Wal-Mart workers plan Black Friday protests but shoppers may ignore picket lines
Shoppers in search of Black Friday bargains wait for the doors of Macy’s to open at 5a.m. ET in New York November 27, 2009.
Wal-Mart workers angry over low wages, poor benefits and Thanksgiving Day openings, plan Black Friday protests but shoppers may end up ignoring their picket lines, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Employees at 1,000 Wal-Mart stores are unhappy that the country's largest retailer is opening at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The protests will include Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Milwaukee and Los Angeles ABC News reported. The strike could start today.
"We're just demanding respect," said Walmart employee Rosetta Brown told ABC News.
“Shoppers in the parking lot will say ‘Oh, that’s terrible — OK, where do I get my discounted electronics,’” said Zev J. Eigen, an associate professor at Northwestern University School of Law. “That’s one of the big challenges for the labor movement. We’ll sign online petitions, but we won’t vote with our wallets.”
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The United Food & Commercial Workers have tried to help organize workers in the past.
On November 15, about 30 workers from six Seattle-area stores went on strike, Bloomberg reported. Wal-Mart has 1.4 million employees in the US alone.
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