Dear Daniel, I just read that Gap announced plans to raise its wage to $10 an hour by the end of next year. Yet, Walmart, the country's largest retailer, has failed to act while many of its 1.3 million workers are barely scraping by. If Gap can do it, Walmart can too. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to Walmart, says the following: : Walmart cannot be neutral when, despite its $17 billion in profits last year, it chooses to pay its employees so little that many are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded programs to get by. Pay your workers a minimum of $25,000 per year so they are not forced to rely on government assistance. Tell Walmart: Step up and publicly commit to pay your workers a decent wage. I'm 27 years old and have worked at Walmart for three years. Even though I went to college and did everything right, I make just $9.25 an hour. The low pay and part-time work at Walmart means every week I have to choose between eating and paying my bills. If Walmart paid a decent wage, I'd be able to pay student loans off quickly and start pursuing my dreams. For more than two years, Walmart workers like me have been standing up to Walmart. The company has sought to silence us by targeting and firing many of those who speak out. We didn't back down. Instead we went on strike to protest this retaliation and Walmart is now facing prosecution by the National Labor Relations Board for its illegal intimidation. While workers have made significant progress at the store level in many locations, Walmart corporate continues to focus on shiny public relations ads about opportunity in the company, rather than creating quality jobs. By the company's own admission, most workers make less than $25,000 a year. Most deal with erratic work schedules and inadequate hours on top of low pay. Worst of all, Walmart can afford to do better, but it chooses not to. Tell Walmart: Step up and publicly commit to pay your workers a decent wage. Despite its $17 billion in profits last year, it chooses to pay its employees so little that many are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded programs. In fact, last November Fortune magazine demonstrated how Walmart could afford to raise workers' wages by 50% without hurting the business. Similarly, Demos concluded that Walmart could afford to give workers a "substantial raise." Our country is at a crossroads. Although our economy has started to improve – especially for those on Wall Street – many of us are still left without jobs or scrambling to survive. I just can't imagine why a company that makes as much money as Walmart refuses to change things and instead seeks to keep people like me in such hard situations. It's time for Walmart to publicly commit to paying a decent wage. If you sign my petition, you can send Walmart a message that you're with us in our fight. Will you join me and add your name to my petition calling on Walmart to step up and publicly commit to pay its workers a decent wage? Thank you for your support. Richard Wilson | 
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