Walmart Employees Protesting Black Friday Hours

Walmart is going to have one of the biggest Black Friday 2014 sales again, and that is no surprise. It should also come as no surprise that there people who won’t stand for the long hours, extra work, and having to be in store for the Thanksgiving holiday. The majority of those people happen to be the employees who are just sick of it.

TWC News reported that Walmart workers are getting some support from different communities around the country, and many more are starting to take notice.

Many employees are not happy that they are being forced to work on Thanksgiving since the Black Friday sales at Walmart begin on that day. Some have started saying they would strike and protest the store being open on the holiday, but support is coming to them, especially in the North Carolina area.

Walmart employees in the Greensboro area have been joined by Working America activists, and are demanding better working conditions and at least $15 per hour. They are also looking for more opportunities for full-time workers, and if they don’t get them, they may not show up for work on Black Friday.

Examiner has already reported that Walmart will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening to begin its Black Friday sale. The deals will continue through the weekend.

This isn’t the first time that Working America and Walmart have banded together for the employees of the giant retailer.

Last year, a vice president of corporate communications said “we’re proud of the hard work our associates have put into making this a great Black Friday for our customers, and we’re pleased we can provide them with holiday pay equal to an additional day’s work, as well as a 25 percent discount on an entire basket of goods for their extraordinary efforts.”

Currently, Walmart employees make an average of $12 an hour, and that is for both full and part-time workers. Per the company, it is stated that most full-time workers actually bring home $13 an hour and health care plans begin at $18 a pay period.

401k plans and education assistance is also offered by Walmart, but there is more that the employees want and feel they deserve.

A number of stores have actually joined in on a “Boycott Black Thursday” online movement that hopes customers will join the fight against holiday work. They want retailers to stay away from stores open on Thanksgiving and not give them their business.

Walmart knows they have a bit of the upper-hand here as there will still be plenty of Black Friday shoppers hitting their stores this week. Now, will there be enough employees to take care of them all?

[Image via Lynne Sladky – AP]