Wal-Mart Worker Strike Spreads to 12 Cities

by Christopher Freeburn | October 10, 2012 12:25 pm

Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT[1]) is facing labor protests at 28 stores across a dozen states[2] as 88 employees skipped work on Tuesday, the New York Times noted.

Representatives of Making Change at Wal-Mart, a grassroots effort supported by national labor unions, indicated that 200 Wal-Mart employees would hold a protest outside company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, during the retailer’s annual meeting.

Additional protests could hit Wal-Mart stores on the Friday after Thanksgiving, potentially damaging holiday sales.

Investors appeared unconcerned by the protests. Wal-Mart shares rose more than 3% in Wednesday mid-day trading.

The employees who failed to appear at work this week were on strike, Making Change at Wal-Mart said. Last week, 63 store workers in Los Angeles missed work.

Protesting employees say they want higher pay and better working conditions.

Wal-Mart employs 1.4 million workers at its 4,000 stores in the U.S. The company dismissed the action as a stunt meant to garner media attention and accused unions of using its workers to advance their own political goals.

Source URL: http://investorplace.com/2012/10/wal-mart-worker-strike-spreads-to-12-cities/
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