At Walmart, Black Friday gains, union protests

Prosters picket outside Walmart in Danbury during a demonstration Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. Prosters picket outside Walmart in Danbury during a demonstration Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. Photo: Michael Duffy Photo: Michael Duffy Image 1 of / 125 Caption Close At Walmart, Black Friday gains, union protests 1 / 125 Back to Gallery

Black Friday wasn't just a day for holiday shopping, but an opportunity for unions to protest Walmart's pay and health care benefits for workers.

At Connecticut Walmart stores in Milford, Danbury, Norwalk and Hartford, members of District 1199, the state's largest union of health care workers, demanded the retailing giant improve wages and benefits for workers.

Twenty workers from the West River Health Care Center in Milford arrived at the Walmart shortly after 11 a.m. Friday. There they are passed out leaflets to customers at the Boston Post Road store. They marched in a circle outside the front door yelling "Down with Walmart" while police showed up. Officers then ordered the protestors off the Walmart property.

Waving signs and chanting, about 50 people protested outside -- and briefly, inside -- the Walmart store on Newtown Road in Danbury Friday, claiming the retail giant is exploiting its workers.

"Everything they sell is from China,'' said Fran O'Rourke, one of the protesters. "They want to pay people like they're Chinese workers. This is America.''

The protesters included members from several local unions, including Local 1199 New England Health Care Employees Union, which is in the midst of a month's long strike at Danbury Health Care Center, a local nursing home.

They took the action in support of Walmart employees, who they said are underpaid, and given inadequate health benefits. No local Walmart employees took part in Friday's protests, its leaders said.

The protesters began with a march up the parking lot to the storefront, where Walmart staff and members of the Danbury Police Department asked them to leave.

They then stashed their signs and pamphlets and walked into the store. Local activist Justin Molito, holding his 4-year old son Pike's hand, began shouting out a statement of support for Walmart workers inside the store, with his fellow activists repeating his words with equal fervor and volume.

When Molito was about half-way through the statement, Danbury police took him by the arm and marched him out of the store, with the supporters following in their wake. They then spent the rest of the morning on the sidewalk that runs along Newtown Road, waving signs and getting the occasional car honk of support from the people driving by.

The protests took place as the National Labor Relations Board weighs a complaint Walmart filed against the union Nov. 15 accusing it of violating federal labor laws by illegally picketing. The company said the union has tried to force the company to the bargaining table although it does not officially represent its employees.

Walmart asked the board for an investigation and immediate injunction. If the board rules in Walmart's favor, it would seek an injunction in district court to stop the protests.

On Nov. 20, organizers from the nonprofit OUR Walmart fought back by filing their own complaint with the labor board accusing Walmart of intimidating workers. The protesters are demanding more-predictable schedules, less-expensive health-care plans and minimum hourly pay of $13 with the option of working full-time.

Organizers have declined to say how many workers have been involved with the movement. Walmart has about 1.4 million employees and more than 4,500 stores and clubs in the United States.

Meanwhile, Walmart reported its best ever Black Friday events. The retailer saw larger crowds than last year and a huge response to its first ever one-hour guarantee on key electronic items. "I'm so proud of what our more than 1.3 million associates have done to prepare and execute our Black Friday plans, giving our customers a great start to their Christmas shopping season," Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "The work of our associates is even more impressive when you consider they served approximately 22 million customers on Thursday."

In response to the planned protests, Simon added, "Only 26 protests occurred at stores last night and many of them did not include any Walmart associates." In addition, the company did not experience the walkoffs that were promised. "We estimate that less than 50 associates participated in the protest nationwide. In fact, this year, roughly the same number of associates missed their scheduled shift as last year," Simon said.

According to WalmartSince its events began at 8 p.m., Walmart sold more than: 1.8 million towels, 1.3 million televisions, 1.3 million dolls and 250,000 bicycles.

"We had very safe and successful Black Friday events at our stores across the country and heard overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers," Simon said in a statement.

Staff writers Bob Miller, Daniel Tepfer and the Associated Press contributed to this story.