Walmart Workers Across The Country Will Hold Black Friday Protests

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Next Thursday is Thanksgiving—a time when families gather together to say what they're thankful for and then eat turkey until they hate themselves—which means that next Friday is Black Friday. While many large retailers will be gearing up for thousands of bargain-hunting shoppers to invade their stores, Walmarts across the country will have to gear up for a different kind of mass gathering: Nationwide protests.
In a press conference held by members of Organization United for Respect at Walmart (or OUR Walmart), it was announced that workers and supporters will protest at 1,500 Walmart locations across the country, in what is "set to be one of the largest mobilizations of working families in American history," according to a press release. Protesters are calling for improved labor standards, such as providing employees with more full-time work to make at least $25,000 a year. These protests stem from Black Friday last year, when many Walmart managers threatened and discouraged workers from going on legally protected strikes, as well as the firing of more than 100 Walmart employees for protesting the company's shareholder meeting in Bentonville, Ark this past June.
“Why do we, workers at the world’s largest company, have to band together to afford Thanksgiving dinner?” asked Barbara Gertz, a five-year Walmart employee from Colorado who moderated today's press conference. “Walmart’s right that associates do stick together and look out for each other. We have to because Wal-Mart and the Waltons seem to be fine with the financial struggles that we’re all facing.” Gertz cited a recent report from Bloomberg's BusinessWeek that revealed more than half of Wal-Mart's hourly employees make less than $25,000 a year.
So far, major protests are planned in more than a dozen cities across the U.S., including L.A., Chicago, the Bay Area, Seattle, Sacramento, Miami, Minneapolis and D.C. In D.C., protestors will gather in front of the city's first two Walmart stores, which don't open until December 4, "to call for an end to retaliation against those who bravely speak out and a real wage of $25,000 a year."
Recently, a Walmart store in Canton, Ohio found itself in some hot water for holding a food drive so its own employees can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. "We think of Wal-Mart as the embodiment of what's wrong with the American economy," said Dorian Warren, an associate professor at Columbia University. "Unlike General Motors, which came to represent the American dream and upward mobility, Wal-Mart represents the death of the American dream, a lack of social mobility." She noted that the 1,500 protests against Wal-Mart on a single day is unprecedented. "Working families are fighting back like never before," she said "and have the support of America behind them."
Just last week, the National Labor Relations Board general counsel issued a decision that they'll prosecute Wal-Mart for their alleged widespread violations of workers' rights, which include the illegal firings, disciplinary actions, and threats made against workers who participated in legally protected strikes. Although the National Labor Relations Board hasn't come to a decision as to what the prosecution will be, those workers could be awarded back pay, reinstated, and have reversal of those disciplinary actions taken against them. Moreover, Wal-Mart could be required to "inform and educate all employees of their legally protected rights," a press release said.
”Wal-Mart is a bully and the only way to fight back against a bully is to speak up," said Qulima Knacp, a Walmart employee from Dallas. "People across the country are starting to see the real Wal-Mart and that’s why I will continue to stand up because the time for change is now.”