Protesters picket against low wages at Walmart stores on Black Friday
29 Nov 2014
Shoppers at some Walmart stores looking for Black Friday deals were met by protesters speaking out against the shabby treatment of workers by the retailer.
In what was touted as the biggest organised protest against Walmart in the history of the company over 1,600 demonstrations were organised by the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart).
Supporters yesterday called on Walmart and its owners to increase the pay to a minimum of $15 an hour while providing more consistent full-time work.
In Ohio, around 30 people showed up at the Evendale store to protest wages provided by Walmart owners.
The protesters met at the outer corner of the premises before they marched through the parking lot and into the store. The group chanted slogans against the nation's largest private employer including, "Walmart, Walmart, you're no good. Treat your workers like you should."
The protesters went shouting into the Walmart store but left when asked by the police. Many stayed later on and stood off Walmart's property at a nearby entrance to pass out fliers in supporting local businesses. No arrests had been made by last morning.
Meanwhile, in Washington around 300 people rallied last morning at a Wal-Mart store near Union Station, while 11 Wal-Mart workers and supporters were arrested on charges of blocking traffic in Chicago.
On Friday afternoon, officials from Our Walmart said that with the protests unfolding, a union-backed group of Wal-Mart employees said they could not say how many Wal-Mart employees had joined the rallies or how many protests had occurred.
Seeking to play down the protests, Wal-Mart said in a statement: "Fewer associates called out absent over the past day than we see on a typical day. That tells us our associates are excited to be there for our customers at this special time, and they are not joining in made-for-TV demonstrations in any meaningful way.
"The crowds are mostly made up of paid union demonstrators and they are not representative of our 1.3 million associates across the country."
According to Wal-Mart, it paid competitive wages and its employees, full time and part time, averaged nearly $12 an hour.
