Voices from the Strike: “Something needs to be done.”
Posted on November 15th, 2012Warehouse workers went on strike Nov. 14 at a Walmart-contracted warehouse to call for an end to continued retaliation. Here from some of the workers about their decision:
We are on strike to stop the retaliation that’s going on in the warehouses. They cut our hours, they demote us for speaking out about working conditions, leads are even treating us differently for fighting for our rights.
It was a hard decision to strike because we have to support our families, but if we don’t do this no one else will. We started this and there is no going back now.
-Andy Rivera
When we came back from the first strike they were still retaliating against the workers. We need 
better equipment and safety on the job. They expect us to meet impossible quotas, and with the equipment we have, we can’t do it. We are hoping this is going to finally cause them to make changes.
-Manolo Fernandez
They’ve been retaliating against us by cutting our hours, stealing our wages, suspending us.
I’m worried about being able to support my family, but something needs to be done. If we don’t make our voices heard there will be no changes. It’s not just for us, it’s for the future. We are trying to make it a better place for the people who will come to work here in the future.
-Bryan Stout
It was a tough decision to come on strike because of my family. The bills won’t stop coming in just because I stop working, but we know this is the only way to get better conditions and improve our overall safety. We know the strike will have an impact.
-Victor Pedro Caudillo
For me, it was an easy decision to go on strike because we need changes. We have seen 
improvements with the last strike, but there is still a ways to go. After the strike in September, they made some improvements in safety, but many workers were retaliated against for speaking out in the first place.
-Ruben Valadez
