Chicago Strike Fever Spreads: Walmart Warehouse Workers STRIKE to Protest Illegal Retaliation
Warehouse Workers for Justice Press Release
September 15, 2012
Contact: Leah Fried, Warehouse Workers for Justice, leah@warehouseworker.org
Workers at Walmart’s largest distribution center went on strike today to protest illegal retaliation and other labor abuses.
This comes just days after workers at the California warehouse that supplies Walmart stores walked off the job to protest illegal retaliation and poor working conditions.
On Thursday September 13, workers for Walmart contractor Roadlink Workforce Solutions filed a lawsuit for non-payment for all hours worked, paying less than the minimum wage and non-payment of overtime worked. Shortly thereafter, intimidation and retaliations against workers escalated. Workers walked off the job on Saturday, September 15 in protest.
“We are on strike to protest violations of our rights. We are tired of retaliation and threats every time we speak up about unsafe working conditions and other abuses”, said Eric Skoglund, a striking warehouse worker.
Walmart has been harshly criticized for the legal violations of its contractors and towards its store associates. In California, contractors at warehouses serving Walmart were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for violations of workers’ rights and a federal judge issued several orders and injunctions in favor of the workers, including an injunction stop the mass firing of workers who had filed the lawsuit. In Illinois, a total of six lawsuits have been filed against contractors operating in the Walmart warehouse for labor violations.
Warehouse workers labor under extreme temperatures lifting thousands of boxes that can weigh up to 250lbs each. Workplace injuries are common; workers rarely earn a living wage or have any benefits. Warehouse Workers for Justice is an Illinois worker center dedicated to fighting for quality jobs in the distribution industry that can sustain families and communities.
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