Walmart workers in several states
started their Black Friday actions ahead of time, but Friday itself is shaping up much, much bigger. Striking workers often face serious (and illegal) retaliation from Walmart, but they are
motivated:
"I have to depend on the government mostly," says Fatmata Jabbie, a 21-year-old single mother of two who earns $8.40 an hour working at a Walmart in Alexandria, Virginia. She makes ends meet with food stamps, subsidized housing, and Medicaid. "Walmart should pay us $15 an hour and let us work full-time hours," she says. "That would change our lives. That would change our whole path. I wouldn't be dependent on government too much. I could buy clothes for my kids to wear."
You can follow the day's action at
@ChangeWalmart and
@ForRespect.