Axios

“These dollars will not go to employees and not go towards investing in more jobs.” – Sherrod Brown

Fox 8 Cleveland and Associated Press

March 8, 2018

Walmart associates in Cleveland and nationwide will collectively receive millions of dollars in bonuses March 8.

According to a press release from WalMart, most associates will receive either a one-time $1,000 bonus or a bonus based on their store’s sales performance today.

Between Q4 performance bonuses, tenure-based bonuses, pay increases and recent paid time off (PTO) cash outs, more than $1 billion flowed to U.S. hourly associates during the months of February and March.

In January, Walmart announced plans to increase the starting wage for all hourly associates in the U.S. to at least $11, expand maternity and parental leave benefits, and provide a one-time cash bonus for eligible associates of up to $1,000.

A new adoption assistance benefit of $5,000 per child – announced in conjunction with the other changes – went into effect on February 1.

Walmart associates earn quarterly bonuses as part of an overall incentive plan designed to reward associates whose stores achieve sales and customer service goals.

• For the full fiscal year, U.S. associates shared more than $625 million in performance-based bonuses, including more than $85.5 million shared by Florida associates.
• Walmart also recently cashed out to associates more than $300 million in unused paid time off (PTO).

To celebrate International Women’s Day we are highlighting our incredible Chairman, Jane Timken. In just one year, Chairman Timken has made significant improvements to our fundraising, field operations, and overall strength. Under her leadership, our candidates are well positioned to win in November!

Also, see the story below about the Chairman: 

A Hometown Force

New poll shows President Trump is more popular than Sherrod Brown and that Jim Renacci in breathing down his neck! Ohio voters will elect a new, pro-growth and pro-family Senator in November!

Axios

A series of 10 state polls for Axios by SurveyMonkey finds that President Trump isn’t a drag on the Republican brand in key Senate races, despite his historically high national disapproval ratings.

• Trump’s approval is higher than Democratic senators up for reelection in six of the states (Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and West Virginia).
• Trump’s approval is higher than his national approval rating in all 10 states.

Five Senate Democrats would lose to a Republican candidate if the election were held today and three have approval ratings under 50%, according to new Axios/SurveyMonkey polls. 

• Why it matters: Democrats are defending 10 Senate seats in states Trump won in 2016. In six of those states, Trump’s approval is higher than 50% (compared to 43% nationally). These numbers underscore how hard it will be for Democrats to pick up the two seats needed to win the majority despite Trump’s troubles. 

The three most vulnerable senators in the 10 states are Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri. Each of their approval ratings is under or around 50%, while Trump’s is well above that in all three states.

• The least vulnerable senators in the 10 states are Democrats Bill Nelson of Florida, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Trump’s approval is at just 46% in Florida and Pennsylvania and 54% in Ohio.

But, but, but… with the election many months away and final Republican opponents not set, these numbers are likely to change as real GOP challengers get involved in the race. The approval ratings of each senator may give a better idea of where they stand with voters in their states.

Tonight, the Democrat candidates for Governor will debate for the first time since Dennis Kucinich and Richard Cordray entered the race. With these two on the stage, one cannot help but draw comparisons to the 2016 presidential primary, which divided Democrats across the country.

On one side, there was Bernie Sanders with a host of (radical) policy proposals. On the other side, was Hillary Clinton with almost zero substance and an heir apparent attitude.

Since Clinton’s loss to President Trump, not much has changed for the Democrats. Tensions between the Bernie and Hillary factions are as high as ever, and substance is still hard to come by from the favored candidate. 

Take Richard Cordray, for example. The former Obama bureaucrat and establishment darling has avoided making any substantive proposals since leaving D.C. to enter the race. He even refused to answer a questionnaire from the Columbus Dispatch that every other gubernatorial candidate completed. 

Unfortunately, the only positions that Cordray takes are found in his painfully awkward tweets:

Then there is Dennis Kucinich, who is offering plenty of absurd proposals. His promise to ban fracking shows just how radical Democrats have become. Natural gas and oil support more than 260,000 jobs in Ohio, and the industry added nearly $40 billion to the state’s economy in 2015 alone. Do Ohio Democrats really support killing such a vital industry? 

That brings us to tonight’s debate.

On one side, operating as though he owes Ohio voters nothing, is Cordray. On the other side, with the backing of Bernie Sanders’ “Our Revolution PAC,” is Kucinich. Welcome to Hillary v. Bernie 2.0. 

“Tonight Dennis Kucinich and Richard Cordray will battle for the soul of their party. Cordray can discuss his scandal filled tenure as Elizabeth Warren’s puppet at the CFPB and Kucinich can talk about his credentials as a ‘Bernie Bro,’ but regardless of who wins, Ohioans know that these Democrats are out of touch. When voters go to the polls in November, they will support a proven leader for Governor – Mike DeWine.” – ORP Spokesman Blaine Kelly