Local unions along with Kroger announced Tuesday they will donate $100 gift cards to 130 Toledo teachers for classroom supplies.
The move comes several weeks after Walmart approached Toledo Public Schools with a similar proposition, with the requirement that Toledo Federation of Teachers president Kevin Dalton to publicly endorse Walmart, according to Mr. Dalton.
He refused, referring to Walmart as an “anti-union corporation, one of the largest supporters of underperforming charter schools and supporter of [Senate Bill 5],” according to a message Mr. Dalton wrote on the union’s Web site.
“When a company like Walmart asks for a public thank you from teachers for a classroom donation, that’s not charity, it’s marketing,” he said.
Mark Rickel, who works for a firm that handles media relations for Walmart in Ohio, said he had requested teachers be included in a TV news segment where Walmart officials provided teachers the cards, but denied that he specified that Mr. Dalton be in the segment
Grocery store and retail employees who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 75 and 1059 obtained gift cards to Kroger, whose employees are unionized. Those in turn are being given to the TFT, which will distribute the cards to locally on a lottery basis.
Walmart ultimately gave the gift cards to teachers in Springfield.