If you are going to stand in a line this Black Friday make sure it is a picket line.
As most of you have probably heard by now Wal-Mart workers across the nation will be going on strike this Black Friday. These workers are risking their jobs to improve the working conditions for everyone, they deserve our full support and everyone who is able to stand in a picket line needs to get out there and show community solidarity with the workers.
As a person who has worked in retail myself I know how hard the people in that industry work. Many people like to dismiss retail work as low skilled labor, but it is a far more difficult and stressful field to work in than most people realize. When you have long lines of people some of whom are very irate and you have to keep the line moving it can be a very difficult job. When you have to quickly stock shelves and are constantly bending over to pick up the next item it can be backbreaking. When you have to work for hours on end without even being allowed to sit down for a minute it can be physically exhausting. Retail is not an easy field to work at all and the workers deserve to be well compensated for what they do but hardly any of them get the pay they deserve.
We all benefit from the work that retail employees do for us, now it is time to show them that we have their backs.
Everyone who is able to get out on Friday needs to go stand with the striking Wal-Mart workers in their community and let them know that you support them. If you can stand outside with them all day long then do it. Bring them pizza or hot chocolate if you are able, let them know that the community is behind them and supporting them in what they are doing. Some of the workers are likely to face ridicule and harassment from the teabagging crowd and it is important for the workers to know that they have people who are supporting them and defending them from that sort of harassment.
This action has the potential to be a turning point in American labor history, but if Wal-Mart workers are to succeed they will need the support of the community, we need to get out there and show them our support.
