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Maryland Walmart Workers to Join Black Friday Strike
Employees of the retail giant hope to take advantage of one of the year's busiest shopping days.
Employees of Walmart and Sam's Club locations across Maryland are joining a national strike effort this Black Friday to protest what they view as low wages, poor scheduling practices, and worker intimidation on the part of the retail giant.
The campaign, organized by Making Change at Walmart and linked with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, is planning demonstrations outside dozens of stores nationwide on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
In Maryland, Nov. 23 protests are scheduled for Walmart and Sam's Club locations in Laurel, Hyattsville, Bowie, Gaithersburg, Woodlawn, Severn, Clinton, Abingdon, Alexandria, and Fairfax. (Both chains are owned by parent company Walmart Stores, Inc.)
Organizers are also trying to drum up interest to hold demostrations in other locations, including Columbia, Ellicott City, Hanover and Eldersburg.
The strike action follows a series of demonstrations last month at Walmarts across the country and around the region, including a walkout of 11 employees at Laurel's Walmart Supercenter.
Walmart has characterized the campaign as an attempt by unions to advance their own political agendas, arguing that it treats and compensates its employees well.
"We have some of the best jobs in retail," spokesman David Tovar told the New York Times in October. "Our full-time average wage is $12.54 an hour, which is $5.00 above the federal minimum wage."
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WestMonster
3:45 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
How about boycotting because they are opening on Thanksgiving night for "Black Friday" shopping?
Kathy
8:12 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I don't expect Wal-Mart to have a lot of concern for their employees, but forcing workers to leave their families on Thanksgiving night just to sell a lot of junk a few hours early is abominable. (Yes forcing--I suspect that working that night is NOT voluntary). I wish people wouldn't shop on holidays--then the stores would not be open. There is nothing that Wal-Mart could possibly sell that would get me there on Thanksgiving night.
Mary
10:51 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I actually miss stores being closed on Sundays and holidays. If you didn't get it beforehand, it wasn't important enough. Wish we could go back to that.
Isabel DeFeo
1:04 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I wish the stores wouldn't open on Thanksgiving. When do retail employees really get a break? And we are slammed with so much marketing - I saw Christmas things in stores way before Halloween was even over. Like Mary, I miss stores being closed. What a mess!
SOUTHWESTMINSTER
1:24 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Shop online , problem solved.
Rob
6:46 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Employees are acting like children. Be happy you have a job. Many people do not. If you do not like the pay or terms of your employment, leave. There are hundreds that will take your place.
rgirl
2:11 pm on Friday, November 16, 2012
That is exactly the sort of thinking that allows employers to lower the bar for employees. It's not just "having a job", you need to be able to actually survive and care for your family on the wages you get.
concerned
9:04 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012
There are only a handful of Wal-Mart workers who are full time, all the rest are part time at slightly above minimum wage.