May 20, 2013
By Neal Tepel
Washington, DC – The Making Change at Walmart campaign and its coalition partners have launched a new website – www.ReallyWalmart.org – that highlights Walmart's abuses. The website, showcases video interviews of Walmart employees, community activists, environmentalists and others sharing experiences and concerns about Walmart.
Citing nearly $16 billion in annual profits and a record of worker abuse, Walmart employees and communities across the globe are calling for a change of course at the company. Making Change at Walmart is calling on the company to raise wages, an end to retaliation against employees who speak out as well as increased access to full time hours so that employees make a minimum of $25,000 per year.
“We might not have millions of dollars to pay for TV ads, but we have the stories to share that Walmart doesn’t want the public to hear,” said OUR Walmart member Charlene Fletcher. “The truth is that Walmart is a company that puts profits over people and employs tactics and strategies that keep employees like me in jobs that don’t let us provide for our families. Even while Walmart’s profits are going up, my coworkers and I have to rely on food stamps just to cover groceries.”
Walmart has seen its reputation and business practices questioned amidst bribery allegations, tragedies in its supply chain and turmoil amongst its workforce. Strikes were launched last year for the first time in the company’s 51 year history. Last fall, more than 30,000 joined striking workers on picket lines around Black Friday. Since then actions are continuing against Walmart across the country.
