low-wage labor market,” explained Jack Temple, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project (NELP).

To reinforce the argument that the low wages these companies are paying are unfair, Temple points to the large compensations most of the chief executive officers at these companies receive. CEOs at nine of these 10 companies are paid more than $10 million annually, while Michael Duke and Howard Schultz, CEOs of Walmart and Starbucks, each receive more than $20 million per year.

Read more: Ten Companies Paying Americans the Least - Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/11/15/ten-companies-paying-americans-the-least/#ixzz2lgoAFJup
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FULL story at link.