Wal-Mart awards hourly workers USD2 billion in bonuses

US retailer Wal-Mart is going to award USD2 billion this year to about one million US hourly workers in bonuses, profit sharing and 401(k) and stock plan contributions after sales jumped due to the recession. The incentives will work out to roughly USD2,000 per employee and is 67% more than what the retailer distributed last year. Spending more on benefits "signals that Wal-Mart is trying to improve its relationship with workers and reinforces its belief in a non-union workforce," Walter Todd, who helps manage Wal-Mart shares at Greenwood Capital, said yesterday.

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