Local Walmart employees share in bonuses

Average of almost $229 per worker received in area

More than 3,100 Walmart employees in the metro Milwaukee area received a total of $709,150 in bonuses after the retailer posted a strong fourth quarter, the company said.

The bonuses, added to paychecks last week, were part of $157 million Walmart said it paid to workers overall, including $3.1 million in Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee metro area total works out to an average bonus of almost $229 per worker.

The bonuses came after Walmart recorded its strongest comparative sales performance of its fiscal year in the fourth quarter, at 1.8% more than the fourth quarter of the previous year.

Walmart employees can earn quarterly bonuses based on the performance of their store.

“The hard work and dedication consistently demonstrated by our associates has allowed our entire company to succeed,” Todd Peterson, Walmart regional manager, said in a statement. “We are proud to award more than $3.1 million in bonuses to associates across the state in recognition of their exemplary commitment to our customers and our company.”

Walmart has 101 stores in Wisconsin.

In its 2017 fiscal year, Walmart, the world's largest retail company, had a profit of $13.6 billion.

Walmart said that over the past two years it has invested in training, education and higher wages.

Last year, the company said, Walmart's U.S. operations promoted more than 200,000 employees, including more than 4,100 in Wisconsin, to jobs with higher pay and more responsibility. Walmart said 3,400 in Wisconsin converted to full time from parttime jobs.

Arkansas-based Walmart has about 2.3 million employees worldwide.