Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S., is traditionally the beginning of the holiday shopping season. This year it became a day of labor struggle as Walmart workers made history with a strike and national day of action at the massively profitable corporation that exploits their labor. Black Friday demonstrations were held in 100 cities, organized by the workers’ group OUR Walmart and by supporting organizations in the community in solidarity with Walmart workers. Liberation News was there on the streets. Click here to read more about the struggle at Walmart.
Los Angeles
On Black Friday, over 1,500 workers converged on the Walmart in Paramount, after workers went on strike at many stores throughout the southern California area. Workers were bused in from as far as Ontario and the Inland Empire to show Walmart executives that they would no longer allow intimidation to stop them from struggling for a living wage, benefits, an end to speed-ups and the right to unionize.
The workers formed a picket line that spanned across the entire shopping center before effectively taking over the Walmart parking lot for a rally. Speakers included representatives of Walmart workers at the Paramount location, staff members of OUR Walmart and a leader of the ongoing struggle of warehouse workers in the Inland Empire that sparked the ongoing labor movement. Unions and organizations that mobilized for the demonstration included OUR Walmart, Warehouse Workers United, UFCW, SEIU-ULTCW, SEIU-UHW, SEIU 770, UNITE HERE, Good Jobs LA, ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, among many others.
After the rally, workers marched into Lakewood Blvd. and shut down a major thoroughfare, preventing people from accessing the Walmart store. A sit-in was initiated by members of OUR Walmart and nine protesters were arrested before the street was cleared over an hour later. Workers left feeling a strong sense of victory as the movement to unionize Walmart was given unequivocal support from labor and community organizations that have pledged to continue the fight until every worker at Walmart sees a living wage.
San Francisco Bay Area
Around 400 people protested in the parking lot of the San Leandro Walmart in the Bay Area.
Liberation News spoke with Dominic Ware, a young Walmart employee who was leading the strike in that store. He explained what the workers mean by “Respect” by saying “Give me a job, give me a task, supply me with materials I need to do that job. Don’t ask me to come out from my own paycheck with the money to pay for materials that I should be supplied with… I am a hard worker… Just give me some respect.”
He also commented on the increased support for workers’ rights in the U.S. He said, “People start waking up. More people start to be more conscious about what is going on, stop being so selfish and think about their community… I believe Occupy individuals started that first and it just caught fire. People start saying ‘Hey, we need to step up. Our government isn’t taking responsibility. The rich people is not taking responsibility… We are the 99 percent. We have a voice and need to start using it.”
With chants calling for better salaries and benefits, and for the right to speak up and organize, workers and supporters marched in a long picket line that occupied the entire front area of the store. Later, a group of workers also blocked the entrance of the Walmart for a few minutes. The protest ended with an Occupy-style mic check.
San Diego
In San Diego the community focused on 10 locations including one store in the College Grove shopping center. Over 50 community members and Walmart workers participated in the action outside the store carrying signs and banners. Many in attendance had participated in Occupy San Diego and were members of other community organizations. As shoppers came into the store, community members standing up to Walmart greeted them, handing out stickers for shoppers to wear inside the store that read “We Support Walmart Workers.” Many of the shoppers were very supportive and one said she would “wear the sticker proudly and ask management why they retaliated against its own employees.” Activists passed out hundreds of flyers with messages of solidarity.
One person carried a large drum and wore a globe with dollar signs over his head. The management came outside and asked us to tell him to stop. The San Diego Police also tried to intimidate us by telling us to quiet down and monitoring us. Demonstrators of course refused to follow any orders infringing on their right to speak out and continued to bring attention to Walmart’s unfair treatment of workers.
The College Grove shopping center has a long history of ups and downs related to the economic roller coaster of capitalism, as well as a special relationship with Walmart. In 1998, the City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency purchased the land from a private owner and sold it to Walmart at almost a $1 million dollar loss. In addition the Agency would be required to pay Walmart for this loss over 15 years at 10 percent interest adding up to over $2.5 million. Along with other subsidies, Walmart received almost $9 million in subsidies from the City of San Diego in order “revitalize” the shopping center.
The people of San Diego are fed up with welfare for multi-billion dollar companies like Walmart, whose annual profits at this location are estimated at over $50 million. It is clear they can afford to pay their workers more. The City of San Diego subsidized the construction of this Walmart in hopes of revitalizing the area, but all the community got was more traffic congestion and low-paying jobs.
San Jose
In San Jose, Ca., several hundred people joined a Walmart protest organized by the South Bay Labor Council. Many unions were represented including the Teamsters, who arranged for 18-wheel semi trucks to circle through the parking lot and blast their horns with support for the strikers. Walmart management and security were forced to block off part of the parking lot to prevent the semis from entering. Speakers at the rally included Walmart workers, students from DeAnza Community College, representatives from other unions, members of the faith community, and San Jose City Council members.
San Jose voters recently passed an increase to the minimum wage to $10, but there are questions as to whether Walmart will follow the law since it is facing a class action lawsuit in federal court due to its failure to follow minimum wage laws in several states. Derek, a Walmart worker at the San Jose store, said at the rally that he decided to strike due to unfair scheduling, a common complaint of Walmart workers, saying “Walmart claims to support family values, but they won’t give me any time off this weekend to spend with my family.”
A group of about 25 protesters entered the store with signs and began marching around the store and chanting in support of the Walmart workers. Many workers nodded in support to their chants of “Sí, se puede” and “Stand up, live better!”
Pittsburgh Pa.
In Pittsburgh, 100 supporters of workers’ rights gathered to stand up to one of the largest corporations in the world. Organized by One Pittsburgh and other community, labor and social justice groups, the demonstration lined the entrance to the Waterworks Walmart north of the city. Favorite chants included “We don’t need corporate greed!” and “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”.
Protesters highlighted the extreme disparity in pay between Walmart CEO Michael Duke and the average worker, who receives poverty wages. The organizers circulated a petition demanding that Walmart respect the right of its employees to speak out about unfair conditions and practices. The demonstration received a great deal of support from passing community members.
Albuquerque
Members of the Albuquerque community gathered together at the Walmart Super Center on Carlisle Blvd. on Black Friday. Everyone was there to stand in solidarity with the workers at all of the Walmart stores locally and around the country.
The demonstration was called by OUR Walmart, a national organization representing the interests of the Walmart workers who are fighting for justice in the workplace. Many union activists from United Food and Commercial Workers, Communications Workers of America, AFSCME 1199 NM, and others, joined the militant picket line.
Approximately 200 people showed up to protest the Walmart’s lack of respect for its employees. Carryings signs provided by OUR Walmart and from ANSWER New Mexico, demonstrators chanted “Justice, YES! Retaliation NO” and “Workers YES, Walmart NO!”
One man in the crowd who worked at Walmart said he would most likely lose his job for speaking openly and honestly to the television media. “How do they expect me to live,” he said, “when I only make $400 every two weeks.”
After just a few minutes of militant chanting by picketers, Walmart security ordered the demonstrators to leave the parking lot because, they insisted, it is “private” property, as a line of about 10 Albuquerque Police Department cars drove along the side road of the store.
Judy Blevins, one of the picketers, explained how they were there to support the workers as part of national day of solidarity and to demand that Walmart employees be given the right to organize. “Walmart employees are fired immediately for trying to organize a union. They are underpaid, they have no health care, sporadic schedules and no freedom of speech,” she said. “This is an outrage!”
One of the protesters, Javier Lucero, summed up today’s action. “Today I have heard over and over how Walmart represses and intimidates its employees. New Mexico is a poor state and jobs are hard to find. This makes it easy for these large corporations to get away with what they are doing. We have to keep up the solidarity with all the workers at Walmart. This is a historic day for all working people.”
Seattle
In the Seattle area, hundreds of demonstrators turned out at the Renton Walmart in a torrential downpour. Mobilized by YELL (Young Emerging Labor Leaders), participants included IATSE, Teamsters, AFSCME, APALA, Working Washington, ANSWER Coalition, Veterans for Peace and activists from Occupy. Protesters marched through the parking lot chanting “Stand up-live better,” and “What’s outrageous? Walmart wages! What’s disgusting? Union-busting!”
A brief rally featured a speech from Jerry, a striking Walmart worker, who was flanked by several other workers who had also walked out. Jerry explained that when he first started working at Walmart, he felt lucky to have a job. But poor working conditions and low wages brought him down. He heard about OUR Walmart and got involved, circulating a petition. His manager told him, “You are paid to work hard, not open your mouth.” Fed up, he walked off the job on Thanksgiving night.
