This is not Nader’s first time stepping into the living wage debate. Nader pushes Wal-Mart on wages

Ralph Nader is stepping into the fight between Washington, D.C., and Wal-Mart over living wages.

In a letter sent Thursday to Mayor Vincent Gray, the five-time presidential candidate argues that if Canadian Walmart stores can pay their employees $10.25 an hour, so can Walmart stores that are to open in Washington.


“In the Canadian province of Ontario, where Walmart Canada has its headquarters, the minimum wage is $10.25 (the Canadian and U.S. dollars are about equivalent) — $3 above the United States’ federal minimum wage,” Nader writes on behalf of his organization Time for a Raise,”Walmart has 110 stores in Ontario.”

Wal-Mart has announced it is pulling out of several planned sites in Washington over the City Council’s decision to pass a “ Large Retailer Accountability Act,” which specifically requires big box stores like Wal-Mart to pay a wage of at least $12.50 an hour.

“If Walmart’s lobbyists say otherwise, I recommend that you ask Walmart Canada President and CEO, Shelley G. Broader, whether the closest Walmart to her office in Mississauga, Ontario — which is paying their workers $10.25 — is profitable,” Nader writes.

In a handwritten note on the letter, Nader tells Gray to “call me anytime if you want more information.”

In an earlier letter, Nader also noted the billions in stock buyback Wal-Mart has made and that Wal-Mart competitor Costco starts their workers at $11.50 an hour plus benefits and is profitable.

This is not Nader’s first time stepping into the living wage debate. Via his organization Time for a Raise, he has been lobbying for the LRAA for weeks, sending letters to Walmart’s CEO and urging people to sign petitions advocating for a rise in the minimum wage.

Gray hasn’t said publicly whether he will veto the bill, which has yet to reach his desk.