About 100 people gathered outside the Walmart near Carlisle and Menaul in northeast Albuquerque on Friday, holding signs in support of Walmart workers, and attracting the attention of drivers passing by, . Most of those who showed up to protest are not employees, except one couple, who made the trek from Clovis with family, and walked out on Walmart Thursday night. Walmart employees, Megan Jenkins, and Johnny Wilson, said they were both scheduled to work Black Friday. Like the other protesters, Jenkins and Wilson said they’re there to speak out against the company, irregular scheduling, low wages and Walmart’s decision to start Black Friday deals at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. :
About 100 local labor union members, members of (un)Occupy Albuquerque and others gather in front of the Walmart store on Carlisle NE on Friday, part of the demonstrations planned nationwide to protest Wal-Mart pay and work schedules. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)
"Big national retailers, and especially Wal-Mart, have developed a practice of not paying workers a living wage," said Pat Davis, executive director of ProgressNow New Mexico, which assisted in alerting grass-roots organizations and individuals about the events. "We're supporting the workers in their right to stand up and demand better pay."
At each stop the group delivered a letter to the store manager. In part, the letter read, "This year, as you and your company mark your 50th anniversary and celebrate the values of 'hard work,' entrepreneurship,' and 'the American dream," we remember and pray for the 2.2 million Walmart workers across this nation and around the world who are paid poverty wages while having to work in dangerous environments with limited access to insurance and benefits. We call on Walmart to share its corporate wealth with workers by providing a living wage, benefits that include paid vacation and holidays, and a safe workplace for all workers."
Demonstrators displayed signs carrying such messages as "People Over Profits," "Justice 4 All," and "I Support the Walmart Strikers," and Beaumont led prayer vigils at each of the three stops in Santa Fe. People took turns reading quotes from Scripture and human rights activists, such as Martin Luther King Jr.
The of , a national organization that advocates for workers' rights, organized the demonstrations in Santa Fe. "Interfaith Worker Justice is looking at how to reform laws that protect workers from being exploited by corporations like Walmart," said the Rev. Holly Beaumont, the local chapter's organizing director. "The goal of these demonstrations is to show a presence, both to the public and Walmart Corporation. This is just the beginning of standing with Walmart workers in the days, months and perhaps even years to come."
In New Mexico, protests took place at four Walmarts in Albuquerque and at stores in Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, Santa Fe, Gallup and Farmington, . The largest protests took place with about 100 people participating in a demonstration at the Albuquerque Walmart on Carlisle Boulevard NE, and about 40 people at the Walmart on Cerillos Road in Santa Fe. The activists in Santa Fe also protested outside Sam's Club at 11 a.m. and at the Walmart Supercenter at noon, and they handed letters to the managers at all 3 Walmart-owned stores, . In addition, about a half dozen Walmart employees staged an early-morning walkout to protest poor working conditions at the Walmart in Clovis, NM.
Tania Chavez, with Occupy Santa Fe, joins a group of about 40 protesters outside the Walmart on Cerrillos Road on Friday. (Eddie Moore, ABQ Journal)
For about twenty-four hours on the busiest shopping day of the year, Walmart workers, union members and a slew of other activists pulled off the largest-ever US strike against the largest employer in the world. According to organizers, strikes hit a hundred US cities, with hundreds of retail workers walking off the job. Organizers say they also hit their goal of a thousand total protests, with all but four states holding at least one. In the process, they notched a further escalation against the corporation that's done more than any other to frustrate the ambitions and undermine the achievements of organized labor in the United States, .
New Mexico mobilizes to join national Walmart protests on Black Friday!
Uniting the 99% for Economic Justice, Direct Democracy and Human Rights in New Mexico!
New Mexico mobilizes to join national Walmart protests on Black Friday! | Occupy New Mexico
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