In 2013, a group of Walmart workers chartered buses and traveled to the retailer’s Arkansas headquarters to protest what they believed were inadequate wages and unfair treatment of employees. Several people involved in that event were subsequently fired, but a federal labor court now says Walmart must rehire, and provide back pay to, 16 of these workers.
PROTESTS
NLRB Judge Rules That Walmart Illegally Punished California Workers For Participating In Protests
By 12.11.14
In recent years, some Walmart workers have staged public protests about inadequate wages and unfair treatment. A number of these employees claim that management has retaliated against them for expressing their views. Now a court has ordered Walmart to reverse disciplinary action taken against protesting workers and put a stop to future retaliation.
No, This Arab Immigrant Does Not Refuse To Sell Gasoline To Soldiers
By 9.11.14
Is there bigoted immigrant gas station owner in Michigan who refuses to do business with members of the American armed forces? Well… no, but that didn’t stop people from passing on a call to boycott it. Before you hit “share” on an angry call to boycott a business, consider whether the precipitating incident could be a huge misunderstanding. [More]
Pennsylvania Chipotle Workers Walk Out, Sign Alleges “Sweatshop Conditions”
By 9.10.14
It’s not clear what happened at the Chipotle restaurant in State College, Pennsylvania, but we do know some things. The restaurant was closed for several hours this morning and afternoon. At first, all that aspiring burrito-eaters knew was that the store was closed. A sign in the window claimed that most of the employees had quit in protest of “borderline sweatshop conditions,” so the shop had to close. [More]
The Internet Speaks Up: FCC’s Fast Lane Proposal Would Be “A Cluster f**k Worse Than Comcast’s Customer Service”
By 9.10.14
It’s been a long road since an appeals court threw out the FCC’s Open Internet Rule — the one most of us call net neutrality — back in January. The FCC proposed a replacement rule in May, but there’s one small snag: it’s terrible. The proposal currently on the table would allow large ISPs to charge businesses for prioritized access, effectively splitting the internet into fast and slow lanes and choosing for consumers what sites and services they can best access. With the for-really-reals final deadline for the public to have its say fast approaching, today a large swath of the internet is speaking up for net neutrality and asking their visitors and customers to do the same. [More]
Major Internet Players, Including Reddit, Tumblr, And Others, To Protest For Net Neutrality On September 10
By 9.4.14
In an action somewhat reminiscent of the widespread protests against SOPA back in 2012, several major internet businesses are planning a symbolic “internet slowdown” on September 10 to advocate for stronger net neutrality regulations. [More]
If A Boycott Works, It’s Not Just Because People Stopped Buying Stuff
By 5.17.14
Whenever a company (or a company’s top executive) does something that ticks off a segment of the population, there’s usually talk of people calling for boycotts of that company’s products and services. But can a boycott bring about change on its own, or does it risk only hurting the low-level employees who are probably not the target of the protest? A boycott’s success frequently has less to do with an immediate loss of revenue than it does with the public’s reaction to the boycott. [More]
Postal Workers Preparing To Protest Against Staples’ New In-Store Mailing Services
By 4.23.14
What’s a postal worker to do when a company that isn’t the United States Postal Service starts offering USPS products and using its own employees to sell those services? Prepare to protest, which is what the American Postal Workers Union is going to do on Thursday at 50 Staples stores. [More]
Walmart Files Complaint Against Union In Attempt To Thwart Black Friday Protests
By 11.19.12
Walmart seems to be feeling a bit squirmy about the upcoming Black Friday sales at its stores in light of workers’ plans to protest at over 1,000 stores nationwide, and has filed a complaint against a union it says is involving itself in the brouhaha even though it’s not the workers’ official union. Black Friday is The Main Event as far as the company is concerned, and it doesn’t want any strikes or picket lines to muck things up. [More]
The Most Delicious Christmas Creep Backlash You’ll Ever See
By 11.5.12 — Updated: 11.7.12
From the enchanted holiday village that is Reddit, here’s a delicious bit of Christmas Creep backlash. No, not delicious in the sense that justice can be delicious, but delicious in the sense that this humble plea to celebrate one holiday at a time is rendered in frosting and chocolate chip cookie bars. [More]
Setting Cheerios On Fire Outside General Mills Office Is Maybe Not The Best Way To Voice Opinion On Same-Sex Marriage
By 8.6.12
Whatever your opinion on same-sex marriage (and the companies whose executives may oppose or support it), you certainly have the right to express your beliefs. However, we are pretty sure that only bad things can happen if your protest involves an attempt to ignite a bowl of Cheerios in public. [More]
SOPA Protest: Wikipedia Traffic Up, Congressional Support Down
By 1.19.12
Yesterday’s mass protests about the SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills have yielded some positive results: At least 18 members of Congress — including several PIPA co-sponsors — have withdrawn their support for the legislation. And Wikipedia, which went dark for the day, saw its traffic go up, as visitors used the site’s SOPA page as a resource for information about the issue. [More]
Protesters Get Boiler Fixed In Harlem
By 11.11.11
Those good-for-nothing bums down at Zuccotti Park put down their free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for one minute and became quite good-for-something. Instead of occupying Wall Street, they occupied 142nd Street, and got a new boiler installed in a building where the heat and hot water has been spotty for years. [More]
Protesters Arrested At Citibank For Making A Scene, Closing Their Accounts
By 10.18.11
Video shot around the ‘net this weekend of a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters at a New York City Citibank who were arrested after they entered the bank with placards, began holding an open forum inside the bank where they talked about how they were saddled with debt, and then tried to close their accounts. At one point a woman wearing a suit is forcibly arrested after telling the police several times, “I’m a customer.” [More]
Zuccotti Park Cleanup Called Off, Occupy Wall Street Protesters Remain
By 10.14.11
The owners of the New York City park where the Occupy Wall Street protesters camped out for a month have called off a scheduled powerwashing that would have forced a showdown between the movement and the NYPD. [More]
Bloomberg Tells Occupy Wall Street Protesters To Leave Park By Friday
By 10.13.11
New York City Mayor Bloomberg has asked the Wall Street Protesters to leave their encampment at Zuccotti Park in the financial district by Friday. Though the park is open to the public, it’s privately owned, and its landlords have asked the city to assist in clearing the park so that it may be cleaned. [More]
Occupy Wall Street Protests Galvanized By 700+ Arrests On Brooklyn Bridge
By 10.3.11
Over 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested when they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend, blocking traffic and shooting the movement into the national consciousness. [More]
Established Agitators To Join Occupy Wall Street Protest Next Week
By 9.30.11
Going into its 14th day, the Occupy Wall Street protest is not only not fading out, it’s about to get a big injection of support, and bodies. The established New York City labor and community groups who normally organize local marches, rallies and sit-ins, have announced they plan to join up next week. [More]
