A group of Walmart workers went on strike in Southern California Wednesday in the first set of protests leading up to the holiday shopping season.
Activists say the protests began at about 7:30 a.m. Pacific time outside some Southern California stores, and is organized by OUR Walmart, an advocacy organization with ties to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
Wednesday's protests are the latest in a series of worker actions this year aimed at drawing attention to what workers say are their low wages, unpredictable hours and management retaliation.
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Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said that it's business as usual so far in the Southern California stores.
"Customers are shopping and associates are working and that's the thing we're seeing all around L.A. County," Lundberg said. "The reason they do that is because they know and they understand that Walmart provides associates with opportunities for career growth."
Last year, OUR Walmart helped coordinate strikes on Thanksgiving and Black Friday in 46 states and 100 stores across the country. The actions put a spotlight on the world's largest retailer during one of the biggest shopping periods of the year, but it wasn't enough to stop Walmart from having its best Black Friday ever, according to the company.
The protests will likely continue into Black Friday this year, if the website set up by activists to track them -- BlackFridayProtests.com -- is any indication.
Like many other major retailers, Walmart will be open on Thanksgiving this year, as some calendar quirks squeeze the holiday shopping season tighter than ever before.
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