OUR Walmart workers to strike
by May 28, 2013 1:04 pm 85 views
Roughly 100 members of OUR Walmart, a group of employees who have been outspoken about work conditions and low wages, said they are striking this week in the San Francisco Bay Area, Massachusetts and Miami.
The Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) is an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
The group will caravan through 30 cities this week speaking their minds about “retaliation” they say is happening because they continue to raise awareness about ongoing “injustices” at the world’s largest retailer.
OUR Walmart held a conference call today (May 28) and said the group will arrive in Bentonville on Saturday (June 1) undaunted by the lawsuit filed recently by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that aims to prevent trespassing on private property which the company said is disruptive to its business.
The group said it will release further details later this week about planned protests in Bentonville and at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Fayetteville set for June 7.
Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman said the annual shareholder's meeting is a time of a celebration as the company invites thousands of its employees from around the world to take part in the festivities which also includes interaction with company leadership.
"The union and its OUR Walmart subsidiary are comprised of a very small number of people, most of whom aren't even Wal-Mart associates and don't represent the views of the vast majority of people who work at Wal-Mart," Fogleman said.
The retailer recently launched a media campaign to spotlight various employees as it continually works to beef up its corporate image. And yesterday the retailer kicked off its hiring initiatives to employ 100,000 veterans returning from active service over the next five years.
Wal-Mart also proudly states on its website, “About 75% of our store management teams started as hourly associates, and they earn between $50,000 and $170,000 a year — similar to what firefighters, accountants, and even doctors make. Every year, Walmart promotes about 170,000 people to jobs with more responsibility and higher pay.”
The retail giant employs roughly 1.4 million workers in the U.S. and some 2.2 million worldwide.