A pressure group pushing for higher wages at Walmart stores said employees would stage protests at 1,600 U.S. stores on Black Friday.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., owner of Walmart stores and the largest private employer in the United States, has been at the center of the debate over proposals to raise the minimum wage.
The group, which represents Walmart’s hourly workers, is pushing for a $15 per hour wage and consistent full-time work.
The protests would mark the “biggest Black Friday strike to date,” a spokeswoman for OUR Walmart said on a conference call.
A Wal-Mart spokesman said “a very small fraction” of employees would participate. The company offers “very competitive wages” and most employees are full-time, he said.
The Walmart store in Skowhegan, Maine is listed as a protest location on the website blackfridayprotests.org, where a full list is posted of affected stores.