Walmart workers from across the country threaten to walk out on the biggest shopping day of the year. The deals start at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, but not everyone is happy about working on a holiday.
“Every worker should have the time, especially in this holiday time to spend time with their families,” said Ana Aguayo, with the Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center.
The center plans to protest at the Walmart in Springdale on Thanksgiving.
“Workers across the country are walking out of their jobs tomorrow night primarily to send a message to Walmart saying we can't be retaliated against, let us speak up about our rights,” said Aguayo.
Protestors want better pay, more full time work, and less costly healthcare.
“We're trying to do a friendly outreach event,” said Aguayo. “Our main goal is to educate the consumer base.”
A Walmart spokesperson says the company will have more than a million employees working on Black Friday.
“We have some of the best jobs in the retail industry and our associates appreciate that,” said Walmart Vice President of Communication David Tovar. “When you look at our pay and benefits packages they are equal to or better than the majority of our retail competitors.”
Walmart’s Black Friday deals start at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. “Black Friday is the Super Bowl for retailers,” said Tovar.
Not everyone is happy about working on a holiday. Some employees across the country plan to walk out.
“This is nothing more than another union funded publicity stunt,” said Tovar. “It's very small. It's a handful of associates at a handful of stores scattered across the country.”
Walmart does not expect protests to have an impact on customers.
People at the workers’ justice center told 5NEWS they do not expect employees in the Northwest Arkansas area to walk out, but say some in Little Rock are planning to.