Walmart executives spent a majority of time during the no-frills shareholder business meeting touting progress made in raising worker wages more than 50% and the $4.5 billion in additional pay to hourly workers in the past four years. The gathering was held amidst a group of anti-Walmart protestors gathered outside the John Q. Hammons Center on Wednesday (June 5).

The big attraction of the meeting was the attendance of U.S. Sen. and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who read a proposal from United For Respect, a shareholder group asking Walmart to consider a $15 starting wage and allowing an hourly worker a seat on the retailer’s board of directors.      MORE