Wal-Mart's pay caps get mixed grades.

(From AFX Europe (Focus))

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AFX) - A dozen years into a Wal-Mart career, Brad Moore looked forward to earning more money based on his good annual performance reviews. That changed last week when the retailer announced chain-wide pay caps it says are intended to move people up the company ladder.

Moore's wife Shannon senses an opportunity lost. Speaking for her husband because he is deaf, Mrs. Moore told The Associated Press that her husband, 38, had applied for a transfer to a better-paying job at another Wal-Mart. The new pay caps took effect first, meaning he would lose about a dollar an hour from the $16.72 he now earns.

"We're upset because you think you've got a plan going, next year's going to be a little bit better and you can start paying for things. And then you get this," said Shannon, 33, …