Black Friday is officially starting on Thursday night this year, because it's never too early to have people elbow total strangers in the face over a super cheap toaster. Walmart is starting their madness at 6:00 p.m. It's going to be crazy busy.
But the craziness is also an opportunity for protesters to emerge and remind everyone how terrible they think Walmart is. All across the country Black Friday marches are planned to protest what activists believe is unfair treatment of Walmart employees. The mega company exploits is workers, they say, while raking in millions on days like Black Friday.
And, yes, there's a protest planned at a local Walmart this Friday.
The group that calls itself OUR Walmart is calling folks to join them in protest at the Walmart Supercenter in Boynton Beach starting at noon Friday.
"Join this national day of action to speak up for the rights of Walmart workers against corporate greed that often leaves them struggling in poverty," a press release from the group reads. "Their plight is a sad model of what is happening across our country as corporations, with their "right to profit", suck the life out of human rights. Workers from the rally at the Hialeah Walmart store plan to join us just as they have in previous years."
Other protests around the country are also planned, including in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Tampa, Dallas, Denver and Sacramento.
For their part, Walmart says that most of the protesters aren't employees.
Glenn Spencer, Vice President, Workforce Freedom Initiative of the Chamber of Commerce, wrote an op ed piece for the Orlando Sentinel decrying the protesters and their tactics:
Few actual employees seem to be participating. In fact, during Black Friday protests in 2012, a mere 50 Walmart employees nationwide took part. Little wonder interest is low. During one Michigan protest, OUR Walmart demonstrators chased a female employee into a women's restroom in a harassing fashion, which led to a charge filed by the National Labor Relations Board.
"What a better way to celebrate the coming holiday season than to stand up against corporate greed, specifically this Walmart Giant, in defense of the workers who deliver the riches but often struggle in poverty themselves," OUR Walmart's release says.
The protest will be going down at the Boynton Walmart Supercenter located at 3200 Old Boynton Rd.
You can go here for more info on the rally. The group also has a petition, for those interested.
Customer_BF_Flyer.pdf by Chris Joseph
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