Cancun Walmart baggers demand salary, not just tips

Cancun, Q.R. — With the support of la Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos (CROC) workers at Walmart stores including Sam’s Club, Bodega Aurrerá, Superama and Walmart demanded a salary for their work.

The workers, who are grocery baggers at the various Walmart outlets, are not paid anything beyond tips. El Comité Ejecutivo Nacional of CROC says that the Walmart chain has refused talks to solve the lack-of-pay issues with its workers.

El Comité Ejecutivo Nacional says the American chain store violates their labor rights. The workers protested outside a 24-hour Cancun Walmart where they demanded a salary and legal benefits for the packers since their tips have drastically decreased due to the ban on plastic bags.

Eugenio González Naranjo of CROC said that “Merchandisers do not receive fair treatment and what we demand is fair treatment since they provide a service to the store, but the store says that they must live on the tips that the client leaves them.”

He says that although tips are incentives, what they want is a salary for these people. “It is an obligation of the company to pay a fair salary to people, regardless of age. They must have fair and dignified treatment,” he said.

He explained what they’re asking for is dialogue with the legal representatives of the company to get a salary paid to the packers, adding that each Walmart store has an average of 40 to 50 packers.