This Friday, the
nation’s biggest shopping day, thousands of Americans will be calling on
Walmart to improve working conditions at its stores and warehouses. The Black Friday day of action is the culmination of a wave of worker activism that
started in October with an historic walkout in Los Angeles.
As the recent
recession accelerated the growth of the part-time economy, the
opposition to Walmart’s practices takes on renewed relevance. Walmart
sets an industry standard by creating part-time positions with low wages,
unaffordable benefits, erratic scheduling, and unsafe workplaces.
And
there’s more about the campaign in this guest blog from Erica Smiley,
Campaigns Director for Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work
Good
jobs are the cornerstone of a strong, healthy economy. A good job is one
where workers have collective bargaining rights, employment security, and wages
and benefits that allow their families to enjoy a decent standard of
living. Thus, organizing to transform the economy means organizing to
transform work into permanent, secure jobs where workers have dignity and
respect.
The many complaints against Walmart include widespread
discrimination against women. The
current protests are needed in part because the Supreme Court failed the women
of Walmart when they ruled against them in a class-action suit. The Walmart case is among those featured in
AFJ’s documentary Unequal Justice: The
Relentless Rise of the 1% Court.
On Tuesday, Sarita Gupta, executive director of Jobs with
Justice and American Rights at Work will discuss the Walmart campaign at the
formal premiere of Unequal Justice in
Washington. She’ll be part of a panel
that also includes AFJ President Nan Aron, Pam Gilbert, former executive
director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Linda Lipsen, CEO
of the American Association for Justice. The
event is free, and there’s still time to register here.
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