In this file photo from 2012, an employee gathers carts in front of the Walmart store in Paramount, Calif. on Nov. 23, 2012 Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Organizers in California say some Walmart workers in the Los Angeles area went on strike Wednesday morning, calling for an end to what they say is "illegal retaliation against workers calling for better wages and full-time work."

The demonstrations are part of a two-day protest by Walmart workers who are also members of the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, or OUR Walmart. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), a union of 1.3 million people employed primarily in grocery and retail stores, is also participating in the demonstrations.

Another rally is scheduled to take place Thursday in front of the Walmart in Los Angeles' Chinatown.

Workers who belong to OUR Walmart are also seeking a minimum salary of $25,000 per year. Of its 1 million employees in the U.S., Walmart says that more than 475,000 earn more than $25,000 a year, meaning hundreds of thousands of others made less than that figure.

Martha Sellers, an employee at the Walmart store in Paramount, Calif., said she has been a cashier for 10 years and can "barely make ends meet" despite describing herself as "self-supporting," with no husband or children.

"They give you a 40 cent raise and cut 20 hours for the week. Where does that 40 cent raise go?" she said to Al Jazeera.

Sellers, who was a participant in Wednesday's protests, said that managers' hands are often tied in trying to address the concerns of workers and that Walmart as a corporate entity needed to "step up their game."

"It's not just about the wages, the hours as well. (They) need to provide affordable health care," Sellers said. "There's so many things wrong with Walmart."

Kory Lundberg, a spokesman for the retail giant, told Al Jazeera that Walmart offers better health care benefits than other corporations in the industry and that many employees sign up for health care plans that are offered for as little as $18 per pay period.

But Dan Hindman, who also works at the Paramount Walmart store, said that though he has health insurance, the copays and bills are so high that there is "no way in hell" that his current salary allows him to pay them off.