http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/business/08gret.xml
"But Mr. Flickinger said Wal-Mart's pay packages seemed especially unfortunate in light of the company's decision late last year to end its longtime profit-sharing programs for lower-level workers. This arrangement was created by Sam Walton, the company's founder, and was a source of considerable pride to him. "Profit-sharing has pretty much been the carrot that's kept Wal-Mart headed forward," Mr. Walton wrote in his 1992 autobiography, "Sam Walton: Made in America." Last year, before Wal-Mart eliminated that profit-sharing program, it said it paid roughly $1.1 billion in profit-sharing and 401(k) matches to employees. In the future, it will offer only the 401(k) match.
"Taking away profit-sharing was the ultimate Ebenezer Scrooge story of the last holiday season," Mr. Flickinger said. "Ebenezer makes all the money, and all the poor Cratchits working in the Wal-Mart stores become poorer and poorer."
At least one Wal-Mart shareholder has expressed concern that the company's directors are awarding bonuses to executives despite lagging performance. "As the union that represents retail workers we are troubled that these bonus payouts come when front-line Wal-Mart associates are getting wages and benefits cut, and seeing their hours reduced," says John Marshall, senior analyst in the capital stewardship program of the United Food and Commercial Workers. "Wal-Mart's serious understaffing is part of the reason same-store sales continue to decline, which ultimately hurts the stock price." "
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