Workers at Wal-Marts around the country are planning walkouts and strikes for Black Friday, to protest long hours, low wages and rising healthcare costs.
A thousand protests are planned at stores around the country, including locations like Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C.
Like last year, Wal-Mart is planning on opening its doors on Thanksgiving Day, at 8pm, to cash in on shoppers who can't wait for the midnight openings at most retail stores on Black Friday.
But the earlier hours mean workers will need to cut their Thanksgiving meals and celebrations short in order to make it to work in time to prepare for the long lines.
Workers have staged small, isolated protests at Wal-Marts in Seattle, Dallas and other cities over the past six months. Protesters say Wal-Mart illegally discourages union organization
Wal-Mart is the nation's largest retailer, but it has long defended itself against accusations of poor treatment of workers. Stores tend to keep workers' weekly hours below the threshold for providing benefits, and for employees who do have health coverage premiums will rise soon, as the company begins picking up less of the cost.
"Wal-Mart is doing everything in its power to attempt to silence our voice," said Colby Harris, an employee at a Wal-Mart in Texas, speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
Harris has worked for the company for three years and makes $8.90 an hour. He stays because he believes abuse is endemic in the system.
"If you leave this job, you're going to face retaliation in some form somewhere else," he told The Nation. "If you change Walmart, and you change corporate America, it can really better a lot of people's lives."
For its part, Wal-Mart has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board about the scheduled protests, accusing the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union--which is providing support and advice to the protesters--of unfair labor practices.
"We are taking this action now because we cannot allow the UFCW to continue to intentionally seek to create an environment that could directly and adversely impact our customers and associates," said Wal-Mart spokesperson David Tovar. "If they do, they will be held accountable."