American Rights at Work

Victory for Students at Today's Sallie Mae Shareholder Meeting

Fri, 31 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

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Students and Activists Rally and Introduce Shareholder Resolution
At Sallie Mae Annual Meeting
New CEO Jack Remondi Commits to Meet with Students in the Next Month

Newark, DE – Earlier today, nearly 200 students, parents, community members and union leaders from around the country came together at Sallie Mae’s annual shareholder meeting to demand a meeting with corporate executives and introduce a resolution to hold the bank accountable to its 25 million student borrowers. Twenty representatives from the group went inside the meeting to introduce a shareholder resolution asking for increased transparency and disclosure from the company about its lobbying practices and membership in extremist groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

The proposal received suport from 35.5% percent of shareholders, an extremely high number for this type of resolution. After the resolution was introduced, newly named CEO Jack Remondi agreed to the students’ demand to meet in the next month. Students and leaders are eager to use the CEO transition to demand better business practices from the bank, and question Remondi directly, asking for clarity around its executive pay structure.

Sara Fitouri, a law student at the University of Denver who holds $145,000 of student debt, told the crowd at the rally, “Sallie Mae is in the business of condemning students to a lifetime of debt, not making education a reality. We came to this meeting because we want to meet with Sallie Mae to come up with fair solutions to this crisis. They have routinely hid behind closed doors, called police, ignored us, or locked us out of buildings instead of allowing us a seat at the table,” Fitouri said. “Even the Secretary of Education has encouraged Sallie Mae to meet with us. .”

A group of students and activists presented the resolution at the meeting, representing the United States Student Association (USSA), the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), Common Cause and the Responsible Endowment Coalition. They were joined by Jobs with Justice & American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. �

In her introduction of the resolution Weingarten explained, “As Sallie Mae profits from billions of dollars of student loans, it has an obligation to students, educators and shareholders to be transparent about its lobbying efforts, including on student loan reform.”� Disclosure of Sallie Mae’s lobbying expenditures is critical for shareholders to better assess the company’s management of its lobbying and trade association activities, as well as related risks and opportunities.”
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“As student debt and student loan defaults escalate at an unsustainable pace, private student loan lenders continue to increase their profit margins,” added Sarita Gupta. “Sallie Mae is the largest private student loan lender and one of the chief profiteers off of student debt, yet it faces minimal public scrutiny and accountability. When just five individuals can make over $20 million dollars off of the backs of students, something needs to change.”

The group was initially met with a heavy police presence with K-9 units, but they remained within a designated area on the road leading up to the Sallie Mae headquarters. Outside, students from dozens of colleges and universities, including George Washington University, Rutgers, University of Massachusetts, University of Wisconsin, University of Central Florida and City University of New York all spoke about the skyrocketing interest rates on their student debt, and called on Sallie Mae to address solutions to the student debt crisis.

“Student debt is actively standing in the way of the economic recovery, and Sallie Mae is partially to blame,” Gupta went on to say after the meeting. “Recent graduates are having trouble buying homes and cars because of their debt-to-income ratio. Today was a good first step toward changing that.”

Today’s meeting comes on the heels of the release of new research by Dēmos that compares the financial security of a household that graduates from a for-profit school with no student debt to one that graduates with average amounts of debt. The model estimates that, over a lifetime of employment and saving, a two-income household that borrows $66,100 to obtain degrees from for-profit schools with accrue $323,000 less in assets over their lifetime than a similar household that had not been forced to borrow to pay for their for-profit college education.

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Resources:

To view a live stream of the event, please click here.

To follow the live tweets from throughout the day (which include photos), please check the #StopSallieMae hash tag on Twitter.

To read the meeting agenda and shareholder resolution, please click here.

To read the “Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sallie Mae” fact sheet, please click here.

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Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:12 +0100

New research details Walmart's extensive and systematic efforts to silence associates who speak out for better jobs. The study also finds that Walmart has escalated efforts to silence associates and community supporters since the historic Black Friday strikes, in part with aggressive and meritless litigation intended to intimidate workers and their supporters from raising their concerns inside or near Walmart stores. The report draws from more than 150 incidents to document Walmart's efforts to deter lawful activities by the company’s workers involved in the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart).

Download the white paper:
Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse

Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:31 +0100

A new white paper details Walmart's extensive and systematic efforts to silence associates who speak out for better jobs. The paper features the stories of workers like Cindy Lee, a model employee and active OUR Walmart member who reports being fired for calling in sick after she was publicly involved with OUR Walmart last fall. The study also finds that Walmart has escalated efforts to silence associates and community supporters since the historic Black Friday strikes, in part with aggressive and meritless litigation intended to intimidate workers and their supporters from raising their concerns inside or near Walmart stores.

The report draws from more than 150 incidents to document Walmart's efforts to deter lawful activities by the company’s workers involved in the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart). Though federal labor law prohibits the use of coercive or intimidating actions by employers to interfere with workers’ “protected concerted activity,” some Walmart associates who have joined OUR Walmart and come together to address concerns about working conditions have faced harassment, threats, changes to their jobs and working conditions, and retaliatory discipline – including termination – for speaking out.

Download the white paper:
Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse
Erin Johansson, Research Director, American Rights at Work

New Report on Worker Retaliation at Walmart

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

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As Workers and Supporters Call for a Change of Course at Walmart,

WALMART ASSOCIATES FACING WIDESPREAD RETALIATION FOR SPEAKING OUT FOR BETTER JOBS

New Report Shows Workers Continue Efforts for Change despite Intensified Crackdown on Associates and Community Groups

Washington, DC – Today American Rights at Work/Jobs with Justice released a white paper detailing Walmart’s extensive and systematic efforts to silence associates who speak out for better jobs. The paper features the stories of workers like Cindy Lee, a model employee and active OUR Walmart member who reports being fired for calling in sick after she was publicly involved with OUR Walmart last fall. The study also finds that Walmart has escalated efforts to silence associates and community supporters since the historic Black Friday strikes, in part with aggressive and meritless litigation intended to intimidate workers and their supporters from raising their concerns inside or near Walmart stores.

Read the white paper here.

“It’s no secret that many companies come down hard on workers who try to join together for fair pay or improved working conditions,” said Sarita Gupta, Executive Director of American Rights at Work/Jobs with Justice. “But Walmart goes above and beyond what we’ve seen from other employers. Not only does the company attempt to block workers’ collective activity by retaliating against those who speak out, now the company is challenging the First Amendment rights of workers and their supporters with ‘trespass’ lawsuits—pitting workers making poverty-level wages against a company with limitless resources.”

The report draws from more than 150 incidents to document Walmart’s efforts to deter lawful activities by the company’s workers involved in the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart). Though federal labor law prohibits the use of coercive or intimidating actions by employers to interfere with workers’ “protected concerted activity,” some Walmart associates who have joined OUR Walmart and come together to address concerns about working conditions have faced harassment, threats, changes to their jobs and working conditions, and retaliatory discipline—including termination – for speaking out.
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Carlton Smith, another worker featured in the study, is a 17-year Walmart associate who worked his way up to Department Manager in housewares at a Walmart store in Paramount, California. Concerned about deteriorating working conditions at the company and Walmart’s attempts to silence those who spoke out about them, Carlton participated in the Black Friday strike in November 2012 and, in April 2013, led a delegation of his fellow workers to raise concerns with store managers. Less than a month later, Walmart fired Carlton—the December 2012 employee of the month—without warning, on the pretext that he was failing to complete his work. Carlton is now fighting for his job before the National Labor Relations Board.

Walmart has also resorted to aggressive litigation tactics, filing lawsuits in Arkansas, California, Florida, and Washington State that charge OUR Walmart members and community supporters with trespassing. These lawsuits attempt to prevent associates and their supporters from exercising their right to free speech in and around Walmart stores. Meanwhile, Walmart recently withdrew one of the unfair labor practice charges it filed to try to stifle worker and community protests and strikes around Black Friday.�

The report also documents Walmart’s ability to avoid legal repercussions by disguising retaliation as legitimate disciplinary actions or routine enforcement of company policy. As a result, the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency charged with protecting workers’ rights to engage in concerted activity, often chooses to act on only the most extreme cases of retaliation against associates.

“NLRB charges alone leave us with an inaccurate perception of the severity and pervasiveness of Walmart’s crackdown on workers,” said Erin Johansson, American Rights at Work/Jobs with Justice Research Director, who authored the report. “A closer look at the data shows that complaints issued by the NLRB barely scratch the surface of Walmart’s efforts to keep associates from joining together and speaking out. The good news is that Walmart workers are continuing to speak out, and their organization—OUR Walmart—is growing.”

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Leaders Urge Senate to Confirm NLRB Nominees

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:01 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

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Hundreds of Professors, Authors, Civil Rights, Human Rights, and Faith Leaders Urge Senate to Confirm NLRB Nominees
Letters signed by nearly 400 professors and 125 leaders nationwide argues for swift action on NLRB to ensure workplace rights�

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Washington, D.C. – In two official letters released today, a diverse, prominent chorus of voices called for senators to swiftly confirm the full package of nominees submitted by President Obama for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a step necessary to free the agency from its current limbo status and allow it to function in its role protecting workers’ rights in the United States.

The first letter, signed by nearly 400 notable professors from colleges and universities across the country, states:�

“In order for our labor laws to work effectively, it is essential that the agency responsible for enforcing these laws be operational. Current and future vacancies on the NLRB, together with the uncertainty created by the D.C. Circuit’s recent Noel Canning decision, make it imperative that the Senate move quickly to consider the package of nominees.”

The scholars underscoring the need for a functional NLRB include: Catherine Fisk, Professor of Law, University of California at Irvine; Thomas Kochan, Professor of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; John Logan, Associate Professor of Labor & Employment, San Francisco State University; Nancy MacLean, Professor of History, Duke University; Ruth Milkman, Professor of Sociology, City University of New York; and Dorian Warren, Associate Professor of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University.

To view the academic letter and full list of signatures, click here.

The National Workers’ Rights Board – a group of diverse national and local leaders representing faith, civil rights, social justice, human rights, and academic communities – also released a letter calling for Senate action on the NLRB to protect the vital rights of employees to collectively improve their job standards. The letter, signed by noted authors Barbara Ehrenreich, Dave Zirin, and Bill Fletcher Jr., National Organization for Women President Terry O’Neill, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance Ai-jen Poo, President of the Alliance for Justice Nan Aron, former U.S. Congressman and House Minority Whip David Bonior, and Center for Community Change (CCC) Director Deepak Bhargava, states:�

“The strength of our democracy is tied to our nation's ability to uphold and uplift workers' rights. America’s workers deserve much more than the status quo to fully protect their rights on the job. Yet they do not deserve to have their basic workplace rights invalidated due to Congressional inaction.”

To view the National Workers’ Rights Board letter and full list of signatures, click here .

On May 16, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions will hold the first hearing on the pending NLRB nominations. At present, two of the five seats on the Board are vacant and the term of one of the three current Board members, Chairman Pearce, will expire this August. Without action by the Senate, the Board will soon be left without the quorum of at least three members that is required for it to function, leaving approximately 350 cases and all of the appeals generated by the Noel Canning decision in flux.

The package of five nominees includes three current members of the Board – Chairman Mark Pearce and Members Sharon Block and Richard Griffin – and two nominees who have not served previously, attorneys Philip Miscimarra and Harry Johnson, who have represented management in disputes with employees.

For further background on why workers need a functioning NLRB and how employers are taking advantage of the vacancies and judicial overreach to violate workers’ rights, click here.

For interview requests with any of the scholars or leaders who signed the letters, please contact Ori Korin at okorin@americanrightsatwork.org.

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What Happens If There's No One Policing the Workplace

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:15:31 +0100

The federal agency charged with protecting employees’ rights to collectively improve their job standards is in limbo. That’s great news for unscrupulous employers who want to take advantage of workers, but it serves as a wake-up call for those of us who care about workers’ rights.

In January 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Obama Administration’s January 2012 recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional – a ruling at odds with other circuit court decisions. This ruling has created legal havoc. Employers are now filing appeals to decisions issued at all levels of the agency, charging that since the Board members are invalid, the decisions should be vacated. As a result, the NLRB is now hamstrung in its effort to enforce the National Labor Relations Act, the law that is supposed to protect workers' rights to organize, collectively bargain, and engage in collective actions. This leaves America’s workers without any effective legal protections provided under law – and no one policing the workplace.

Download this briefing to learn more:
What Happens If There's No One Policing the Workplace: Senate Action Required to Maintain the NLRB
Erin Johansson, Research Director, American Rights at Work

What Happens If There's No One Policing the Workplace

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:15:31 +0100

Statement on Bipartisan Senate Immigration Reform Bill

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Statement on Bipartisan Senate Immigration Reform Bill�

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Washington, D.C. – Following the highly anticipated release of the Senate bipartisan proposal to reform our nation’s broken immigration system, Sarita Gupta, executive director of Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work and co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign, issued the following statement:

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“Like many advocates for immigrant rights, we are dismayed to see Senators unveil such a lengthy and unreasonable citizenship process. We are nonetheless encouraged by Senate negotiators initiating a number of core labor provisions in this bill.� All workers deserve dignity and freedom from exploitation. Labor protections must be included in immigration reform or nearly every worker — no matter where they were born — stands to lose.

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“We welcome the proposals providing workers with whistle blower protections, anti-discrimination protections, and access to the application of labor and employment laws. The Senate bill specifically includes important worker protections from the POWER Act for immigrant workers who blow the whistle on employer abuse. Without these protections, employers use threats of retaliation and deportation to silence whistleblowers and get away with abuse which hurts them and the U.S. workers that work alongside them.

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“Yet, there is more to be done to protect and strengthen this bill as the legislative process unfolds. Workers’ rights advocates will continue to raise their voices to ensure that any immigration reform measure under consideration works for workers and employers alike. Immigration reform policies need to usher in a fair, broad, and inclusive roadmap to citizenship; fundamental labor rights, remedies and whistleblower protections for all workers now and in the future; and an improved guestworker program. Our coalitions and allies will be pressing hard for their representatives to take strong position supporting these bottom lines for workers.

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“Immigration reform will ultimately boil down to policymakers deciding what type of economy we want to have in this country. Our nation’s leaders should not shrink back from this historic opportunity to turn the tide for immigrant workers, their families, and improve conditions for all working families in this country."

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Statement on H.R. 1330, the Student Loan Fairness Act

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

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Statement on H.R. 1330, the Student Loan Fairness Act

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Washington, D.C. – Following the introduction yesterday of the Student Loan Fairness Act by U.S. Representative Karen Bass, Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement:

“The Student Loan Fairness Act is exactly what the doctor ordered, both for the millions of students struggling to pay their loans, and for the economy that is relying on them to jumpstart their careers and participate in the economic recovery.

“We applaud Representative Bass for standing with students to come up with a fair solution to this crisis by forgiving debt, reducing loan repayment burdens, and cutting fees and interest rates. Utilizing the bill’s ‘10-10’ standard for income-based repayment plans, we can reward graduates who enter public service professions and begin to break the cycle of a lifetime of debt burdens.

“Student loan debt affects so many Americans, regardless of their gender, race, geography or political affiliation. In that spirit, I hope Representative Bass’s colleagues from both sides of the aisle will sign on to support this critical piece of legislation, so we can begin the process of solving this country’s student debt crisis.”

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Resources:

The Student Loan Fairness Act

Jobs with Justice, Student Labor Action Project and United States Student Association’s Campaign to End Student Debt

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Statement on Nomination of Tom Perez for U.S. Secretary of Labor

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Statement by Sarita Gupta on Nomination of Tom Perez for U.S. Secretary of Labor

Washington, D.C. – Following the White House's announcement of the Department of Justice's Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez as the nominee for the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Sarita Gupta, executive director of Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work and co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign, issued the following statement:

“We’re pleased that President Obama has nominated Tom Perez -- a strong advocate for working Americans, particularly low-wage, and immigrant workers -- to lead the Department of Labor. This choice sends a clear message that the administration is looking out for our nation's most vulnerable workers. Given Perez’s serious credentials, we urge Congress to pursue a swift confirmation process so the agency can move forward with its agenda and implement critical policies, including the proposed rule extending minimum wage, overtime and other FLSA rights to the 2.5 million caregivers working without labor protections in the United States.

“We know Tom Perez will continue to stand up for working people, putting their interests at the top of the agenda. We look forward to working together to ensure that the basic rights and safeguards of labor law are extended to all workers in this country and modernized to reflect the rapidly shifting nature of work in America.”�

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Statement on State of the Union

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Statement by Sarita Gupta on President Obama’s State of the Union

Washington, D.C. – Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement:

"We’re encouraged to see President Obama tackling the toughest issues facing America today, and making a commitment to bring good jobs back to the United States. As the President said, everyone in this country deserves a fair shot, and everyone should pay their fair share. Working families should not have to pay more just so the wealthy pay less. Congress should follow his call to support working families by raising the federal minimum wage, closing the wage gap, and protecting the social safety net programs on which hardworking Americans rely.  

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"We can create new ladders of opportunity for those who work hard for a living by guaranteeing that workers’ rights protections are at the forefront of the immigration reform debate. Immigrant workers today deserve full access to strong, enforceable employment and labor laws. We cannot raise standards for all workers – immigrant and U.S.-born alike – until we guarantee the rights of each and every worker.  

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“We look forward to engaging our network of local coalitions to stand up for these issues, and agree with President Obama that it's time to get things done.”

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Statement on Immigration Reform

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Washington, D.C. – In response to President Obama's call to action on immigration reform, Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement:

“We welcome President Obama’s inclusive approach to immigration reform which prioritizes protecting workers against retaliation for exercising their labor rights; winning a real roadmap for citizenship for all 11 million undocumented workers; and stopping cruel enforcement measures that tear communities apart. The White House proposal draws from key provisions of the POWER Act, commonsense workers’ rights legislation aimed to ensure workers’ immigration status can’t be used by egregious employers as a weapon to curtail basic attempts at ensuring a fair and safe workplace. We can and we must seize on this critical opportunity to turn the tide for immigrant workers, their families, and improve conditions for all working families in this country.”

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Statement on Senate Rules Reform

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2013

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Washington, D.C. – In the coming days, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a series of proposals to reform its own rules in an effort to prevent gridlock and ensure that our elected leaders are held accountable to actually casting votes on critical issues.�

In anticipation of the vote, Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement endorsing Senate Resolution 4:

“Finally we have the chance for the Senate to update its rules, make the legislative process more transparent, and help move our country forward. I applaud Senators Merkley and Udall for bucking the status quo and seizing on a rare opportunity to make Congress work again. Senate Resolution 4 is long overdue. The current rules that govern the Senate are hurting our democracy. Right now, out-of-control filibustering allows a minority of obstructionist lawmakers to bring the Senate to a standstill.
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“These simple common sense changes to the Senate rules could pave the way for legislation with broad public support to be passed—not hijacked—and for the president’s nominees to be confirmed—not roadblocked. The current Senate filibuster rules allow just a handful of senators to railroad legislation – exactly what happened with the Employee Free Choice Act, the DREAM Act, and many other measures that would usher in progress for working families. I urge the Senate to vote for SR 4 as a key step in helping restoring the public’s confidence and trust in government."

For more information, and to see the latest Public Policy Polling report with data showing broad public support for Senate rule reform, please visit: http://fixthesenatenow.org.

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Speak Up for Jobs, Not Cuts

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:39:05 +0100

With Congress back in session, everything is on the table in this budget debate. There are currently proposals moving to reduce the federal deficit by imposing job-killing budget cuts and slashing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid – all the while protecting tax breaks for the rich.

We all need to pay our fair share. We cannot allow the fiscal burden to shift to working families who are already hurting from an economic crisis caused by Wall Street.�

Write your senators NOW to urge them to stand firm for jobs, not cuts!

Statement on Passage of Right to Work Legislation in Michigan

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +0100

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2012

CONTACT:
Ori Korin
(202) 822-2127 x126
okorin@americanrightsatwork.org

Washington, D.C. – Today, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed into law the right-to-work legislation passed by the Michigan state legislature. In response, Jobs with Justice and American Rights at Work Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement:

“It’s unfortunate that the hardworking people of Michigan are becoming the collateral damage of Republicans’ political vendetta against unions and their members. Right to work sounds like a good idea, but in reality, these laws have nothing to do with providing rights or work. At its core, this initiative is a threat to the basic right for workers to stick together on the job and collectively bargain for a better life.

“The facts speak for themselves: compared to workers living in states without right-to-work laws, employees in right-to-work states earn less per year and are more likely to be uninsured. Workplace deaths are higher in right-to-work states, and even business owners admit that right to work isn’t a factor when they’re choosing where to open up shop.

“Despite mounting evidence pointing to the detrimental impact of these laws on everyday Americans, corporate-backed politicians have made it clear that they're not concerned with the facts. Governor Snyder and his cohorts are clearly more invested in destroying workers' unions than in creating jobs or leveling the playing field for the 99 percent. But workers around Michigan and around the country will continue to stand together and fight back against any claims that this law will be good for Michigan’s families or Michigan’s economy.”

For more information, please visit wrongforeveryone.com �

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Stand With Striking Walmart Workers

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:39:05 +0100

Time and time again, when Walmart workers have come together to call on the company to address issues with understaffing, scheduling, wages, benefits, safety, and just plain respect in the workplace, the company has attempted to silence them. Without an end to the retaliation and mistreatment, Walmart workers around the country are prepared to strike on the biggest sales day of the year - Black Friday, November 23.

Let's show the media and the Walton family that we have these workers' backs. Join with Walmart workers in solidarity by signing our petition.

Sign the petition now!