Dean Hubbard
The Sierra Club teamed up with Walmart workers in a series of events, culminating on Black Friday, calling on the world's largest retailer to focus less on getting bigger and more on doing better, especially when it comes to creating good jobs and protecting the climate.
The Club's actions in solidarity with Walmart workers' Black Friday strikes began about 1pm one week before Thanksgiving, when Executive Director Michael Brune joined 350.org founder Bill McKibben in announcing a new report that calls out Walmart's "staggering" consumption of coal - 4.2 million tons a year, making up 75 percent of its emissions from electricity use - and the measly three percent of its U.S. electricity it gets from solar, despite its pledge nine years ago to rely 100 percent on renewable energy.
"Rather than fulfill the climate commitments it's been making for years, Walmart is continuing to hurt the health and prosperity of our communities and families while endangering our planet," said Brune. "Walmart can start living up to its purported values by ending the company's heavy reliance on dirty coal and respecting their workers."
Four hours later, at about 5:15 p.m. the same day, Walmart put out a news release saying that it would "install up to 400 new solar projects at facilities across the nation over the next four years." That's a big jump, con
sidering Walmart put its current number of solar installations at "approximately 260."
Then, last Tuesday, the Club submitted a petition signed by 51,279 Sierra Club members and supporters to Walmart Chair Rob Walton with a letter that read in part,
Your efforts to use more solar energy are a good step, but it's hard to reconcile your commitment to sustainability with your record of contributing to organizations…that actively fight clean energy and deny climate change. . . Walmart has become a part of many communities throughout America, and we send you these signatures this week in solidarity with OUR Walmart -[the WalMart workers' organization] to ask that you be a better neighbor in respecting the people who work for you, the communities you are part of and the planet.
Finally, more than 2,000 Sierra Club members and supporters signed up to participate directly in Black Friday solidarity actions, demanding Walmart put its money where its mouth is when it comes to treating workers and the planet with the respect they deserve.
Among them was the Sierra Club's Director of Public Advocacy & Partnerships Cathy Duvall (pictured at the right), who attended the Washington DC protest. Duvall said, "It felt good to let Walmart workers know we have their backs, just like they showed us they have ours."
Chanting, "Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, you're no good! Treat your workers like you should!" protesters demanded the company pay its workers a family-sustaining wage of $15 an hour or $25,000 a year and provide more full-time openings.
-- Dean Hubbard, director of the Sierra Club Labor Program