And the winner is...

This years Scrooge of the Year is Rob Walton!

The vote was close and went up until the last minute, but across the nation people made their voices heard - and Rob Walton is the biggest Scrooge of them all! A quick reminder of why Rob Walton was given this nomination:

Deemed a “billionaire bully” by Brave New Films, Rob Walton is the Chair of Walmart’s board of directors.  His estimated net worth is around $21 billion. As a family, the Waltons control 49% of Walmart stock, and are predicted to gain a controlling share in the next 12 months. The Waltons are the richest family in the United States, with a combined net worth is $93 billion. The Walton Family has as much wealth as the bottom 30% of American families combined – more than 35 million families. Waltons make up 4 of the 11 wealthiest people in the United States according to Forbes Magazine, and they could give more than $4,700 to every resident of New York and still have $1 billion left over. With the economy as it is, that would make a huge difference!

The family’s dividends from their Walmart stock alone are more than $2 billion/year. Just using their dividends, they could ensure that a million Walmart employees make at least $12/hour. Instead, they are growing richer by the year. Even with all of this money, Walmart only pays an average of $8.81/hour to store associates. And the company has yet to meet with and address the concerns of those who work for them such as scheduling (especially during the holiday season). Just last month Walmart, under Rob’s leadership, slashed health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Walmart employees and their families—right before the holidays!  What a scrooge!

Over the course of the next year, Rob Walton will be hearing from all of us in the Jobs with Justice network about how to make amends.

Thanks for voting for Scrooge of the Year and happy holidays!