November 25, 2014
By AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
Wouldn’t it be amazing if working families gathered together on Black Friday and sent a message to the country’s largest employer that its workers deserve a living wage and full-time work? Well, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, and you can be a part of it.
Walmart is the largest private employer in the world, and the Walton family, owners of the company, has more wealth than 43% of Americans combined. While the retailer rakes in $16 billion a year in profits, it pays low wages and many of its workers have to rely on public programs, like food stamps, to survive. When workers speak out, many of them face retaliation and some have even been fired.
That’s why working families will be gathering at Walmart stores across the country on Black Friday to tell the Waltons to do the right thing.
We know Walmart pays attention to these protests, and you can help change not just the company’s policies, but the lives of workers. We’ve already seen recent successes, like when Walmart changed its policy on pregnant women after workers submitted a resolution to the company or when the retailer created a system that gives workers better access to hours by allowing them to sign up for open shifts online.
Keep the momentum going and Join a Black Friday protest.
