What real people really say about Walmart

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/OURWMT" rel="nofollow">Walmart's</a> new CEO ought to take a good hard look at what people are saying about the giant retailer. He might reconsider his company's practice of impoverishing workers, retaliating against them if they speak out, selling cheap crap from China and <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/10/1141724/-Walmart-fuels-inequality-epidemic-taking-advantage-of-our-safety-net" rel="nofollow">looting the public treasury</a>.<br /><br />Here's what a small sample of people posted about Walmart on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/teamsters" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Facebook page</a>.  <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Kevin McBride </b>I'm proud to say I haven't shopped at Walmart in nearly 5 years and don't miss it! I won't even accept products or goods as a gift if bought from there! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Michael Paul Heverin</b> I worked at Walmart in high school making $8.00 an hour in 2000. Have a friend who was out of work and desperately needed work recently start at Walmart in Middletown Del. Making $7.50 an hour. Makes ZERO sense! This scumbag company needs to get it together and pay their employees a livable wage! Smh! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Barbara Guzman</b> Wow, they only paid me 7.50 an hour as a Department Manager. And I was there for 7 years. I did so much for them! Wish they would just go under! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Becky Hunter</b> People who shop Walmart may save a few pennies but they cheat themselves in the long run. While they may not give any thought to what they are doing to American competition, they are buying themselves into a hole of not being able to ever get fair wages in other jobs. Walmart drives down their competition and puts other companies that could pay people better wages out of business. Their motto is to sell cheap, drive the other guys out of business and monopolize the market place. Their customers have allowed them to do just that. Now their workers complain about low wages, the wages will only get lower, as time goes on they have no incentive to pay people more money why should they? They have driven so many companies out of business. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Sherry N Rick Pepper</b> Proudly Walmart free for TEN weeks now. I DO NOT need them! SUPPORT your local union affiliates business!! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Ron Gwynne</b> I will not buy from Walmart until such time that you pay a fair and equitable wage. You can get richer off the backs of the poor without my contribution. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Mark Mancini</b> If consumers purchased goods made in the US and let the retailers know that's what they want.....hopefully the retailers will respond and find suppliers in this country. As long as the public is apathetic and concerns themselves with just a "low " price.....the retailers will continue to use foreign suppliers. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">What people don't know is that those " always low prices" come at a horrific cost in the long run in terms of unemployment...manufacturing capability .....and ultimately....national security! We are at the mercy if the Chinese government. Imagine what would happen if they embargoed this country. We would have very little to sell as there are so many companies that have shipped production there. It would take literally years to get our facilities up and running. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Buy American! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Robert Worth Sr.</b> I refuse to give them another dime. Wish more people would wake up </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Cliff Ross</b> Pay a ' Living Wage,' Goddammit !!! You can surely afford it. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>Donald Pringle</b> Oh come on if not for Walmart's and companies like them their wouldn't be enough greed to go around</blockquote>To find a Black Friday protest against Walmart near you, click <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-support-walmart-strikers" rel="nofollow">here</a>. <br /><blockquote><br /></blockquote>

low wage workers walmart What real people really say about Walmart

Walmart's new CEO ought to take a good hard look at what people are saying about the giant retailer. He might reconsider his company...

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Walmart CEO quits as more workers strike in Miami, St. Paul

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ks9RZ5BLVJz4Ei0RLimuheOAf9ZqJkhrFDJn5nX_OJ55dvEMDRQJLDYRK-2CxUqNDpAFx0C0AFYL3wOUmRtUu9QWqGYQ9YnOaPjZzHjXUo6brrIrETiDeddrfOk6moC0-DDNCHNjUUFa/s1600/walmart+strikers+minnesota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ks9RZ5BLVJz4Ei0RLimuheOAf9ZqJkhrFDJn5nX_OJ55dvEMDRQJLDYRK-2CxUqNDpAFx0C0AFYL3wOUmRtUu9QWqGYQ9YnOaPjZzHjXUo6brrIrETiDeddrfOk6moC0-DDNCHNjUUFa/s400/walmart+strikers+minnesota.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn. </td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OURWMT" rel="nofollow">Walmart workers</a> went on strike this morning in Miami and St. Paul, the eighth and ninth such strikes in recent weeks as the company announced CEO Mike Duke is stepping down.<br /><br /> <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/mckesson-ceo-makes-943-times-average-workers-pay-wants-to-cut-social-security.html" rel="nofollow">Duke makes 6,132 times what the average Walmart worker earns</a>.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1603821#ixzz2lPicW4vy" rel="nofollow">International Business Times</a> reports,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The chief executive of giant US retailer Walmart has stepped down while the company battles with a series of clashes with workers. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Mike Duke, who is heading off to retirement, is to be replaced by company veteran Doug McMillon to take the helm of one of the world's largest companies in February next year.</blockquote>Walmart worker and <a href="http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/2013/11/25/our-walmart-statement-on-ceo-change/" rel="nofollow">OUR Walmart member</a> Tiffany Beroid put out a statement saying the change of leadership is a testament to the pressure the company is under:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">We’re happy to see Mr. McMillon acknowledge the hard work of associates in his statement this morning, and we hope that this appreciation translates into improving jobs for Walmart workers. Americans nationwide are looking to Walmart to improve jobs and strengthen our economy, and Mr. McMillon has an opportunity to be a leader in moving Walmart in the right direction, not just in offering more empty promises. We sincerely hope that Mr. McMillon will answer the country’s calls for Walmart to publicly commit to paying $25,000 a year, providing full-time work and ending its illegal retaliation against its own employees.</blockquote><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/25/2989051/walmart-strikes-miami-tampa-sacramento/" rel="nofollow">ThinkProgress</a> reported on today's strike in Miami: <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Katie, who has worked at a store in Miami for three years and makes $8.75 an hour, told ThinkProgress she’s striking to improve conditions for both herself and her coworkers. “We’re going on strike for better benefits, for better pay for associates, and for respect,” she said.<br />The strikes make eight this month, coming after workers called out or walked off the job in Dallas, cities in Ohio, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Workers also went on strike in Miami in October.</blockquote>And in St. Paul, the <a href="http://advocate.stpaulunions.org/2013/11/25/walmart-workers-go-on-strike-in-brooklyn-center-kick-off-week-of-action-for-better-wages/" rel="nofollow">Union Advocate</a> reports:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The nationwide wave of Walmart strikes hit Minnesota this morning, when three women who work at the Brooklyn Center store informed management they were going on an unfair-labor-practices strike. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and Rev. Doug Mork of nearby Cross of Glory Lutheran Church accompanied the workers into the store, and dozens of supporters from faith, labor and community groups greeted them on their way out, ready to erect a picket line. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Andrea Williams, April Williams and Lillian Griffin said they decided to take a stand after attempts to organize for better wages, meaningful benefits and a voice on the job drew retaliation from store managers.</blockquote>Throughout the country, Walmart workers and supporters from the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> and other unions plan to demonstrate against abuse and poverty wages on Black Friday. If you haven't found a Walmart protest near you, click <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-support-walmart-strikers" rel="nofollow">here</a> to find one.

CEO Pay low wage workers protest strike walmart Walmart CEO quits as more workers strike in Miami, St. Paul

Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn.  Walmart workers  went on strike this morning in Miami and St. ...

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This week: Walmart protests go global

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98v2pDkVtEmqvyKJQ5f6P1s5t-AdBBhNDeBn4EcagB1UUvbZem0yzWW_TbxXGPLuwM2xgSUg_3BbXRgfG_lvSw0oqPw0ZsS-hKfeT7MSSe4al0TwUUgCiLnA7tLcsSfJPobGnmXzOqiiv/s1600/All-Workers-Deserve-Respect_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98v2pDkVtEmqvyKJQ5f6P1s5t-AdBBhNDeBn4EcagB1UUvbZem0yzWW_TbxXGPLuwM2xgSUg_3BbXRgfG_lvSw0oqPw0ZsS-hKfeT7MSSe4al0TwUUgCiLnA7tLcsSfJPobGnmXzOqiiv/s200/All-Workers-Deserve-Respect_small.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>‘Tis the season for strikes at Walmart and workers worldwide are catching the spirit. On the heels of increasing strike activity this month, workers are gearing up for <a href="http://blackfridayprotests.org/" rel="nofollow">Black Friday protests</a> with a <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/walmart-week-global-action-18-24-november" rel="nofollow">global week of action against Walmart</a>.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org/" rel="nofollow">UNI Global Union</a> – an international federation of 900 unions in 140 countries – has put out the call for global protests demanding respect and good jobs throughout Walmart’s supply chain:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Workers around the world will come together November 18-24 for a global week of action… Workers and their unions in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh and the United States are joining together to demand better pay and working conditions for the 2.2 million Walmart workers and countless supply chain workers. </blockquote>UNI <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/groups/walmart-global-campaign/files/1085/download" rel="nofollow">passed a resolution</a> last month in support of the Walmart campaign, creating the UNI Alliance @ Walmart. Its demands include that Walmart allow workers to organize without fear of retaliation and pay workers a living wage with decent working conditions.<br /><br />The global union wants Walmart to sign a “<a href="http://www.unglobalcompact.org/issues/Labour/Global_Framework_Agreements.html" rel="nofollow">Global Framework Agreement</a>” with UNI that guarantees the rights of Walmart workers around the globe. It’s also calling on Walmart to sign the <a href="http://www.bangladeshaccord.org/" rel="nofollow">Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh</a> and to compensate the victims of factory disasters at <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/05/investors-to-wal-mart-gap-no-more.html">Tazreen, Rana Plaza</a> and Aswad – three factories (or “<a href="http://usas.org/2013/10/16/we-need-a-contract-to-end-deathtraps-in-bangladesh/" rel="nofollow">death traps</a>”) that produced apparel for Walmart stores.<br /><br />According to UNI: <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Walmart must pay its 2.2 million global workforce plus countless supply chain workers a fair wage and treat them with dignity. Workers and union members within the UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance will be taking their legitimate grievances to the street, demanding that the Walton family which controls Walmart finally wakes up and changes the company’s culture.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">As part of the Global Action Week a petition and letter are being sent to the Walmart board cataloging a culture of unfair scheduling, low wages and retaliation against employees who have the temerity to speak out.</blockquote>The Walmart Week of Global Action is the latest in a wave of low-wage worker strikes crashing Walmart’s busiest shopping season. The past few weeks have seen strikes in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Cincinnati.<br /><br />Yesterday <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/port-drivers-who-haul-for-walmart-strike-in-la-with-Teamster-support.html">port drivers who haul Walmart goods launched a 36-hour strike</a> in California to protest Unfair Labor Practices, including port companies’ payroll fraud by calling drivers “independent contractors.” The drivers have been joined by <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/LA-warehouse-workers-describe-horrifying-conditions-join-strike-line.html">workers at two warehouses that move Walmart products</a> where working condition are horrendous.<br /><br />Teamsters are standing strong with the port drivers and warehouse workers.<br /><br />The momentum for change at Walmart is building steam beyond the streets, too. Walmart is being <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/walmart-to-be-charged-by-nlrb-for-illegally-retaliation.html">charged by the NLRB</a> with illegally retaliating against 117 workers. Plus, Walmart is getting slammed in the media with reports about an employee <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/walmart-holding-food-drive-for-its-own-employees.html">food drive in Ohio to help “Associates in Need”</a> buy Thanksgiving dinner and a Demos report that says Walmart <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/11/19/wal_mart_could_pay_every_us_employee_14_89_just_by_not_buying_its_own_stock/" rel="nofollow">could afford to pay all of its U.S. employees $14.89</a> an hour if it stopped buying its own stock.<br /><br />With Black Friday on the horizon, now is the time to get involved and support Walmart workers. And while you’re protesting on Black Friday (click <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-support-walmart-strikers">here</a> to find an action near you), don’t forget to support the international campaign for fairness at Walmart by <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/groups/walmart-global-campaign/files/1084/download" rel="nofollow">sending a copy of the UNI letter to Walmart’s HQ</a> and <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/walmart-workers-around-the-world-demand-respect" rel="nofollow">signing the online petition</a> to support Walmart workers worldwide.<br /><br />The globalization of Walmart labor unrest is welcome news for workers in the U.S. We need nothing less than a global movement of workers to take on a global giant like Walmart.

garment factories low wage workers misclassification port strike port truck drivers retail walmart warehouse workers This week: Walmart protests go global

‘Tis the season for strikes at Walmart and workers worldwide are catching the spirit. On the heels of increasing strike activity this month,...

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Walmart holding food drive for its own employees

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiZMDh2bHdH85z4zBVH4My_jT3yqOHoO9vR2rB8XCmxzvqBGRmn8LffPMgpINZQAK05K5G5uMKrJ8-f8k45tMgamAkRv2GJYP2EFtY5PBhCMInRpYqxn5UgCYI_fg8Gat8ZEbj1BSsWp9/s1600/walmart+food+drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiZMDh2bHdH85z4zBVH4My_jT3yqOHoO9vR2rB8XCmxzvqBGRmn8LffPMgpINZQAK05K5G5uMKrJ8-f8k45tMgamAkRv2GJYP2EFtY5PBhCMInRpYqxn5UgCYI_fg8Gat8ZEbj1BSsWp9/s400/walmart+food+drive.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A Cleveland-area <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OURWMT" rel="nofollow">Walmart</a> is asking its low-wage employees to donate food so the other low-wage employees can have a nice Thanksgiving.<br /><br />We're not making this up.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/11/is_walmarts_request_of_associa.html" rel="nofollow">Cleveland Plain Dealer</a> broke the story:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The storage containers are attractively displayed at the Walmart on Atlantic Boulevard in Canton. The bins are lined up in alternating colors of purple and orange. Some sit on tables covered with golden yellow tablecloths. Others peer out from under the tables. </blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeNUca3vkA8393o7Dsqb51f-i-TgKVWA_DE7mooJCxpyC65vHJ34PoTjemtF4mrLz9f4_OeDTADGODUEBr4yp7VjkcCGVl1ohKPgJ7YXHDTgyi2gPCoOLDZThXqE4DFCSUgI9OSlJnWTe/s1600/walmart+dayton+strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeNUca3vkA8393o7Dsqb51f-i-TgKVWA_DE7mooJCxpyC65vHJ34PoTjemtF4mrLz9f4_OeDTADGODUEBr4yp7VjkcCGVl1ohKPgJ7YXHDTgyi2gPCoOLDZThXqE4DFCSUgI9OSlJnWTe/s320/walmart+dayton+strike.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walmart strike today in Dayton, Ohio</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote class="tr_bq">This isn't a merchandise display. It's a food drive - not for the community, but for needy workers.</blockquote>The newspaper calls the food drive an "element in the backdrop of the public debate about salaries for cashiers, stock clerks and other low-wage positions at Walmart."<br /><br />Ya think?<br /><br />As the story spread about the food drive, more Walmart workers went on strike in Cincinnati and Dayton today, following strikes in Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago over the past few weeks. Today, another group of low-wage workers -- port truck drivers -- walked off the job in a surprise 36-hour strike at the Port of Los Angeles.<br /><br /><a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> are supporting low-wage worker strikes because -- well, because an injury to one is an injury to all. Because the only way to rebuild the middle class is by raising wages. Because it's the right thing to do.<br /><br />In Los Angeles, three Teamsters were among the 54 arrested for acts of civil disobedience during a Walmart protest. Seattle Teamsters came out to represent for Walmart strikers in the Northwest. And today Teamsters have been walking the strike line at the Port of Los Angeles since 5 a.m.<br /><br />Meanwhile, a Walmart spokesman defended the food drive. He told the Plain Dealer:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This is part of the company’s culture to rally around associates and take care of them when they face extreme hardships.</blockquote>Never mind that Walmart's low wages are the cause of the hardship.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

low wage workers port strike walmart Walmart holding food drive for its own employees

A Cleveland-area Walmart is asking its low-wage employees to donate food so the other low-wage employees can have a nice Thanksgiving. We...

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Walmart workers to strike in 15 cities tomorrow

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIr_LUtNeDF5EhqZekWEY7Zj6FL6zJXrnOok0o7_x-29EOzkS8o2MWKKRQsEgTmAcnx2GgboryAjSip4xoMMmKUCqp7_bxCuIGw8ugCO4q6__Kuy7xesee5TXQdMf6QLgOELCCtcFuzFT/s1600/walmart+real+wage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIr_LUtNeDF5EhqZekWEY7Zj6FL6zJXrnOok0o7_x-29EOzkS8o2MWKKRQsEgTmAcnx2GgboryAjSip4xoMMmKUCqp7_bxCuIGw8ugCO4q6__Kuy7xesee5TXQdMf6QLgOELCCtcFuzFT/s320/walmart+real+wage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tomorrow is shaping up to be another big day of action among low-wage workers as Walmart employees prepare to mount widespread protests and walkouts. <a href="http://forrespect.org/" rel="nofollow">OUR Walmart</a> organizers are hoping the day of action will be the biggest since last year's <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/11/wal-mart-strikes-in-100-cities-46-states.html" rel="nofollow">Black Friday strike</a>. <br /><br />Josh Eidelson at <a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/175995/protesting-activists-firings-walmart-workers-plan-biggest-mobilization-black-friday#"><em>The Nation</em> reports</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This week’s rallies follow an August 22 civil disobedience action at which the campaign announced a Labor Day deadline for Walmart to raise its wages to at least $25,000 per year, and reverse the terminations of twenty workers who participated in a June strike.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Thursday’s actions will include a march through downtown Los Angeles to the site of a proposed Walmart in Chinatown, and a demonstration in Washington, DC, where all sides are awaiting word on whether Mayor Vince Gray will veto a bill (passed by City Council in July but formally sent to his desk last Friday) that would require “large retailers” like Walmart to pay employees at least $12.50 in total hourly compensation. Thursday actions are also planned for cities in the East, West, South and Midwest: Baton Rouge, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle.</blockquote>Walmart protests tomorrow follow strikes last week involving low-wage workers in the <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/LA-port-drivers-strike.html">port trucking</a> and <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/fast-food-strike-sweeps-naton.html">fast-food industries</a>. Walmart workers are fighting back against management retaliation against OUR Walmart supporters, and they are part of a growing movement to raise wages and standards for America's growing population that is trying to survive on poverty wages.<br /><br />Eidelson adds:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Thursday’s rallies will have the largest total turnout by Walmart employees, and the biggest overall number of participants, of any Walmart mobilization since the one-day November 23 strike last year, in which organizers say 400-some workers walked off the job and thousands of supporters turned out to support them. Since then, organizers say hundreds of workers took part in collective confrontations with local management over scheduling on April 24, and over a hundred participated in the longer June work stoppage, which included a week of protests in and around Walmart’s Arkansas hometown. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The OUR Walmart campaign has asked the <a href="http://nlrb.gov/" rel="nofollow">National Labor Relations Board</a>, whose pace and penalties labor has long charged are insufficient for protecting workers, to seek an injunction to more quickly address Walmart’s recent alleged retaliation.</blockquote>Last week, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/la-port-strike-ends-with-return-to-work.html" rel="nofollow">port truck drivers staged a historic one-day strike</a> in their drive to become Teamsters and raise standards at the Port of Los Angeles. <br /><br />While corporations in retail and other low-paying industries are rolling in record profits, low-wage workers represent the fastest-growing segment of American workers and the country's expanding income gap. <br /><br /><a href="http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/" rel="nofollow">Making Change at Walmart</a> wrote in a <a href="http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/2013/09/03/walmart-workers-supporters-plan-for-largest-mobilization-since-black-friday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=walmart-workers-supporters-plan-for-largest-mobilization-since-black-friday" rel="nofollow">statement</a> yesterday:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Economists, labor market experts and others have been increasingly voicing concern about the growing income inequality and its impact on the economy. Walmart, the largest company on the Fortune 500 list, made $16 billion in profit last year, and the majority of owners of the company, the Waltons, have the combined wealth of nearly half of American families. Meanwhile, many Walmart workers continue to earn on average poverty wages of $8.81 an hour.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Rather than providing good jobs that American workers need and deserve, Walmart is trying to silence workers who are standing up with their co-workers to live better and spending its time and money trying to deny workers a decent day’s pay. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Since June, Walmart has illegally disciplined nearly 80 workers, including firing 20 worker-leaders. More than 100 Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Walmart.  </blockquote>Not only do Walmart and other low-wage workers represent a growing part of the labor force, they represent a huge upsurge of collective action against corporate greed and the fight to save the middle class.<br /><br />Teamsters and supporters everywhere are encouraged to stand in solidarity with Walmart workers tomorrow. Visit the <a href="http://corporateactionnetwork.org/campaigns/stand-with-the-walmart-60" rel="nofollow">Corporate Action Network</a> website to find a protest in your area.<br /><br />SOLIDARITY!

fast food strike low wage workers our walmart port truck drivers Wal-Mart walmart strikers Walmart workers to strike in 15 cities tomorrow

Tomorrow is shaping up to be another big day of action among low-wage workers as Walmart employees prepare to mount widespread protests and ...

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How to talk about low-wage strikers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L2PPv97ZzOjT-oVlaJkuSnWBpppQonoVeuuv1gA0ano_Z8YFNownClSnouIWCwqoiOGsi9riwJ0dmgWcVi4FmFz3lh2ITfcxS9O8LgS_JuQTKPlMR1s5OC75kweMd4g9owmA2HklRttN/s1600/strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L2PPv97ZzOjT-oVlaJkuSnWBpppQonoVeuuv1gA0ano_Z8YFNownClSnouIWCwqoiOGsi9riwJ0dmgWcVi4FmFz3lh2ITfcxS9O8LgS_JuQTKPlMR1s5OC75kweMd4g9owmA2HklRttN/s1600/strike.jpg" /></a></div>Are you dreading the prospect of talking to your right-wing uncle over the Labor Day weekend? <br /><br />When the subject of low-wage worker strikes comes up, here are things you can say in response to the predictable anti-worker arguments you'll hear:<br /><ul><li><em>"Those jobs are for high school kids and dropouts working part time. They don't deserve more money."</em>  Actually most people working in low-wage service sectors like retail and fast-food are <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=623664947664226&set=a.591503887546999.1073741828.580610428636345&type=1">middle-age and working full time</a> to support their families. The average age of workers filling low-wage job positions is 35 and more than a third of them are 40 or older. On average, they earn half of their family's income and 28 percent of them have kids.</li></ul><ul><li><em>"Well then they should get different jobs if they want more money. It's their fault for choosing to work crappy jobs that are supposed to be for teenagers."</em> No, it isn't their fault because most of them didn't choose those jobs. They were forced into them by <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/our-low-wage-recovery-how-mcjobs-have-replaced-middle-class-jobs/261839/">an economy being dominated by low-wage industries</a>. By a three-to-one margin, high-skilled, good-paying jobs that have been lost due to recession and bad trade deals have been replaced by low-wage jobs in the service industry. Sixty percent of jobs lost in the recession were in middle-class occupations while 21 percent were in low-wage occupations. Since the recession, 58 percent of job growth has been in low-wage occupations while just 22 percent has been in middle-income level jobs. Do the math!</li></ul><ul><li><em>"Still, flipping burgers has always been a minimum wage job and that's the way it should be."</em> Okay, but if we're paying workers based on inflation and productivity, then <a href="http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/facts/">the minimum wage needs to be increased</a>, too. Right now it stands at just $7.25 an hour and hasn't been increased since 2009. If the minimum wage kept up with inflation over the past 40 years, it would be $10.74. And if it kept up with the rise in productivity it would be $18.67. The annual income for a full-time worker making the federal minimum wage is $15,080 - well below the poverty line for a family of three or four.</li></ul><ul><li><em>"Paying low-wage workers more by increasing the minimum wage or giving them raises will hurt businesses and raise prices."</em> Says who? While the CEOs of Walmart and fast-food corporations would love to pass the cost of higher wages on to consumers, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/robert-reich-wages-mcdonalds-walmart-_n_3837762.html">they can well afford to pay their workers more</a>. The top eight fast-food chains made $7.35 billion in profits last year. Walmart's CEO makes more in one hour than the average Walmart employee makes in a year. If the CEO of McDonald's -- who got a $4.1 million raise last year -- can take home $13.8 million a year, he can afford to pay workers more than poverty wages.</li></ul><ul><li><em>"Well, I'm not a fast-food worker so what they get paid doesn't impact me."</em> Actually it does. The rising number of workers making low wages means more and more people have to turn to public assistance like food stamps and other welfare programs. They can't make ends mean when the only jobs available pay so little. Low wages at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/walmart-taxpayers-house-report_n_3365814.html">a single Walmart store can cost taxpayers up to $900,000 a year</a>. So winning a living wage for workers in retail, fast-food, warehouse and other low-wage industries will save taxpayers tons of money. And let's not forget that higher pay usually means lower employee turnover and higher productivity for business. Plus, higher wages will boost consumer spending and strength local economies.</li></ul>Finally, remind your right-wing relatives that Labor Day is about honoring workers -- ALL workers!

fast food strikes Labor Day low wage workers walmart strikers How to talk about low-wage strikers

Are you dreading the prospect of talking to your right-wing uncle over the Labor Day weekend? When the subject of low-wage worker strikes co...

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Fast-food strikes shut down stores, penetrate the South

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgPK1GRhKEhx0lR2oNa4zAYZ7IDVwirOYeZCpor4FsX7u4GhDqcSlDC24VZqQJBfZkvsne-UrQHY2WE_bLRyho4xylcqW0OROT2yCniPSGvYBysTNQqJDf1CJi8Eau1hvY8TZauyQVtS-/s1600/burger+king.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgPK1GRhKEhx0lR2oNa4zAYZ7IDVwirOYeZCpor4FsX7u4GhDqcSlDC24VZqQJBfZkvsne-UrQHY2WE_bLRyho4xylcqW0OROT2yCniPSGvYBysTNQqJDf1CJi8Eau1hvY8TZauyQVtS-/s320/burger+king.png" width="320" /></a></div>Fast-food workers on strike today continue to make history and they are showing their power in real time.<br /><br />In Raleigh, N.C., <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=623536737677047&set=a.591503887546999.1073741828.580610428636345&type=1">Burger King offered to pay employees double to work today</a>. <br /><br />Tell that to those who doubt the effectiveness of striking, and tell that to those who insist fast-food giants can't afford to pay their workers a living wage.<br /><br />Today's national fast-food workers strike has hit 60 cities around the country. <br /><br />And like so many workers in America, Teamsters know that this fight isn't just about fast-food workers - it's about the dignity of all workers. That's why our brothers and sisters at Local 391 were out today <a href="http://www.digtriad.com/news/photo-gallery.aspx?storyid=296911">supporting the fast-food strikers in Greensboro, N.C</a>.<br /><br />Workers have successfully shut down stories in many parts of the country, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-restaurants-strike-20130828,0,3586222.story">Reuters reports</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The strikes spread quickly across the country and have shut down restaurants in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Raleigh and Seattle, according to organizers.</blockquote>In Madison, Wisc., almost 60 workers and supporters are outside a Dunkin Donuts chanting "$15 and a union! $7.25 has got to go!" Workers in Madison also shut down a Family Dollar story after walking out today.<br /><br />Here's a sampling of reports on Twitter and Facebook to give you a flavor of what's been happening today:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>St. Louis:</em> STL Represent! RT <a href="https://twitter.com/MOJwJ">@MOJwJ</a>: Workers, community leaders just packed this STL <a href="https://twitter.com/McDonalds">@mcdonalds</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23829strike&src=hash">#829strike</a> <a href="http://bit.ly/141YjHt">http://bit.ly/141YjHt </a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>New York:</em> Fast food workers on strike today at McDonald's near Yankee Stadium in NYC <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23iamfastfood&src=hash">#iamfastfood</a> <a href="http://t.co/4wZu7SJtcO">pic.twitter.com/4wZu7SJtcO</a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>San Francisco:</em> Workers from 37 East Bay locations (Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s, Subway, more!) are striking! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23829strike&src=hash">#829strike</a> <a href="http://t.co/47VsOvZ1B3">pic.twitter.com/47VsOvZ1B3</a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>Boston</em>: Another elected official out supporting workers on the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LowPayIsNotOk/posts/623633707667350"> strike lines in Boston</a>! <a href="http://bit.ly/829nationwide" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></blockquote><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>Indianapolis:</em> RT <a href="https://twitter.com/829StrikeIndy">@829StrikeIndy</a>: Indy on strike! at McDonalds. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23829strike&src=hash">#829strike</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/fightfor15">@fightfor15</a> <a href="http://bit.ly/17llH3p">http://bit.ly/17llH3p </a></blockquote></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>Houston:</em> "I'm at work more than I see my children, thats why I'm on strike" Burger King worker Luis Ortiz <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23829strike&src=hash">#829strike</a> <a href="http://t.co/LGRMJawPam">pic.twitter.com/LGRMJawPam</a></blockquote></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em>New York:</em> Clergy, community and workers will not be moved! View of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=553240191404308&set=a.435703519824643.99006.430475173680811&type=1"> sit-in at 5th Ave McDonald's in NYC</a> at 6:30am this morning! </blockquote></div><br />We've also just gotten word that Rep. John Lewis is speaking to Atlanta fast-food workers on strike right now.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbvHMj32X2IAbJLyzqhkOQq3vk3u64WFlwXrpALtM3NCU4-_RG3pawwxM5xIVEyCv2Ul-3HlDdjtBhhmCRU4L-8FY-YZOl7NF8p7l2MRVSXgRUQIGmp0gDHI0ztZWF8MKwwHZSgVUDsu1/s1600/john+lewis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbvHMj32X2IAbJLyzqhkOQq3vk3u64WFlwXrpALtM3NCU4-_RG3pawwxM5xIVEyCv2Ul-3HlDdjtBhhmCRU4L-8FY-YZOl7NF8p7l2MRVSXgRUQIGmp0gDHI0ztZWF8MKwwHZSgVUDsu1/s320/john+lewis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />It's hard to overstate just how significant today's events are for fast-food workers and the overall movement among low-wage workers for better pay and rights on the job. Today's strikes are reaching every corner of the country, including the South. <br /><br />Columbia University political science professor Dorian Warren was quoted saying that the inroads the strike movement is making today in the South is "<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-restaurants-strike-20130828,0,3586222.story">a huge, huge deal</a>":<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The South has always been the model for low wage employment, from slavery to the Jim Crow laws, to the present. It's also the most anti-union part of the country, so the fact that workers feel empowered enough to take collective action is enormous.</blockquote><div>The day is far from over for striking fast-food workers who will be protesting into the evening in many cities. <br /><br />We'll soon know more about the full scope and impact of today's strikes. But it's safe to say that the living-wage movement in America has taken a huge step forward with today's walkouts.<br /><br />Way to go, brothers and sisters!  </div>

fast food strikes fight for 15 low wage workers Fast-food strikes shut down stores, penetrate the South

Fast-food workers on strike today continue to make history and they are showing their power in real time. In Raleigh, N.C., Burger King offe...

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Fast food strikes continue to sweep the nation

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQWC79I3-haJV3nBc6jC5uJ7Saf8PRcn0e6mr1zHv6JuammnoM_phyphenhyphenj4ue0X7dGPUVMp_XZDc3rLPSF_7zTueb2BSJM38E-mE5JpuDI4jLa7DGQSgEk7YozSRV_XHOMyI8QkU86fYacJ9/s1600/mcd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQWC79I3-haJV3nBc6jC5uJ7Saf8PRcn0e6mr1zHv6JuammnoM_phyphenhyphenj4ue0X7dGPUVMp_XZDc3rLPSF_7zTueb2BSJM38E-mE5JpuDI4jLa7DGQSgEk7YozSRV_XHOMyI8QkU86fYacJ9/s320/mcd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today’s national fast-food workers strike is going strong with reports rolling in from more cities joining the protests.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Organizers say the walkouts have </span><a href="http://huff.to/14GOfSH" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">spread to 60 cities</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">:</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Alameda, CA; Atlanta; Aurora, CO; Austin, TX; Ballwin, MO; Belleville, Ill; Berkeley, CA; Bloomington, Ill; Boston; Charlotte; Chicago; Columbia, MO; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Durham; East St. Louis, Ill; Flint; Fremont, CA; Greensboro; Gretna, LA; Hartford; Hayward, CA; Houston; Indianapolis; Kansas City, MO; Lansing; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Madison, WI; Manchester, CT; Memphis; Milwaukee; Missoula, MT; Newark, CA; New Orleans; New York; Northglenn, CO; North Las Vegas; Oakland; Richmond, CA; Peoria; Phoenix; Pontiac, MI; Raleigh; Richmond, CA; San Diego; San Leandro, CA; San Lorenzo, CA.; Seattle; Springfield, Ill; St. Louis; Tacoma, WA; Tampa; Topeka, KS; Wausau, WI; West Haven, CT; and Wilmington, DE. </blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The workers are not alone. Many Teamsters across the country are standing in solidarity with strikers, including UPS Teamsters in Atlanta this morning.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA87b3rxTNTqDbjFjn_jpnTuN9IDNrsq4MLt-b9HyM2BLCxTIL1uFBrPEiAIU9Sj0aGTUFUmrR16L3xuvdhl_8iVK8b-bnYAtAhyphenhyphen6ndyTQ6mK-1KRuK-wDnxvGq8BeTWBDlZIkjMHtEjy/s1600/Teamsters+fast+food+strike+solidarity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA87b3rxTNTqDbjFjn_jpnTuN9IDNrsq4MLt-b9HyM2BLCxTIL1uFBrPEiAIU9Sj0aGTUFUmrR16L3xuvdhl_8iVK8b-bnYAtAhyphenhyphen6ndyTQ6mK-1KRuK-wDnxvGq8BeTWBDlZIkjMHtEjy/s320/Teamsters+fast+food+strike+solidarity.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UPS Teamster David Allen supporting fast food workers</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elected officials are linking arms with fast-food workers on the picket line, too. </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LowPayIsNotOk/posts/623545847676136"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rep. Jan <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: inherit;">Schakowsky joined striking workers</span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in Chicago this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span inherit="" style="font-family: =;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The impact of the strikes is being felt in </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/fast-food-worker-strikes-expand_n_3831060.html#34_organizers-protests-spread-to-60-cities"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Michigan</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">:</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's only 10 a.m. in the Motor City, but striking fast food employees say they've already gained a victory. CBS Radio reports that a McDonald's restaurant located at Eight Mile Road and Lahser closed this morning after workers walked off the job.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to reports on social media, employees at other McDonald's locations and a Church's Chicken in the city, as well as a Checkers restaurant in nearby Lincoln Park, Mich. A spokesman for organizing group D15 told The Huffington Post that fast-food employees are also striking Thursday in Pontiac, Lansing and Flint.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A St. Louis activist </span><a href="http://huff.to/1dThRzH"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">tweeted</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> this morning: </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A 2nd location shut down at 7am RT <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">@LowPayIsNotOK</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Workers shut down this McDonald's in STL </span></span></span></blockquote><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>New York Times</em> columnist <a href="http://huff.to/1a2gUpr">Steven Greenhouse writes</a> on Twitter:</span></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Organizers say fast-food strikes have spread to 60 cities. Here in St Louis, shutdown of a Hardees counter</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">And Tiffany Hsu from the Los Angeles Times </span><a href="https://twitter.com/tiffhsulatimes/status/373083655674941441/photo/1" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">tweeted</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">#FastFoodStrike - dozens march outside a South LA #BurgerKing at the crack of dawn for $15/hr minimum wage </span></span></span></span></blockquote><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Chicago, there are reports on Twitter of workers outside the iconic downtown </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bellwak/status/373067959775670272/photo/1"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Rock N' Roll McDonald's</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And </span><a href="https://twitter.com/829StrikeNOLA/status/373044144689528834/photo/1" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">here’s a picture</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of a father in New Orleans on strike for his kids.</span><br /><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LowPayIsNotOk"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Low Pay is Not Okay</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Facebook page includes comments from workers in more than 30 cities that have joined today’s </span><a href="http://lowpayisnotok.org/home-0819/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">#829Strike</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> – and the day isn’t halfway over yet! <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br /><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today’s labor protests build on walkouts in July that took place in several cities, with dozens of more cities expanding the reach of the strikes to </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/fast-food-worker-strikes-expand_n_3831060.html?utm_hp_ref=business&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">the West Coast and into the South</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The momentum of the fast-food workers’ movement and low-wage workers’ struggle in general is growing fast.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is shaping up to be a historic day in the labor fight for raises and rights on the job. We’ll keep you posted on strike developments throughout the day.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep standing strong, brothers and sisters!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYUVCJ2C47DxqCrd8Q1zwQQ9TgPAqB5vztu-kg8o9SkmLeUrFCkuIJaNop2Iok2H7u9a1Az522qOb9Xu-c7autih6YdaefiNXsfAa4-Y8bmKblU5FRyeymaNdX9nv3Vt6Pm1WRaQ5rE31/s1600/ff2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYUVCJ2C47DxqCrd8Q1zwQQ9TgPAqB5vztu-kg8o9SkmLeUrFCkuIJaNop2Iok2H7u9a1Az522qOb9Xu-c7autih6YdaefiNXsfAa4-Y8bmKblU5FRyeymaNdX9nv3Vt6Pm1WRaQ5rE31/s320/ff2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /><br /></div></span>

fast food strikes fight for 15 low wage workers McDonald's strike Fast food strikes continue to sweep the nation

Today’s national fast-food workers strike is going strong with reports rolling in from more cities joining the protests. Organizers say the ...

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Teamster organizing victory in Washington!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRA73viHAt9YFFQft77YntHHIokZyEVURpyv74TY2uMeBcRq0T-I4QWYLyiUYTyr4eO1AdPqNX17VABlEQJmGXfjaiCNz5Qjhb2mhW3lIPKjB6t3wKjE75KqhWBbrFsY6ahm0ocY92ZX/s1600/victory.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRA73viHAt9YFFQft77YntHHIokZyEVURpyv74TY2uMeBcRq0T-I4QWYLyiUYTyr4eO1AdPqNX17VABlEQJmGXfjaiCNz5Qjhb2mhW3lIPKjB6t3wKjE75KqhWBbrFsY6ahm0ocY92ZX/s200/victory.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please welcome our 160 new brothers and sisters who shuttle rental cars for GCA Services Group at the <a href="http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Pages/default.aspx">Seattle-Tacoma International Airport</a>. They voted 91-44 on Monday to join <a href="http://www.teamsters117.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 117</a> in Tukwila, Wash.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rental car workers have been organizing for over six months to become Teamsters and win respect from management. Leonard Smith, organizing director at Local 117, says the victory will inspire other low-wage non-union workers at the airport:</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This victory is an exciting step forward for all workers at the Seattle Airport. It’s an example of how working together and sticking together truly pays off. By uniting for respect and dignity, the workers are showing other employees at the airport that they can come together and fight to improve their lives.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Smith says that many workers at the airport are employed by companies like GCA, which is a contractor for Avis. These workers lack job security and are paid minimum wage. The GCA workers are setting an example for other Seattle airport workers by standing up for higher wages, benefits and paid sick days.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In its <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/rental-car-workers-seattle-airport-join-teamsters-local-117" rel="nofollow">press release</a> on the victory, Local 117 explained that the GCA campaign is connected to the broader movement to secure higher pay for low-wage workers:</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The campaign for Teamster representation at GCA – which included help from organizers at Teamsters Local 174, SEIU and Working Washington – is part of an ongoing coalition effort among local unions and community groups organizing to win better working conditions for employees at the Seattle Airport. </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The coalition has been working to organize non-union airport workers employed by contractors like GCA and others. In conjunction with other national campaigns to demand higher pay for low-wage workers, the coalition is pushing a ballot initiative in SeaTac, Wash., to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tracey Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 117, says the organizing win sets the stage for pushing up standards for other workers at the airport:</span></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are pleased to welcome these hardworking and dedicated workers who are so vital to the rental car operations of GCA. We look forward to representing them and helping them win a first contract that sets higher standards for them and other workers at the airport.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The GCA workers in Seattle join hundreds of other rental car workers at Hertz, Avis and Budget who also belong to Local 117.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div>

Avis Local 117 low wage workers organizing victory Seattle Teamster organizing victory in Washington!

Please welcome our 160 new brothers and sisters who shuttle rental cars for GCA Services Group at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ....

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10 startling facts about low-wage workers

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Low-wage workers are rising up against their corporate bosses nationwide in an effort to increase their appalling wages and improve workplace protections by organizing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some that’s meant walking out on their jobs on a one-day strike, while others have joined them on the picket line to protest.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFdvMq6sS7Om2igYBfpKzBUWCwJpqBhR7_WYyhul1n-CWMzv_7IQWoKcFGsq0cRG_sotnoN8TTrKcS7_CXsWthAffeuCxn9Ft74DkQymlH8q5aFRMmDfo9KoN7pjQbN1x2SKnlxoEhGkm/s1600/7-31lowwagerally1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFdvMq6sS7Om2igYBfpKzBUWCwJpqBhR7_WYyhul1n-CWMzv_7IQWoKcFGsq0cRG_sotnoN8TTrKcS7_CXsWthAffeuCxn9Ft74DkQymlH8q5aFRMmDfo9KoN7pjQbN1x2SKnlxoEhGkm/s320/7-31lowwagerally1.jpg" title="Workers at a Chicago McDonald's walked off the job to protest low pay and a lack of benefits." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workers protest at a Chicago McDonald's last week.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter what form the action takes, there are many good reasons why this is happening now. While the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unemployment rate has dropped in the past few years, </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/low-wage-workers-recovery_n_3685091.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the new jobs created are falling far short of the ones they are replacing</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> when it comes to pay and benefits. That means many low-wage jobs, such as in the fast food and retail industries, are now being filled by adults who have families to feed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Here are 10 little-known facts that show who is working low-wage jobs and what they have experienced in recent years:</span><br /><ol><li><a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/slow-progress-for-fast-food-workers" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">39.3 percent of fast-food workers are 25 or older</a></li><li>31.4 percent of fast-food workers aged 20 and over have at least some college experience;</li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">26.6 percent of fast-food workers are parents;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">83.6 percent of fast-food workers make $10.09 an hour or less;</span></li><li><a href="http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Reports/NELP-Taking-Low-Road-Federal-Contracting.pdf?nocdn=1"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">74 percent of those in federal contract jobs</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (which includes port truckers, janitors, fast food and retail workers) make less than $10 an hour;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/worker-wage_n_3610530.html?utm_hp_ref=business"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">average U.S. worker with one child needs to earn $14.17 an hour</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to achieve economic security;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Workers </span><a href="http://www.alternet.org/recession-forever-10-reasons-american-workers-are-screwed"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">making between $10.61 and $14.21 per hour saw their real wages drop</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on average by 4.5 percent between 2009 and 2012;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The median U.S. income has fallen 8.1 percent since 2007;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Involuntary part-timers have almost doubled in the past five years, to 8.2 million;</span></li><li><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Exclusive-4-in-5-in-US-face-near-poverty-no-work-4691668.php#page-2">12.6 percent of adults aged 25 to 60 live in poverty</a></span></li></ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t expect worker-led efforts to raise awareness to end anytime soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It’s going to continue to be a long, hot summer for corporations that pay poverty wages.</span></div>

low wage workers 10 startling facts about low-wage workers

Low-wage workers are rising up against their corporate bosses nationwide in an effort to increase their appalling wages and improve workplac...

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TPP would only worsen service industry wages

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Low-wage workers across the U.S. </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/low-wage-workers-in-Chicago-Milwaukee-Seattle-walk-off-jobs.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">stood up last week to restaurant and retail giants</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to demand better pay and the right to organize. But the problem would only get worse if Congress approves the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBepGvaY0IG9L7TDlMZnb4Bz_AEPnvdqgodxIglB84gabLeBdduTxqsbLt1eTKXFIAFndGh0GUCGF4gmPRYXrXhdMyKQ2mWDi6LTs8Nf-8Nb8DcfhbRXWqU0FOj-ZAB_Y9d1NQB99i-UaE/s1600/tpp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBepGvaY0IG9L7TDlMZnb4Bz_AEPnvdqgodxIglB84gabLeBdduTxqsbLt1eTKXFIAFndGh0GUCGF4gmPRYXrXhdMyKQ2mWDi6LTs8Nf-8Nb8DcfhbRXWqU0FOj-ZAB_Y9d1NQB99i-UaE/s1600/tpp.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So-called “free trade” deals like the TPP have devastated the American workforce. In the wake of NAFTA and other job-killing trade deals, </span><a href="http://www.mintpressnews.com/where-did-the-good-jobs-go-globalization-free-trade-and-the-demise-of-americas-middle-class/166167/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">multinational corporations have increasingly taken what were once good-paying jobs overseas</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. NAFTA alone has </span><a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/trade-pacts-korus-trans-pacific-partnership/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">eliminated nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> since it took effect in 1994. In all, U.S.-based multinational corporations cut 3.3 million American workers from their rolls between 1989 and 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Those jobs were replaced by lower-paying service industry jobs in the fast food and retail industries. These, of course, are jobs that can’t be moved overseas. But companies have taken advantage of their employees by paying them as little as possible, often with no guarantee of set hours or benefits. These are not entry-level jobs for teenagers, as more and more fast-food employees are college-educated adults trying to raise families:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the evidence is seen in an aging service-sector workforce. Data shows that the workforce at McDonald’s and other chains is attracting more middle-age employees, supplanting the youth workforce that once made up the bulk of the fast food jobs. Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, NBC News reports that only 16 percent of fast food jobs now go to teens, down from 25 percent a decade ago.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">… Many of the older fast food workers are well-educated, with 42 percent of employees over the age of 25 having at least some college education, including 753,000 with a bachelor’s degree or higher.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The real fear, however, is that workers will continue to slide into economic oblivion due to U.S. trade policy. The U.S. is one of 12 nations currently negotiating TPP and it could be the most dangerous trade deal to date due to its shear size. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of the problem is that Congress has ignored how trade agreements hurt U.S. the workforce. Celeste Drake, a trade and globalization policy specialist with the AFL-CIO, </span><a href="http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA18/20130801/101233/HHRG-113-FA18-Wstate-DrakeC-20130801.pdf" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">told House lawmakers</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Aug. 1 that needs to change:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If working families’ preferences play little or no role in shaping trade and globalization agreements, then it should surprise no one that such agreements harm instead of benefitting workers and their families.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first step to protecting U.S. jobs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>is to make sure Capitol Hill doesn’t approve “fast-track” authority. That would allow the TPP to come before lawmakers for just a quick up-or-down vote, with no amendments and limited debate. You can sign onto a petition that demands </span><a href="http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12263" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congress fulfill its constitutionally mandated duty to review trade deals here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p>It's time to stop letting big corporations ship American jobs overseas and dump good wages and benefits overboard!</o:p></span></div>

fast food strikes low wage workers Nafta TPP TPP would only worsen service industry wages

Low-wage workers across the U.S. stood up last week to restaurant and retail giants to demand better pay and the right to organize. But t...

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2nd day of fast food strikes hit Kansas City, St. Louis

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrUbr8Qh7eRP20qPBspqmnQ3tKHoEi9K4mlU2hgsO3e0uuEXHRkrDOdSe53GiyvG7LuwMdus4F5dyE03D3RokTuB9n9_YHbY22_EqGMgNSBgVoU_urAp-5Z71szdq6o1qXl_ewnrZ3Agu/s1600/fast+food+workers+strike+in+Kansas+City.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrUbr8Qh7eRP20qPBspqmnQ3tKHoEi9K4mlU2hgsO3e0uuEXHRkrDOdSe53GiyvG7LuwMdus4F5dyE03D3RokTuB9n9_YHbY22_EqGMgNSBgVoU_urAp-5Z71szdq6o1qXl_ewnrZ3Agu/s320/fast+food+workers+strike+in+Kansas+City.png" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast food strike in Kansas City</td></tr></tbody></table>Fast food workers walked off the job today in Kansas City and St. Louis, fed up with poverty wages and employer retaliation. The action followed a one-day strike in New York City by hundreds of workers at fast food restaurants such as Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King.<br /><br />In Kansas City today, a Family Dollar worker inspired by the fast food strike walked off the job and joined the action.<br /><br />Andre Houston, a McDonald's crew member in St. Louis, is featured on the "Low Wage Is Not OK" Facebook page. The message: His family relies on his salary just to live. His family can't survive on poverty wages.<br /><br />Sixty Teamster first responders in El Centro, Calif, are also <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/07/teamster-first-responders-strike.html">striking Gold Cross Ambulance</a> for a third day. They're fighting against low wages and substandard equipment that puts patients at risk.<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.890625px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.890625px;">The labor unrest will continue to escalate through the rest of the week with short strikes against fast food companies in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee. And in San Francisco, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/07/teamsters-to-protest-against-mckesson.html" rel="nofollow">McKesson will face a large Teamster protest</a> tomorrow because it retaliates against workers for trying to form a union. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.890625px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.890625px;"><a href="http://business.time.com/2013/07/30/fast-food-strikes-unable-to-unionize-workers-borrow-tactics-from-occupy/">Time Magazine</a> compared this week's industrywide strikes to the wave of actions that galvanized the labor movement during the 1930s:</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.890625px;">This week’s walk-outs seem less about truly unionizing (even though the workers’ efforts have received support from the Service Employees International Union) and more about building public momentum for a higher minimum wage. Instead of taking the traditional route of trying to reach some sort of collective bargaining agreement, they’re betting that an Occupy-style public awareness campaign, based on the idea that their wages are inherently unfair, perpetuate inequality and fail to move them up the economic ladder, will lead to change at either the state or federal level.</span></span></blockquote>Sign the petition demanding no retaliation against fast food strikers <a href="http://lowpayisnotok.org/noretaliation/?utm_campaign=LowPay&utm_medium=FBPage&utm_source=NoRetaliation">here</a>. And give them a Facebook Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LowPayIsNotOk">here</a>.

fast food strikes low wage workers 2nd day of fast food strikes hit Kansas City, St. Louis

Fast food strike in Kansas City Fast food workers walked off the job today in Kansas City and St. Louis, fed up with poverty wages and emplo...

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Teamsters to protest against McKesson worker retaliation

McKesson Corporation will face a large Teamster protest tomorrow outside its shareholder meeting in San Francisco tomorrow because it abuses workers at its distribution facility in Lakeland, Fla. Though McKesson employees voted for Teamster representation more than a year ago, the company still will not agree to a first contract that provides decent wages and affordable health care.<br /><br />McKesson, the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America is retaliating against its Lakeland employees,. The company hired a union-busting law firm and has threatened and intimidated the workers rather than agree to wages they can live on.<br /><br />The San Francisco-based pharmaceutical distributor is a poster child for corporate greed and corruption.<br />Accused of stealing from taxpayers and payors by fixing drug prices, it had to pay nearly $1 billion in legal settlements. Then the board allowed CEO John Hammergren to loot the company of roughly $50 million a year, with a pension estimated at $159 billion.<br /><br />Tomorrow, McKesson will also face an investor backlash inside the shareholder meeting over the company’s excessive executive pay practices and poor corporate governance. The Change to Win Investment Group has called for a vote against Hammergren – as well as two other board members – because of the company’s pay practices and financial and reputational risks arising from widespread price fixing allegations.<br /><br />Rome Aloise, Teamsters international vice president and president of Teamsters Joint Council 7, said it's no wonder health care costs are rising.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Teamsters won’t stand by while McKesson fleeces workers, investors and the American public.</blockquote>Stay tuned. <br /><div><br /></div>

CEO Pay low wage workers union busting Teamsters to protest against McKesson worker retaliation

McKesson Corporation will face a large Teamster protest tomorrow outside its shareholder meeting in San Francisco tomorrow because it abuses...

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