How did Walmart’s leaders respond to the myriad employees, investors, and proxy advisors urging the company to strengthen corporate governance standards by establishing an independent board chairman? Why, by entrenching Walton control of the company, of course, appointing director Greg Penner as the board’s vice chair and setting him up to succeed his father-in-law Rob Walton as chairman of the company.
After the Walmart annual meeting in June, three of the company’s directors will be stepping down from their positions. The exit of Jim Breyer, Michele Burns, and Arne Sorenson will leave Walmart’s Board of Directors will be even weaker and more compromised than it already was.
This year, thousands of activists stood up to the Walmart 1% across the country. It was a busy year for the one percent—and for the rest of us. There was the news of alleged bribery and corruption in Mexico, Walmart leaving ALEC under pressure from the public (here’s hoping the Walton Family Foundation follows their lead next year), forced labor at Walmart suppliers, warehouse worker strikes, and a Black Friday to remember when Walmart associates went on strike over the company’s retaliation and attempts to silence those who spoke out for improvements on the job.
We’ve long called on the Walton family and other decision-makers at Walmart to change the company’s destructive business model of low wages , few benefits and understaffing that have left millions in poverty in the US and abroad.
Even as more Los Angeles politicians are pledging to refuse contributions from Walmart, one candidate with Walton family support placed third in the closely-watched June 6th primary for Assembly District 46 in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley.
This month, we’ve discussed a variety of ways in which Walmart and the Walton family are pursuing an anti-LGBT agenda. Today, we’d like to highlight two more ways in which Walmart Board Member and Walton Family member, Greg Penner (son-in-law to Walmart Board chair Rob Walton) is connected to anti-LGBT activity.
The Walmart 1% scored a victory for retirement insecurity last Tuesday in San Diego.
If you’re super rich, can you buy yourself a new political pedigree? It’s starting to look that way. Greg Penner, the Walmart 1 Percent’s man in California, is trying to convince people he’s a political independent, despite the fact that he has a long history of supporting right-wing candidates and causes.
The Walton family, heirs to the Walmart fortune, are stepping up their involvement in California politics. The son-in-law to Walmart Board Chair Rob Walton, Greg Penner has launched a new California-based organization set on influencing state elections. Penner also sits on the Walmart Board of Directors and has been discussed for possible leadership roles in the company.[1]
