Many profitable corporations use tactics to further increase profits by creating a “race to the bottom” that drives down wages and workplace standards throughout their supply chain.
As the largest private employer in the world, Walmart is the leading example, impacting standards for jobs in the United States and globally. In its treatment of Walmart “associates” and also through its warehouse subcontractors and its suppliers, Walmart pushes down wages across the industry – wage and hour violations are rampant, basic health and safety protections are ignored, and abusive “flexible scheduling” practices have made it difficult for workers to get enough hours to survive, let alone qualify for benefits.
In 2012, through a series of strikes, first at a Walmart seafood supplier, then with warehouse workers in California and Illinois and most recently with the largest nationwide strike of Walmart stores ever seen, workers have begun to hold Walmart accountable and pave the way for change.