A study conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that Wal-Mart employees in California seek $86 million a year in state aid. These results are significant given the public debate about the impact of Wal-Mart on local communities. Critics of Wal-Mart contend that the company increases social costs by keeping wage and benefit levels so low that employees are forced to turn to public assistance. Wal-Mart officials insist that they help the community by giving jobs to people who would otherwise be unemployed.
See "Study Cites Social Costs of Wal-Mart", Abigail Goldman, Chicago Tribune, August 2, 2004