Workers stand up to Walmart

LYNN – A veteran Walmart employee who works in the Lynnway store and her Lowell coworker headed for Arkansas Tuesday, where they hope to “present their grievances” to retail chain executives during a June 7 corporate meeting.Aubretia Edick said Lynnway store managers told her a month ago she was not allowed to discuss the employee advocacy organization Our Walmart with coworkers.”After seeing that, I knew someone had to stand up,” she said.The 13-year Walmart employee and Chelmsford store worker David Coulombe said they are driving to Washington, D.C. where they will join other Our Walmart members for a bus ride to Arkansas in time to attend the meeting at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Bentonville, Ark. headquarters.Fourteen Our Walmart members and organized labor activists wished the pair a safe trip Tuesday and said Our Walmart will protest at Walmart stores on June 7.”We are not going to stand up for their intimidation of workers. If we can change Walmart, we can change America,” said Jobs for Justice Executive Director Russ Davis.Advocates on Tuesday said Our Walmart counts 5,000 Walmart employees – known as associates – as its members and said the organization was formed three years ago by Maryland Walmart employees.But Walmart spokesman Dan Fogleman said Our Walmart represents “a very, very small number of people, most of whom are not associates.””They don’t represent the views of the majority of people who work at Walmart,” Fogleman said.Coulombe, a Lowell resident and five-year Walmart employee, said his work schedule was reduced from 37 to 29 hours.”They told me it was part of doing business,” he said.Edick said her activities and outspokenness on behalf of Our Walmart during the nearly 13 years she worked at a New York store prompted Lynnway managers to assign her to a cash register apart from coworkers.She said she transferred to the Lynn store in January after a heart attack kept her out of work for eight months. She said she was assigned part-time hours at the Lynn store and told by managers “not to speak about Our Walmart while I was on the floor.”Davis said Our Walmart has filed unfair labor practice charges against Walmart with the National Labor Relations Board. Fogleman said Walmart has strict policies against worker retaliation.”When our employees have opinions, we listen, we want to hear them,” he said.He described the June 7 shareholders meeting as “a celebration of the 2.2 million Walmart associates who work hard every day” and said thousands of Walmart workers will attend the Arkansas meeting.Edick said Walmart claims to be a family-oriented store but “doesn’t treat people like family.” She said the protest trip to Arkansas reflects her commitment to Walmart.”If I didn’t love my job, why would I stay here and fight?” she asked.Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].