Jim,
I've had enough. Nine other former Walmart workers and I just protested at Walmart's lobbying headquarters in D.C., and we were willing to be arrested to make sure they heard us.
I worked for Walmart for more than six years before they illegally fired me. I worked hard to support my family, and I took pride in my commitment to my coworkers and my community.
After I was injured on the job, I became passionate about safety issues in my store. I began talking with my fellow Walmart associates about our safety, wages and hours, and how we could make things better.
In June, I went on strike and travelled across the country to the Walmart shareholders meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart is one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, but they were putting workers like me in unsafe conditions and paying us barely enough to survive. I wanted these Walmart shareholders and executives to see my face, and know I'm a real person trying to get by and raise a family. I'm not just some number or a line item they can skim over when they're trying to boost their already enormous profits.
When I got home, I was fired without being given a reason. I'm going to keep speaking out about this, because Walmart hasn't given me a choice. We're demanding that all of us who were fired are reinstated by Labor Day.
In just a week, fast food and retail workers around the country are planning a nationwide strike for better pay and the right to form a union. People like us don't have corporate lobbyists representing our interests like Walmart does. That's why we need you and your friends to keep getting the word out.
In solidarity,
Jerry Paladan
Federal Way, WA
P.S. If you haven't already, take a look at this video from the fast food workers who called for a national strike on Aug. 29.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment