For immediate release
February 26, 2023
In light of the recent wage adjustments at Home Depot, we at HDWU find it important to add context to the situation.
This was not an act of benevolence, nor an act born out of good conscience. Make no mistake, this was an act of desperation.
From 2020 to 2022, wage adjustments were capped at $1 and came at the end of the calendar year. However, in 2023, we see a so-called “cost-of-living” adjustment come in at the close of fiscal 22 with wildly varying percentages from associate to associate, store to store, and region to region.
The executives of Home Depot are not blind. 2022 was a year of renewed worker consciousness and labor organizing.
We saw historic wins for everyday workers at Amazon, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Verizon, and beyond.
History has shown Home Depot’s tendencies: ‘Doing the Right Thing’ for associates means general inaction, being the company’s “greatest asset” means meeting constantly shifting goals while doing the job of two for the wage of one, and ‘Respect For All People’ means sacrificing the minds and bodies of associates for the Company’s bottom line.
While desperately needed, we also hold that these wage adjustments are far too little and far too late. We await Home Depot’s annual report on fiscal 2022 but rest assured, there was a far greater share of money reserved for corporate executives and investors. Further, the general lack of transparency around these wage adjustments makes for a confusing and discouraging work environment; there are still associates who have not heard about any impending adjustment, and for those who have, there has been no insight provided about how their adjustment was determined.
Home Depot has clearly been paying attention to the organizing efforts of workers around the country, and they received a clear wake-up call in Philadelphia. Let these wage adjustments be a sign to all those considering organizing with their fellow associate, that collective power works. Organizing efforts by associates, and the labor movement at large, moved Home Depot off its timeline and forced the company to give back to associates more of what they generated.
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Home Depot Workers United is a grassroots movement of Home Depot associates who cultivate and support associate union organizing efforts across the company. We are associates who work in stores, call-centers, distribution centers, and in the field. As associates, we’re the engine that drives Home Depot’s success. We are Home Depot’s greatest asset and competitive advantage.