Economists note that if Walmart paid its employees at least $25,000 a year, a million and a half workers would be lifted out of poverty. That would mean more money staying in communities to support local businesses, helping to create at least 100,000 new jobs.
Not surprisingly, a growing coalition of Americans have rallied behind Walmart workers not only to help them win better conditions at work but also to challenge Walmart's and the Walton family's political influence.
Over the past year, protests against the company have escalated, led by Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart), a nationwide network of Wal-Mart workers. Last fall, the group announced that it would hold rallies outside Wal-Mart stores in dozens of cities on Black Friday . In response, Wal-Mart executives threatened disciplinary action against workers who participated in rallies and strikes, even though they are perfectly legal.
Speaking on national television, Wal-Mart spokesperson David Tovar threatened workers, saying that "there could be consequences" for employees who did not come to work for scheduled shifts on Black Friday . Despite the threats, several hundred Wal-Mart workers joined tens of thousands of supporters at the Black Friday protests around the country.
In June, over 100 striking Wal-Mart workers, along with allies from labor, community and faith-based groups, trekked to Wal-Mart's annual shareholder meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, the company headquarters, to tell shareholders about the company's abusive practices. When these workers returned to work, Wal-Mart -- hoping to knock the wind out of the sails of the growing movement -- systematically fired at least twenty-three workers and disciplined another forty-three employees despite their legally recognized, protected absences.
Earlier this month Walmart workers won a big victory when the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the retail giant had broken the law by firing and harassing employees who spoke out. The federal agency will prosecute Wal-Mart's illegal firings and disciplinary actions involving more than 117 workers.
The ruling couldn't have come at a better time, just as Our Walmart was gearing up for another - and much larger - wave of protests this Friday in what is likely to be one of the largest mobilizations of working families in American history. In anticipation of Friday's actions, workers and community supporters recently staged a two-day strike that culminated in the largest-ever act of civil disobedience against Walmart. Last week, Walmart workers in Seattle, Chicago, Ohio and Dallas walked off their jobs in solidarity. This week, they were joined by Walmart workers in Miami, Tampa,Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis.
Walmart workers have escalated their online organizing and community outreach ahead of Black Friday , allowing customers and community members to join the fight for $25,000 and an end to illegal retaliation against employees who raise their voices against company practices. Chicago worker Charmaine Givens-Thomas launched an online petition asking President Obama to meet with Walmart workers, which currently has more than 100,000 signers. Individuals can sponsor a Walmart striker online.
Friday's rallies by Walmart workers and their community allies are planned for more than 1,500 stores in dozens of cities, suburbs, and small towns. Those interested in joining them can find out the location of the nearest demonstration at BlackFridayProtests.org.
This crescendo of conscience has put Walmart on the defensive. Its latest television ads aren't pushing consumer goods but instead seek to persuade viewers that Walmart is an ideal employer. In recent years, the company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropy, hoping that its charitable giving to food banks, homeless shelters and various nonprofit groups will cleanse its image as a corporate predator.
But Walmart's propaganda campaign doesn't seem to be working. As Black Friday approaches, calls for change at Walmart continue to grow louder. Many unlikely suspects have jumped aboard the anti-Walmart train. Demos, a nonprofit research group, released a report this week finding that Walmart could easily pay every employee $14.89 without raising prices by simply not buying its own stock to further enrich the Walton family. Even Fortunemagazine -- hardly a radical rag -- recently observed that "Wal-Mart can afford to give its workers a 50% raise," without hurting its stock value. Writing in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday , Al Lewis chided Walmart for paying its employees "always low wages," in turn "creating a growing class of working poor."
This year, the day after Thanksgiving will be remembered not as the biggest shopping day of the year, but as the day Americans took action to demand that Walmart, the country's largest employer, pay workers livable wages and play a part in improving our economy.
Reprinted from commondreams.org/
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