Launch of historic UNI Alliance to drive positive change at Walmart
On a day when Walmart workers in Los Angeles took strike action for the first time in the company’s 50 year history in the United States, workers and union leaders from around the world came together to launch a global alliance. The UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance is a international network of union members fighting for fairness, decent working conditions, and ensuring the right to join a union for all Walmart employees. The newly formed Alliance released a report, “Walmart’s Global Strategy: Undercutting Workers’ Rights” today which outlines the depth of Walmart’s anti-worker and anti-union stance and calls for the company to change.
Responding to a comment from a Walmart spokesperson that today’s strike action by Walmart workers in LA is a stunt for the benefit of UNI’s delegation visiting the city to launch the Alliance, UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings said, “Once again Walmart is out of touch with reality on the ground in their own stores. People are marching because they want to impress on Walmart that they have had enough of the company crushing the opportunities for workers to form a union and because of poor working conditions. The new global alliance launched today is there to support them.”
Jennings added, “In LA the workers are on strike because of harassment and sackings over workers daring to stand up to the company and organise. It’s time to face down the bully. Walmart should accept the new reality. They now face a global alliance that is prepared to take a stand for decent work and for the rights of Walmart staff worldwide.”
Walmart referring to the strike action stated it is “not planning to take any disciplinary action against workers participating in such legal events”. Jennings said, “This was a victory won by workers because they had forced Walmart to accept their legal right to strike. This win will resonate round the world.”
Alke Boessiger, Head of UNI Commerce commenting on the Alliance’s new report said “Walmart affects the lives of many millions and is the single most influential private actor on the planet. As the report makes clear, Walmart allows workers to unionize and treats workers decently only when forced to do so by strong national laws and culture. Everywhere else we see the same story- downward pressure on conditions for workers in its stores and for everyone else who even comes close to the products sold on the shelves. Others in the market - retailers and producers- feel the pressure to imitate Walmart’s practices”
Boessiger added, “This is not the globalization that we want to see. It is a priority for UNI to be part of a movement to change these practices. Our vision is that our global economy can serve the interests of everyone, not only a handful of Walmart owners.”
Watch Alke Boessiger's video here:
The UNI Walmart Global Alliance released a statement of commitment today. A commitment to every one of Walmart’s workers around the world to stand up for them and ensure respect and dignity in the workplace and decent conditions and pay so that they can support their families.
Argentine Walmart worker, Marta Leonor Miranda said, “I believe that every Walmart worker wherever they are employed in the world should have a voice on the job and be able to freely exercise their right to join a union without fear from retaliation. In Argentina we have been working for 15 years to win the right to be able to join a union at Walmart and the right to collective bargaining. We have succeeded but it is not enough. We know that with Walmart we need the support of the Alliance to remain strong. Every worker deserves the same rights irrespective of where they are from. That is why I’m here to support this new Alliance.”
Joe Hanson, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union UFCW, told the workers and union leaders gathered for the launch of the Alliance in LA, “If we band together and act as one, we can change Walmart.”
Read the full report and the Alliance's Statement of Commitment by clicking on Related Files tab at top of page
See story in Huffington Post highlighting that this an historic strike - first time Walmart workers in the US have walked off the job: