A protest is coming to the Dayton Walmart on York Commons Wednesday as part of a week of protests and employee walkouts at Walmart stores around the country. Walmart workers and supporters of a living wage increase by the retail giant will be joined by State Rep. Connie Pillich (D-28). She believes an across-the-board wage boost would help struggling families.
“We’re talking about a living wage,” says Pillich. “We’re making sure that people at Walmart and other places in Ohio, can earn enough money and get enough work hours to support their families.”
Critics of minimum wage increases say mandatory raises are bad for the economy and force employers to cut jobs.
At the rally, Pillich says she’ll also continue to push for the Ohio Equal Pay Act — a bill she says would “help end gender discrimination in pay [for] American families who count on women as a sole or co-breadwinner.” Rep. Pillich is currently campaigning against incumbent Republican Josh Mandel to become Ohio's state treasurer.
This week’s national protests are focused on women and mothers who work at the superstore, and they’re timed with Walmart’s annual shareholder meeting Friday. The last Dayton-area Walmart protest highlighted accusations that the store had retaliated against workers who protested wages and business practices, claims the store has denied.
