Wal-Mart Shoppers Seen Overrunning Black Friday Union Protests

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-19/wal-mart-shoppers-seen-overrunning-black-friday-union-protests.html


Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers demanding better pay and benefits vow to mount 1,000 protests online and outside stores up to and including Black Friday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) workers demanding better pay and benefits vow to mount 1,000 protests online and outside stores up to and including Black Friday. The strategy risks showing the company’s strength not vulnerability.

To work, the approach will require protest leaders to turn out significant numbers of strikers and persuade deal-chasing shoppers to go elsewhere. Similar protests in recent weeks have had little perceptible impact on the world’s largest retailer.

The Black Friday protests are unlikely to be any different, said Zev J. Eigen, an associate professor at Northwestern University School of Law who specializes in labor relations.

“Shoppers in the parking lot will say ‘Oh, that’s terrible -- OK, where do I get my discounted electronics,’” said Eigen, who is based in Chicago. “That’s one of the big challenges for the labor movement. We’ll sign online petitions, but we won’t vote with our wallets.”

[brokechris]

1. I don't shop this time of year so I'm good.

Is the strike just Black Friday or is it longer? I drove by a Walmart today and didn't see anything happening.

[pinboy3niner]

2. Whether or not they deter shoppers, their protests serve a purpose

At least they will be calling attention to issues important to workers and to Wal-Mart's practices that oppress workers and deny them a living wage.

Getting the message out is a challenge, and getting even a little media attention that helps to enlighten others advances the cause.

[xchrom]

3. ...

[madrchsod]

4. to bad people don`t realize they are being conned...

walmart orders goods especially made for black friday and those items are usually made of cheaper components. they limit the number of name brand items according to the stores size and previous sales.

[xchrom]

5. some where along the line = 'cheap' became synonymous with american.

probably when they started cheating us out of being paid well for our labor.

[michreject]

6. With so many looking for work, is this a good strategy?

I've been looking for a job for a year. I would NEVER work for WM but how many desperate people would? Actually I'm still looking in my field and haven't looked anywhere else.

Wouldn't WM just fire everybody and hire new workers off of the street? What would stop them as evil as they are?

[HopeHoops]

7. I hide on Black Friday, but I am going to call all the local WalMarts at 3 in the morning.

"Are you going to be open today?"

1) "Yes" - Me: "Oh, too bad."

2) "No" - Me: "Good."