Protests at Walmart stores on Black Friday

(CBS News) LOS ANGELES - Walmart is the nation's biggest retailer -- and Black Friday is extremely important to the company's bottom line. It is why workers at some Walmart stores chose Friday to protest for higher wages and better benefits.

From overnight protests in Wisconsin; to dawn demonstrations in Maryland; to those taking to the streets in the California fog -- what was billed as a nationwide protest against the nation's biggest retail employer didn't quite live up to the hype.

"This is huge," said protester and Walmart employee Dan Hindman. "I don't care how anybody looks at it."

We first met Hindman earlier this week. A sales associate in electronics, he was once the employee-of-the month.

But on Friday, he walked off his job to protest what he says are Walmart's low wages and high health insurance premiums.

Asked for what is risking by being out here, Hindman said: "I'm not worried about no risk because I'm protected. I have the right to stand up for what's right, and so does everyone else."

It's that "everyone else," though, that has Walmart suspicious. The company says few of the demonstrators were actually striking employees, but rather outside supporters pressuring Walmart to unionize.

Wamart's Duncan MacNaughton: "In many of those locations, no Walmart associates took place, we had roughly the same number of calls-ins that we had last year."

While there were a handful of arrests, Walmart says the protests had no effect on Black Friday sales. In fact, the company said it was the best Black Friday on record.

Dan Hindman said it's time the employees get rewarded for at least some of Walmart's success.

"We're not trying to hate Walmart," he said. "We don't hate Walmart. We hate the way their practices are, that's all, that's all it is."

Organizers say this isn't the end of the planned protests. But Walmart is making sure it is the end. The company complained to the National Labor Relations Board, arguing the protests are an illegal attempt to disrupt business. The company is still waiting for the board's decision.

[johnnymac57]

The illegal conduct is being perpetrated by Walmart upon all of its employees reaching their 20 year mark, here is what happened in my sister Sandra's case:
Sumpter, South Carolina management recently removed my sister Sandra because she was reaching 20 years of service thereby qualifying her for retirement benefits, this is now a common move by Walmart. She has been the face of Walmart for many years in the many charities she participated in and all her loyalty and devotion was counted as nothing by the Walmart Corporation. Contacting Mr. Duke has resulted in him assigning someone to look into work place harassment and the illegal firing of my sister and yet he has done nothing about it. These workers are afraid of losing the little income they have, they are not going to risk losing it to become part of a union. Its just too bad that Walmart cannot act ethically and responsibly when it comes to treating its employees fairly.

[judymar14]

These are unskilled workers who could be replaced with an hour or less traing. A $2 and an hour raise would add to gross pay, that would decrease food stamps per month, which 75% of employees are receiving. A $2 raise would be passed on to the public, which includes employees who shop at WM. Whenever minimum wage goes up it is also passed on to the public, which includes employees who receive the raise then pay more at the check-out. It is a catch-22. WM medical insurance plan is ridiculous, it should be made affordable to those not on welfare and give better benifits. As long as WM brings in billions a year it don't care about the little man. What workers at WM could do is not to stay in a low paying job for years, but get edcuated and move up in a higher paying job somewhere else. The government pays for people to go to college, not only tutition, but monthly pay for living expenses. Get off your a** and look into the the benefits of going to college to learn something besides stocking shelves and being a cashier.

[commensensecitizen]

If only it where that easy to "get educated", kind of hard when most do not know where to start because the access to help is not there. But then let's say they get educated, what about the ones who take their place at slave-mart? What about them? You are still in a vicious cycle that involves one common denominator, Wal-Mart.

[randyd66]

Wal-Mart is a target for alot of bashing but I must say that when I left the army they were quick to hire me without a degree. I went into Loss Prevention Management a year later and within 3 years was promoted to a Regional Director. I spent time in Brazil and Mexico and enjoyed my time. There used to be a banner that hung in the corporate hallway where Don Soderquist had said, extra ordinary opportunites for ordinary people. That described me well, I left the company in 2000 and have missed it many times in my life. Now I am a graduate and look back to my retail days as cherished memories. Lowest prices and at least millions of jobs are the result of Wal-Mart.

[commensensecitizen]

Sounds like someone is still working for them as a paid forum writer. ; )

[PFGHA]

What is good is be at your job and find your work. Job is no good.
http://poetryfoundationghana.org

[bajajohn1]

Respect for each other is a great concept, Tellnolies

[atlantamike]

Sam Walton believed in a fair wage and proper treatment of his employees. He also believed in buying American products first, whenever possible. Sam Walton would be appalled at what has become of Wal-Mart.

[rayward73446]

to jgg000010 I worked at Walmart when Sam Walton ran Walmart stores and Sam did treat his employees much better than today's Walmart. He used primarily full time associates, offered good pay for that time and excellent benefits. No one that I worked with had to use food stamps to get by, and he inspired us to work hard because he believed in us. I was quickly promoted twice at Walmart, as were other associates. At our stores grand opening Sam Walton and the entire board of directors of Walmart worked as "stock boys" and they carried out the purchases of thousands of customers for 14 hours that day. Sam insisted that they would work under an hourly employee that day, and since I supervised the checkouts at that time they worked for me. When you are treated fairly, paid well and see that company leadership will work as hard as you are expected to do, You are proud to do your job well.
Our son worked at Walmart until about a year ago, and he was part time for the full time he worked there, no benefits and low wages that only went up 20 cents per hour over the course of three years. He became disillusioned and quit to look for another job. Walmart management at today's Walmart cannot be defended for their policies, and your post is uninformed and irrelevant.

[Zorg_P]

You know there is something systematically wrong with American capitalism when billionare business magnates abound and employees are told to seek welfare to help offset their poverty.

Even the Bible foretold of the problem: See James 5:1-6

Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! 4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.

[commensensecitizen]

Amen!

[judymar14]

America is a capitalist country, would we be better off living in a Communist country. Look how well it did for the poor in China and Russia. James 5:1-6 or anything else should have nothing to do with goventment or free enterprise. Get that through your head. The bible is suppose to be 3000 or so years old, no one can live by it, even religious fanantics. Check out what we are living with now, start with 9/11.

[commensensecitizen]

This should be getting more play in the media but it just gets dismissed as those stupid union people... sorry to tell you but these are real people like you and me. I did not shop at Wal-Mart on Black Friday and I pretty much refuse to to shop there whenever I can except to get free boxes late at night. Wal-Mart should be panned by Republicans because they encourage their employees to live off of Food Stamps and other social welfare programs because they do not make enough and on top of that do not have insurance or if they it is crappy anyways. Then on the other hand Republicans stream it is a private corporation, they have the right to pay them whatever they want. Looks you morons, you cannot have it both ways. Either force Wal-Mart to pay them what they need to be paid to live or don't complain about them living off your tax dollars. But these people who only care about getting their China made TV and other crap to save a few bucks, just pass by the protesters and don't care, because we seem to want to live this in the "ME" society and basically who cares about anyone else. Wal-Mart used to be good many years ago, but since Sam Walton died, it is crap, plain and simple.

[commensensecitizen]

@troopf4

See that is where you have been lied to by the corporate media, unions DID NOT cause the issue at Hostess. Hostess board members caused the issue at Hostess, it is basically another Bain type move to the company by the executives. Lose the workforce and sell off the assets and make more money for the executives. Hostess brand will still be sold, but just by another company. Most of these employees were making a decent wage of about $13-$15/hr. Hostess wanted them to go down to $8-$9... that is a $4 pay cut to work for scraps just so the executives make more money. This is not spread the wealth metality as you like to think, this is pay your employees a decent wage and sometimes the CEO will have to take a pay cut. You defend the super rich who care NOTHING FOR YOU.... Why? Are you just that dumb? Actually those filthy rich Hollywood types do give back through charity or through voting against their own financial well-being just so those less fortunate can have a better chance at life. So what you say is hypocritical and mornic. Unmployment was at 10% in 2009 after Obama took office and it is at 7.9% as of writing this so yes it has gone down just fine, maybe not the speed you want it to, but it has gone down regardless. You are just talking out of your @ss and looks like nothing but right-wing talking points you heard on Limbaugh the other day. As far as the Wal-Mart employees "looking" for another job, pretty hard when Wal-Mart moved in and took small business ones away. So lets say the employee finds another job, what a bout the employee that takes his/her place? It is the same boat you are just changing a passenger, then you are stuck with the same problem as before and nothing is fixed and they continue to take YOUR tax dollars because Wal-Mart subsidizes it to you. Now unless you have something smart and constructive to say, just stop because you sound like a moron.

@jgg000010

Some Wal-Mart employees are happy because they have no other option but to be happy. They are told when they are hired that Unions are bad and you are a part of a family at Wal-Mart. I would not treat my family like that. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer because they schemed their way to the top, heard about their bribes in Mexico to build stores? Probably not if you only watch corporate media. Wal-Mart employees have no say, they have nobody to go to bat for them if they are treated poorly, all they have is themselves which when you are struggling, you will not speak up because your job would be on the line. Wal-Mart doesn't want unions because they will actually have to treat their employees like human beings, not slave labor.

[CetanLutah]

Commonsense... surely you jest. Welfare receivers increased under Obama. Get your facts straight. Wal-Mart is not a welfare provider. Union people are not stupid...it has taken years to hone their methods in becoming first-rate parasites. No one held a gun to the head of those who chose to work at Wal-Mart and, like most, they were happy to get the job. But now, thanks to the good ol' American greed, they want more and to do less. Typical union function. So now the consumer and taxpayer must pay for their health insurance, thanks to your admired present administration. I hope Wal-Mart folds like Hostess before they give in to the demands of these obese parasites.

[democracy8]

CetanLutah: If you are unaware that a HUGE number of WalMart employees have to apply for Food Stamps because they can't earn a living wage there, then you are A) ignorant and/or B) have no right to complain about people being on Food Stamps.

[Patriotnow]

The unions have outlived their original purpose and now just serve to make a few rich.

[commensensecitizen]

Seems like someone just listens to Fox News and Right-Wing radio. So you say it only serves to get the few rich? And that would be opposed to the CEOs who have seen their pay rise 300% over the last 10 years while regular worker wages have gone down since then? Seems like someone is not informed enough on what is really going on.

[democracy8]

commensensecitizen: +1

[rwsmith29456]

Probably not a good idea in the wake of the Hostess shut down.

[commensensecitizen]

Why workers did not cause the "shutdown", they were filling bankruptcy anyways because they want to sell the assets and increase the pockets of the board.