Inequality, exhibit A : Walmart and the wealth of American families

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    Inequality, exhibit A : Walmart and the wealth of American families | Economic Policy Institute

    La famille Walton possède 1 157 827 fois la fortune médiane américaine

    Contre seulement 61 992 fois en 1983 et un peu moins de 800 000 fois en 1998.

    Donnée établie par le Economic Policy Institute, et relayée par Too Much, 23 juillet 2012.

    http://www.epi.org/blog/inequality-exhibit-wal-mart-wealth-american

    http://www.epi.org/blog/inequality-exhibit-wal-mart-wealth-american

    Posted July 17, 2012
    by Josh Bivens

    Two weeks ago saw the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first Walmart. And just a week before that, the Federal Reserve released the underlying data on family wealth from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). The SCF is the survey that reported the median wealth of American families (that is, the wealth of that American family that is exactly wealthier than half of all families and less wealthy than half) fell by 38.8 percent between 2007 and 2010.

    We have argued previously that Walmart is a useful archetype for trends in the larger American economy over the past three decades. Its enormous size and bargaining power has led to fabulous wealth for its owners (most notably the Walton family), while the compensation it pays its employees is generally low, even by retail standards; and the ubiquity of Walmart stores means that it is effectively the marginal employer in many U.S. counties. And its role as this marginal employer often serves to drive down workers’ wages county-wide.