Who Were the Wal-Mart (WAL) Protesters That Interrupted Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff?
On Tuesday, a small group of protestors interrupted a discussion between Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who is on the Wal-Mart Board of Directors.
Before they were removed by security Benioff gave them some advice about organizing demonstrations in the future. The advice could prove useful. According to Twitter(NYSE:TWTR), Wal-Mart (NYSE:WAL) protest groups have big plans for Black Friday this year, especially after allegations that employees were threatened after striking on the same day in 2012.
One of the protestors at the Salesforce “Dreamforce” tech conference , which will continue through November 21, was Dominic Ware, 26 a Wal-Mart employee from the San Francisco Bay Area.
One Hour after the protest, he posted a photo of himself and five others after security had ushered them from the building.
Ware, 26, has been participating in protests for over a year as part of the organization OUR Walmart, a non-union affiliate group of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union which has long opposed the retail giant.
Ware said in a May 2013 interview with OaklandLocal.com that he was disappointed when store management began to intimidate him and other employees after they complained about hour cuts and schedule changes.
“I was trying to get away from the streets but it seemed like the streets were following me into Walmart,” he said.
He soon teamed up with other protestors and became active in the Wal-Mart protest community.
“I went on strikes, speaking and standing up for those who cannot risk being fired.”
Through Twitter, Ware has broadcast a protest schedule for this week. They plan to protest at a store in Freemont on Wednesday, Fairfield on Thursday and San Leandro on Friday.
Black Friday this year will fall on November 29. This group isn't the only one with a plan to protest or go on strike during America's busiest shopping day.
On the website blackfridayprotests.org, participants can search for protests groups in their area to sponsor or participate in.
There are already seventeen scheduled protests in California alone, and over 35 planned in Massachusetts.
On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board announced that it will prosecute Wal-Mart because it “unlawfully threatened, disciplined and/or terminated employees” last November.
The claim involves 117 workers from stores in 13 states.
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