On Black Friday Maine Greens participated in a Flash Mob at the Scarborough location of WalMart. The action, hosted by the Southern Maine Worker’s Center (SMWC), was in Solidarity with striking WalMart workers throughout the U.S., and to point out unfair labor practices that are commonplace within WalMart. SMWC says:
In Maine three Walmart stores alone have received $22 million in taxpayer subsidies.
(http://www.walmartsubsidywatch.org/state_detail.html?state=ME).
(http://www.walmartsubsidywatch.org/state_detail.html?state=ME).
A study in California showed that one 200-employee Walmart store costs taxpayers $840,000 in subsidies including: food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, subsidized school lunches and subsidized housing.
(http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/retail/walmart.pdf).
(http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/retail/walmart.pdf).
In addition WalMart has been consistently cited for low wages, lack of benefits including paid sick time and health insurance, forcing workers to under-report hours, and more.
Maine Greens were proud to participate not only in organizing and leading the Flash Mob, but also in informational leafletting and holding signs of protest on Black Friday yesterday. Click here to check out the video!
