PAGE 2 | December 15, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
WORKERS’ RIGHTS
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
UFCW: Walmart forces Santa Claus to strike
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140
Walmart workers across the na-
tion will see about $70 million
less in their paychecks since Wal-
mart eliminated holiday pay.
ONLINE EXTRA
Sign a petition demanding Walmart
reinstate holiday pay:
https://actionnetwork.org/
petitions/walmart-holiday-pay
PHOENIX (PAI)—Walmart is
forcing Santa Claus to strike.
Making Change at Walmart,
a campaign sponsored by
United Food and Commercial
Workers to improve working
conditions at the anti-union re-
tailer, started “Santa Claus On
Strike” at one of the firm’s
Phoenix stores to protest Wal-
mart’s refusal to give holiday
pay to its 1.5 million employees.
Walmart also refused holiday
pay to workers that it required to
toil on Thanksgiving. The giant
retailer eliminated holiday pay
last year, an action that will cost
workers about $70 million this
year. Walmart workers already
are paid so poorly that tens of
thousands qualify for food
stamps, Medicaid and public
housing.
In response, Santas will strike
this holiday season in front of
Walmart stores in 13 cities in 11
states. The first strike was held
Dec. 8 in Phoenix. The picket-
ing will run all through the holi-
media campaign and regular tel-
evision ads on the lack of holi-
day pay, to warn shoppers about
the exploitation.
“Santa Claus is on strike for
one simple reason: It’s time
Walmart do the right thing and
provide holiday pay for its hard-
working men and women — the
same holiday pay it used to pro-
vide in 2015 before it decided to
‘Grinch’ its workers,” said Mak-
ing Change at Walmart Director
Randy Parraz.
“To be very clear, this initia-
tive is about more than Santa
Claus and Christmas, it’s about
the values that the holidays rep-
resent and which Walmart has
chosen to ignore.
“Walmart earns millions of
dollars from not paying its
workers holiday pay. This is
wrong and it must stop. The ex-
tra pay millions of other Ameri-
can workers earn during the hol-
idays makes a difference, and
Walmart workers deserve no
less,” Parraz said.
SANTAS ON STRIKE! Workers, labor allies, activists, Santas and helpers gath-
ering outside a Walmart store in Phoenix, Arizona, Dec. 8 to demand Walmart
bring back the holiday pay it eliminated in 2016.
days.
Santa strikes also are planned
for Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas,
Cincinnati and Memphis. Exact
dates and locations had not been
announced at press time.
Making Change at Walmart
will also run a digital and social