Monday, November 17, 2014

I'm Going on Strike - Against Walmart







I’ve got a big announcement: this Black Friday, I’m going on strike.
I work at Walmart in Racine, WI. I’ve worked at Walmart for 14 years, but I recently had my hours cut and my health insurance benefits taken away. Now I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to see a doctor. And I’m not alone.
My coworkers and I are sick of struggling to get by while working for a company owned by the world’s wealthiest family. That’s why my coworkers and I have been coming together to call on Walmart to publicly commit to paying $15 an hour and letting us work full time. But when we speak out, Walmart tries to bully us into silence. Workers who try to change Walmart for the better can be harassed, humiliated in front of their colleagues, get their hours cut, get written up for no good reason, and even be fired. After I started speaking up in my store, my managers started writing me up whenever they could, tried to isolate me from my coworkers, and cut my hours.

Now we’re fighting back against Walmart’s strong-arm tactics. Yesterday, workers in Los Angeles went on strike and sat down in the aisles of a store to protest Walmart’s illegal intimidation. But that’s just the beginning. This Black Friday, Walmart workers are striking again on the biggest shopping day of the year. And we need your help to do it.


When we go on strike, we are taking a big risk. For years, Walmart has kept wages low in part by threatening anyone who speaks out. Walmart workers have gone on strike to defend their rights to speak out for living wages and respect at work, and they may have to do it again. And if they do, we need to show them that the community has their back.

By contributing to OUR Walmart, you help ensure that Walmart workers will still be able to provide for their families if they choose to stand up. And if worst comes to worst, your contributions will help current and fired Walmart workers keep fighting for Walmart to end retaliation.

Together, Walmart workers and their community allies have made a huge difference: they've improved Walmart's pregnancy policy, helped workers access more hours, and pushed Walmart to raise the pay of workers who were making minimum wage. But there's lots more work to do. Please contribute today!

Thanks for your support,
Montressia Williams
Walmart worker & Organization United for Respect at Walmart member

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