Activists Gearing-Up for Black Friday Walmart Action

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Local activists will be out supporting striking Walmart workers at three DC-area stores with “a fun, festive action” on Black Friday – November 23. If October was big – with the first multi-location Walmart walk out against retaliation and intimidation (“Laurel Walmart Workers Join National Strike,” UC 10/10/2012) – then “November is going to be even bigger” says Respect DC organizer Mike Wilson. “Thousands of Walmart associates from across the country will be on strike on the biggest shopping day of the year” says Wilson, “and we will be there to support them.” With the latest news that local Walmarts will open for “Black Friday” on Thanksgiving at 8pm, solidarity actions are expected to start early. In Mira Loma, CA The Nation reports that workers at a Walmart warehouse have already begun a walk-out, hoping to “make a dent in their [Walmart’s] production” on Black Friday and draw attention to unsafe conditions and retaliation in the workplace. Click here for a video of Walmart workers sharing stories about why they are speaking up at Walmart, and stay tuned and check the DC labor calendar for updates on local actions in solidarity with striking Walmart workers. Activists heading out of town for Thanksgiving can click here to find other Black Friday Walmart actions across the country.