Walmart Officially in the Running for Worst Corporation in the World Jana Kasperkevic - The Guardian
go to original November 22, 2014

Is Walmart deserving of Public Eye’s Lifetime Award for ‘worst corporation in the world’? (Alamy)

Walmart workers in 10 countries joined a global day of action on Wednesday to demand better wages and treatment for employees, as a public interest group nominated the retailer for a Lifetime Award as “worst corporation in the world”.

Organizers with the group OUR Walmart estimated that about 300 protesters would march on Walmart’s headquarters in India and block the gate. Another 200 people were expected to protest at the company’s headquarters in Mexico City. Workers in Argentina, Brazil and Canada were also expected to participate.

In the US, despite steady rain, workers gathered in Miami at 1pm local time outside Walmart’s Latin American headquarters. Turnout was about half of the expected 100 people, organizers said.

“I’m standing with protesters all over the world today to send a message to Walmart and the Waltons that we need better pay,” said Emily Wells, one of the protesters. Wells makes $9.50 an hour and relies on food stamps to make ends meet. “As the richest family in America and one of the richest in the world, we all know the Waltons can afford to pay $15 an hour to the workers that make them richer every day.”

The Walton family, which descended from founder Sam Walton and owns more than half of Walmart, is worth about $145bn.

As the protests played out, Public Eye, a campaign started by the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace in 2005 as a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum’s yearly meeting in Davos, Switzerland, declared Walmart a nominee for “worst corporation in the world”.

Read the rest at The Guardian

Police in a Los Angeles suburb arrested nearly two dozen protesting Walmart workers on Thursday, raising the ire of labor groups. Demanding pay increases and a stop to retaliation against workers who attempt to unionize, the participants demonstrated at two store locations and were arrested for failure to disperse. RT’s Lindsay France is in Los Angeles with more. (RT America)

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