The Women Who Are Taking on Walmart

Some fired, some homeless, all tackling the retail giant

Pico Rivera is a dusty working-class Latino suburb of Los Angeles. After the school district, Walmart is the city’s largest employer and the source of 10 percent of its tax revenue. More than 500 families in the town depend on income from the store. The town is also the epicenter of activism by Walmart workers in the United States. Walmart associates have been fighting for four years to pressure the world’s largest private employer to grant its workers decent conditions, a living wage, and regular hours.

Last fall, I flew to Los Angeles to interview Pico Walmart workers for a book I’m writing about the 21st-century struggle by workers worldwide for a living wage. The Pico workers helped to galvanize that movement by organizing the first strike against a U.S. Walmart in 2012. Since that time, the world has seen expansive organizing by garment workers, farm workers, fast food workers, and retail workers from Cape Town to Canada, Bangladesh to Brazil, and Cambodia to California.

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deserving of a living wage

Nobody deserves a living wage, they want and need it, but don't deserve it. I have heard of harsh treatment by WalMart before, so this is not new. McDonalds workers are usually teenagers in their first jobs and don't need "living wages" My wife worked at a McDonalds when she was attending college many years ago. A college student does need a little more money than a 16 year old living at home with their parents. I rarely patronize McDonalds any more, I prefer a better restaraunt. So I don't help their cause. We did when our children were young, but they are adults and rarely go themselves now. My daughter barely makes a living wage at her employer (Walgreen's), so it is not just WalMart. If everyone were paid $15/hour then everything else would go up too, and they would be back where they started.

See all sides of the story and then add more to your article.

I'm still undecided that I

I'm still undecided that I agree that Walmart should be forced to pay employees $15/hr, people are hired on for a particular job with a particular wage... If Walmart is made to increase wages, wouldn't it serve to reason that every single job anywhere would have to pay this too? Not everyone needs it. I know I didn't make that much at certain jobs I have had. Although walmart owners sure could afford it so... why not give people the opportunity to make more money to provide for themselves and their families when Walmart has dominated the employment pool in certain towns?

I was a little confused at the comparison to other activism throughout history which led to killings. I have no idea, have people actually died/been killed by what has become the Walmart institution in our country? I hope not!

Salary only seems to be a slice of this story too. The larger picture seems to be about human decency and respect. I DO believe that opportunity to have better quality of life is in fact something that every human being 100% deserves. And the hardships that surround WHY someone's only option is working at Walmart, why is Walmart the main employer in the town, why are more local businesses not available, what is the role of racism, sexism, why are there not more services for homeless, there are so many more questions to ask as individuals who are not living the lives of those on strike to be able to truly understand what they are going through. And the lack of respect for human rights of those who are carrying a child is absolutely mind-blowing. I can't seem to wrap my head around that level of disrespect for another person's wellbeing. Thank you for your passionate article.