[Peace-discuss] Nov 23 Wal-mart Article from online WSJ, pasted

[Jenifer Cartwright]

Sorry the link didn't go thru. Here's the article, couldn't eliminate the big white space. Highlighting is mine. --Jenifer
 Protesters Wage Campaign Against at Wal-Mart
By ANN ZIMMERMAN                And SHELLY BANJO
            
                

                
                
                
                
                
                Reuters
                Protesters demonstrate outside a Walmart store in Chicago Nov. 23, Black Friday.
            DESOTO, Texas—About 60 protesters, 
banging drums and chanting "No justice, no peace," marched in front of a
 Wal-Mart supercenter in this suburb south of Dallas on Thursday night, 
brandishing signs that read: "I want to work full-time," "Stop Cutting 
Hours," and "Respect Our Associates."
The march was part of a campaign organized by a union-backed group on Thanksgiving Night and Black Friday at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.  
WMT +1.89%
 locations across the country during the retailer's busiest shopping time of the year.OUR
 Walmart, or Organization United for Respect at Walmart, was created in 
2010 as a subsidiary of the United Food and Commercial Workers 
International Union, which has been involved in previous efforts to 
represent Wal-Mart workers.
The group, which says it is now supported by Wal-Mart workers, said 
early Friday that it expected to have a thousand protests over the 
weekend in 46 states.
But by Friday morning the actual number of protests appeared to be 
far smaller, and participants were bused from store to store in places 
including Dallas.
The company said only 26 protests occurred at stores Thursday night and many of them did not include any Wal-Mart employees.
"We estimate that less than 50 associates participated in the protest nationwide," said  Bill Simon,
 president of Wal-Mart U.S. The company said that since it opened its 
doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, it had sold more than 1.8 million 
towels, 1.3 million televisions, and 250,000 bicycles.
Wal-Mart tried to head off the protests over the Thanksgiving holiday
 by filing an unfair labor practice complaint against the union a week 
ago. The complaint asked the National Labor Relations Board to issue an 
injunction against worker rallies and pickets that have been staged at 
Wal-Mart stores and warehouses across the country for at least the last 
six months.
But the NRLB, a federal agency that supervises union elections and 
referees disputes between private-sector employers and employees, said 
the issues were too complicated to issue a ruling in time to block the 
marches this weekend.
OUR Walmart said the Thanksgiving weekend protests were not in 
support of unionization but rather were meant to draw attention to 
retaliation workers say they experience when they complain about pay and
 working conditions.
Wal-Mart has publicly shrugged off the protests and complaints since 
OUR Walmart was launched in 2010. But the company confirmed last week 
that it had been sending in executives from the home office in 
Bentonville, Ark., to tamp down unrest at stores and sending instruction
 manuals to managers on how to legally respond to striking workers.
Wal-Mart employees have filed at least 20 Unfair Labor Practice 
charges since August with the National Labor Relations Board. The 
complaints have alleged, among other things, management interference 
with workers' rights by preventing them from distributing union 
literature in the break room, and that the company has retaliated 
against workers for their involvement with OUR Walmart by cutting 
workers' hours or firing them.
Several of the charges have been dismissed or withdrawn and others 
are under review in the regions where they were filed. At least two of 
the charges are being reviewed by NLRB officials in Washington, which 
could make them more likely to become NLRB complaints against the 
company.
Wal-Mart, which has 1.4 million workers in the U.S., said it has 5 
million applicants for jobs last year and 20% of those applicants had 
previously worked for the company.
In DeSoto, only about five protesters were Wal-Mart workers. One was 
Vanzell Johnson, 48 years old, a produce worker on leave from a store in
 Lancaster, Texas, where he said tore his rotator cuff and bicep picking
 up boxes of bananas.  Others described themselves as supporters of the 
cause; the group's spokeswoman, Jenna Pea, worked for a UFCW campaign 
called Making Change at Walmart.

                Josue Mata, 28, an overnight maintenance worker at the 
store, said he hoped some of his colleagues would walk off the job and 
join him, but none did, as far as he could tell. Mr. Mata said he had 
worked at Wal-Mart for 15 months and makes $8.70 an hour. He said he 
pays child support for four children and lives with his parents because 
he cannot afford a place of his own.
At one point Thursday night the group attempted to march up to the 
store's door, where protester Mr. Mata, tried to hand a store manager, 
Colin Warren, a letter complaining about low wages, short hours and poor
 working conditions.
But three police officers intercepted the group halfway across the 
parking lot. As a protester read the letter over a bullhorn, the 
officers backed the group onto the sidewalk while holiday shoppers 
looked on, some capturing the scene on their phones while others loaded 
their cars.
Mr. Warren, the Wal-Mart store manager, refused to answer questions. 
"Right now I am taking care of my customers and associates," he said as 
he walked behind the police officers.
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