Workers at Walmart warehouses in southern California and Chicago have walked off the job.
Tell Walmart to negotiate with the warehouse workers
For fifty years Walmart has been fighting a war against workers, driving down wages and crushing attempts to organise around the world. But just last week, an incredible new chapter opened in the fight against Walmart's race-to-the-bottom economics -- workers in Walmart’s warehouses in California and Chicago have gone on strike.
These workers are sick of toiling in 100+-degree heat without access to clean water, they’re sick of poverty wages and most of all, they’re sick of being ignored by management. So just last week, they walked off the job, and workers in California even marched 50 miles to Walmart’s HQ in downtown Los Angeles to confront some of Walmart top executives.
With over two million employees in 155 countries, Walmart -- also known as ASDA Stores in the UK, Seiyu in Japan, and Walmex in Mexico -- is the largest private employer on the planet. So what these brave workers are doing is an important stand for working conditions not just in the United States, but right across the world. Let's make sure they know the world stands with them also.
Every year, Walmart ships hundreds of millions of tons of goods from Asia, through warehouses near major ports, and then on to local stores. And conditions in those warehouses are scandalous. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program has found that 63 percent of workers have been hurt on the job. Investigations by California state regulators have led to numerous citations and fines for breaking labour laws for the companies that manage the warehouses.Â
As long as Walmart can escape responsibility for its suppliers’ behaviour, there will be no systematic changes at the warehouses.
Walmart may not hire the warehouse workers directly, but it built the warehouses and hired subcontractors to manage them. And since 90% of goods moving through these warehouses are destined for Walmart, the world’s largest corporation clearly has the power to raise standards throughout the industry.
Workers have tried to meet with Walmart executives before, but they've been ignored. Now they're doing something that can't be ignored. They don’t have an officially recognised union, so they’re taking on a substantial risk by going out on strike. But the workers understand that by taking a stand, they’re challenging a business model that has made life worse for millions of workers around the globe.
The sheer size and power of Walmart means it has an enormous impact on everything it does, from wiping out local jobs and guzzling more energy than 57 nations in the world combined, to making its founders one of the wealthiest families on Earth. You may not have a Walmart in your own country but its global impact is undeniable.
As a community, we’ve challenged Walmart before. Thousands of us shared an infographic about Walmart’s devastating impact on the global economy, and tens of thousands of us spoke up against abusive conditions in Walmart’s Thai suppliers. Let’s let Walmart know that every time workers fight back against its destructive business model, we’ll be standing with the workers.
Thank you,
Rob, Kaytee, Paul, and the team at SumOfUs.org