The sit-down protest was the first of its kind by members of OUR Walmart, a group seeking better working conditions and pay for workers. A Walmart spokesman said the union-supported protest does not reflect the views of its other workers.
Walmart employees Pamela Marley and Victoria Alvarez sit at a protest Thursday morning at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Walmart.
Claudia Koerner/BuzzFeed
Walmart workers sat down along aisles of a Southern California store for about two hours Thursday — the first protest of its kind — to draw attention to what they've called unfair labor practices.
Organizers hoped the sit-down protest would raise the profile of their concerns about fair hours and wages in advance of Black Friday. The biggest retail day of the year has become a national day of protest among some Walmart workers, who believe the financial success of the business has not been fairly shared with its workers. The protest inside the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw store included about 25 workers with tape over their mouth, a symbol of the silence of their colleagues who are afraid of losing their jobs if they speak out. A larger protest was planned for later in the day outside the Walmart in nearby Pico Rivera.
"It's going to send a message to corporate that we are escalating, we are growing," said Martha Sellers, a 56-year-old cashier who participated in the strike.
Daniel Coles, 51, sits at the protest at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Walmart, where he works. George Woodley, 65, and Richard Reynoso, 21, work at the Duarte Walmart.
Claudia Koerner/BuzzFeed
With more protests ahead, members of OUR Walmart — aka Organization United for Respect at Walmart, a nonprofit group supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers — have focused their message. They want consistent, full-time hours, with a minimum wage of $15 an hour. And they want to end retaliation against workers who speak up for better conditions. Walmart, they stress, is the largest employer in the United States. Most employees make less than $25,000 a year, while the Waltons are America's wealthiest family.
"They can afford to pay us better, to provide better health insurance," Sellers said.
Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said the company has a long history of an "open-door policy" with its employees and added that listening to employees is one of the reason's for the company's success.
"Associates are encouraged to share their thoughts with any member of management they can," Lundberg said.
As for the call for more hours, he said since this spring Walmart has offered an open shift program. Employees can look online to see all open shifts at their store for the upcoming three weeks and volunteer to take on more hours. The program is one of a number of benefits the company offers that go beyond what similar jobs offer, he said.
"We're proud to be a company of opportunity," he said.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1sKuwZz
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