New York (CNN Business) Fresh off a campaign to get Amazon to raise its minimum wage, Senator Bernie Sanders is now shining his progressive spotlight on Walmart. Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who co-sponsored both the Bezos and Walmart bills, are also looking to re-introduce legislation in January to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, from the current $7.25 an hour. The wealthiest family in America must pay its workers a living wage, and the Stop Walmart Act will do just that,” said Sanders, who is introducing the bill along with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Thursday. He proposed a similar bill in September – called the BEZOS Act – aimed at Amazon and has vowed to re-introduce legislation raising the federal minimum wage from $7.20 to $15 an hour when the next session of Congress convenes in January. Specifically, the bill would stop Walmart and other large corporations from buying back their own stock unless they pay all employees $15 an hour, provide seven days of sick leave and prevent CEO compensation from rising more than 150 times above median employee pay. Markets Insider has reported that stock buybacks have been “a solid backbone of the stock market’s continued growth.”

The bill, which The Post noted is unlikely to become law as Republicans control the presidency and the Senate, will also reportedly demand that such companies provide seven days of sick leave and place limits on CEO compensation. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) November 15, 2018

Walmart, which this past February raised its minimum wage to $11 an hour, said it offers competitive wages and benefits, as well as the opportunity to advance and earn higher pay.
US Senator Bernie Sanders proposes the Stop Walmart Act, which would prohibit big employers from repurchasing shares until they adopt a $15-an-hour minimum wage.