Protests greet shoppers at Walmarts nationwide

Protestors sit outside the Walmart store Friday Nov. 23, 2012 in Paramount, Calif. Wal-Mart employees and union supporters are taking part in today's nationwide demonstration for better pay and benefits A union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers, was staging the demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday, the day when retailers traditionally turn a profit for the year. Photo by The Associated Press.

By The Associated Press

Friday, November 23, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Wal-Mart workers and supporters marched in protest at stores nationwide Thursday and Friday, blasting the wages, benefits and treatment of employees at the world's largest retailer.

The efforts seemed to do little to keep shoppers away though — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it was its best Black Friday ever.

In Paramount, Calif., authorities arrested nine people, including three Wal-Mart employees, for blocking a busy street outside a store there. Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said they were cited and released on misdemeanor charges.

At its height, authorities said, the Paramount protest drew about 1,000 people.

"A lot more people showed up than I anticipated, but that just shows you the kind of support we have," said Wal-Mart employee Carlton Smith, who added he was one of 19 store employees taking part. "We have a common interest in making this great company better."

Several hundred demonstrators marched into the street shortly before noon, Parker said, but almost all followed deputies' orders to return to the sidewalk. He said the nine taken into custody told deputies beforehand they planned to be arrested and didn't offer any resistance.

In Lakewood, Colo., shoppers hesitated as they passed dozens of protesters outside a Wal-Mart but entered without incident. Some protesters held signs playing off of the retailing giant's corporate slogan, "Live better," accusing the company of corporate greed and underpaying its workers.

"This is the way you get a fair shake. You've got to fight for it. You've always had to," said protester Charlie May, of the Industrial Workers of the World labor organization.

A union-backed group called OUR Walmart has said that it is holding an estimated 1,000 protests in 46 states. The exact number is unclear. Wal-Mart has refuted that estimate, saying the figure is grossly exaggerated and that the protests involved few of its own employees.

A number of demonstrations and walk-outs occurred last week at stores but were scheduled to culminate on one of the year's busiest shopping days.

OUR Walmart, made up of current and former Wal-Mart employees, was formed in 2010 to press the company for better working conditions.

The retailer filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board last week against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The company said that the demonstrations organized by OUR Walmart threatened to disrupt its business and intimidate customers and associates.

Wal-Mart said roughly 50 employees participated in the events Thursday and a "few dozen" took part Friday. Company spokesman Dan Fogleman said the number of associates who missed their shifts during the two days of events was 60 percent lower than last year.

"It was proven last night — and again today — that the OUR Walmart group doesn't speak for the 1.3 million Wal-Mart associates," the company said in a statement.

The union group estimated that "hundreds" of employees participated nationwide.

Victoria Martinez, 29, marched in front of the store in Paramount on Black Friday. The Wal-Mart photo department employee worked her shift on Thanksgiving but skipped work Friday to "speak out." She said the company shows a lack of respect for employees, noting that she faced retaliation by local managers after speaking out about problems during an open discussion sponsored by the head office.

"I believe that when I started at this company, it was great," said Martinez, who has worked for Wal-Mart for seven years. "They've taken away everything that is great."

Wal-Mart for many years has faced intense scrutiny over its wage and benefit policies and treatment of its workers. Fogleman says that the company provides some of the best jobs in the retail industry and that its wages and benefits typically meet or exceed those of competitors. The retailer maintains that it has many long-term employees and that its turnover rate is below the industry average.

The company, based in Bentonville, Ark., operates 10,400 stores in 27 countries.

More like this story

spelchek 6 months ago

The unskilled workers march on to unemployment! Meanwhile, illegal immigrants from Mexico pick fruits and vegetables, process chickens, and roof our houses with nothing but thanks to be in this country and simply happy to have a job. Pull the CA plug Wal-Mart, grant the ungratefuls their wish. Take their tax revenue away and run!

connor 6 months ago

I liked the second paragraph "The efforts seemed to do little to keep shoppers away though"

Now the pro union thugs will find some way to force some law suite or other into the Democrat activist courts and get a ruling that forces unionization. They will then declare it the "will of the people".

linoge 6 months ago

The labor movement. The people who brought you the weekend. The people who brought you workmen's compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, company sponsored health insurance, the 40 hour work week, time and a half pay, workplace safety and health laws, minimum wage laws, not to mention child labor laws. Of course these these are things that businesses COULD offer their workers without being pressured by organized labor but that isn't what history shows. History shows that businesses typically grind and squeeze every thing they can out of their workers before throwing them out like an old hat. Nothing personal of course, that's just business. No, the average businessman cares little or nothing about equal rights, workplace safety, environmental responsibility or human dignity. Only when the law provides penalties that are more costly than doing the honorable thing, do greedy businesses step up to the plate and do what decency demands. Read your history and you will find that a lot of people died (literally) to bring common working people a fair shake in the workplace. It wasn't always like it is today and obviously there is still room for improvement. Anyway, you would have to be a working man (or woman) to understand what I am saying. If you've never actually worked on an assembly line or shoveled hog manure, the concepts I present here will probably fly right over your head.

spelchek 6 months ago

"No, the average businessman cares little or nothing about equal rights, workplace safety, environmental responsibility or human dignity" -- You're so wrong, it's wrong. I've worked three jobs at time with no shame in the duties they prescribed. Those days forced me to think that there's a better way. That way was to work smarter, not harder. I educated myself and then applied that education to move up the salary ladder. A little self motivation is all people need to break the chains of jobs that are less than desirable. All I see are complaints and "where's mine" nowadays. Unions look greedy and unwise when they're willing to lose their jobs over having a job during tough economic times. No sympathy for cry babies.

connor 6 months ago

Christianity brought us Sunday. The vote brought us forty hour work weeks and other regulations. Competitiveness through capitalism brought us benefits. Not the Unions.

The unions bring crime, violence, over compensation and deficits., not to mention massive amounts of Democrat campaign financing.

And I have done more than my fair share of line work, resupply and manure shoveling.

Of course now the unions are going to bring us 29 hour work weeks and no benefits for the private sector, only their favored public service employees will get those benefits.

bluesfan13 6 months ago

I wasn't aware that the Fair Labor Standards Act was voted on by the public? That's rather like saying "the vote" brought us Obamacare...

connor 6 months ago

Unions and welfare recipients weren't the only supporters of it. Unlike Obamacare.

bluesfan13 6 months ago

So, "the vote" is great when it supports your opinion, but it's a shame when it goes against you. I see.

spelchek 6 months ago

I'm going to wager that all the glasses you see in the picture were made in China. The cups on the ground, China. Shirts, Vietnam. Jeans, China. Shoes, China. The old guy with the pony tail is holding that together with a band made in..............China. Nice to see they're representing American unions without looking hypocritical.

jcguy25 6 months ago

Can't say that I understand what this is about. I mean, I've worked at Wal-Mart years ago. They were paying the same as all the other retail places in town. Just because they are the largest retailer, people expect them to pay more than competitors?? Aren't these people accepting positions knowing what the pay scales are and benefits are? When I interview for a job, those are the first questions I ask. Then I make the decision whether to accept those conditions or not. Not to sound crass, but these are unskilled retail jobs, so to expect a huge paycheck is ridiculous, unless you're upper management, marketing, etc.

eileen10 6 months ago

A friend of mine worked at Walmart for several years and retired last year. She loved her job and the pay, she said, was good, her bosses fair and the work enviornment was also good. She worked at the Jeff City Walmart.

3633 6 months ago

I was at a Walmart over the weekend out of town and there was no one protesting, Also, if you don't want to work for Walmart then don't work there; you know what the pay is before you accept the job, I don't get it.

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