As many people flock to box stores like Walmart on Black Friday for shopping deals, several others will congregate at the Avon Walmart to do just the opposite.
Grassroots activist group Activate CT and the Justice Party of Connecticut posted a call on actionnetwork.org and Facebook to join a protest at the Avon Walmart at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29 during Black Friday.
It is one of 1,500 protests nationwide involving "Walmart workers" and community allies, according to a press release.
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The group is calling this "one of the largest mobilizations of working families in American history."
"Workers are calling for an end to illegal retaliation, and for Walmart to publicly commit to improving labor standards, such as providing workers with more full time work and $25,000 a year," the press release states. "As the country’s largest retailer and employer, Walmart makes more than $17 billion in profits, with the wealth of the Walton family totaling over $144.7 billion – equal to that of 42% of Americans."
This is not the first time the Avon Walmart was the site of a protest. In March of this year, Ralph Nader came with protesters to picket the Walmart as part of his Time for a Raise initiative. He told Patch that he did it as a call for a minimum raise increase at the federal level.“So you start with a big 800-pound gorilla — Walmart," Nader previously told Patch. "We want $10.50 by 90 days."
The protests are separate from Nader's movement.
"Most of the consumers who are shopping on Black Friday don’t stop to think about the effect that Walmart has on their communities," organizer Rebecca Burton said in a statement. "The average Walmart store costs taxpayers $900K in government assistance to its workers, because Walmart simply doesn’t pay enough for employees to live on. Walmart is a huge drag on our economy. Why should we be paying to subsidize their business practices?”
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Concern about some Walmart employees not being able to afford Thanksgiving dinners on their pay sparked the timing of the protests, the press release said.
Her co-organizer Debra Cohen added that "Walmart's low prices are possible only because their workers are so disrespected and un-rewarded for their labor through low wages, lack of benefits and retaliatory tactics toward workers who are publicly outspoken about conditions. The store sells cheap goods produced by near-slave labor overseas. The Walmart family is wealthy beyond description yet they refuse to afford their workers anything approaching a decent income.”
Other protests are planned at Walmarts nationwide in Los Angeles, Chicago, Bay Area, Seattle,Sacramento, Miami, Minneapolis and Washington, DC.
Do you plan on joining the protest? Tell us why in the comments or email us at Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com. If you witness the protest or are a part of it and snap a photo, please send us your photos.Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
