One of the city's longstanding protest movements joined forces Thursday with its newest cadre of rabble-rousers.
Seeking to tap the energy of the Occupy Wall Street movement, members of the coalition fighting Walmart in New York City visited Zuccotti Park to meet with protesters. Current and former Walmart workers who are members of the advocacy group Our Walmart spoke to the protesters, telling stories about their employment by the retail giant.
“We're here today to let the people at Occupy WallStreet know that Walmart's associates stand with them; we are the 99%” said Los Angeles-based Walmart worker Girshriela Green in a prepared statement. “For too long, Walmart has pushed its associates around and it's time we got the dignity and respect we deserve.”
Ms. Green said she startedat $8.20 an hour and after three promotions, now earns $9.80 an hour,though community leaders had been promised that wages would be $13.
Kenny James, a former Walmart worker in Seattle, said he was named associate of the month and of the year, but had his hours cut in half after he spoke in favor of a union.
After addressing the crowd, the workers headed up to midtown for a planned late afternoon rally in front ofWalmart's city offices.
In a statement, a Walmartspokesman called the protest “particularly misguided given the fact that Walmart is focused on serving the ‘99%.'” Walmart has focused its push to open a store in New York City on the message that it can provide low-cost groceries to neighborhoods that lack fresh food options.
“We're helping to lower the cost of living for millions of Americans by providing more convenient access to affordable groceries and we create and support jobs that offer competitive pay, good benefits and the chance to build a career,” the spokesman said. “That's why an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers want Walmart in New York City.”
His reference was to public polls showing support for the idea of Walmart opening its first store in the five boroughs.

What I find the most ironic is 2 things.
1) This movement is being largely organized by social media so for people to recieve that information the must own lap tops and cell phones. Not exactly basic needs in life that are being denied.
2)By using social media and Facebook in specific, the people of OWS are contributing to the expanse of Mark Zuccerberg's $17.5B fortune.

at least the walmart checkout line is shorter with all the protesters on wall street.

Some Countries lead their citizens to believe that they can all be Mark Zuccerberg's...

I still think its inaccurate to assume the protest is against corporations. ITs about corporate GREED. Just as I could protest crooked politicians, without it meaning I believe every politician to be crooked.

Or as Warren Buffett said...its class war and his class is winning.

they usually do,,,

It's all about the money.

aint that the ever loving truth,,,,

those born in poverty TEND to stay in poverty

those born in riches TEND to hold on to their riches


while we continue looking the other way,, pretending not to see their strapless boots, and insisting they just pull themself up,,,(the poor)

OCCUPY WALL STREET is not only a mass protest movement intended to draw attention to economic injustice and political corruption. It seeks to embody and thereby to demonstrate the feasibility of certain ideals of participatory democracy. This is, to my mind, what makes OWS so interesting, and so unlike a tea-party protest. OWS is not simplya group of like-minded people gathered together to make a point with a show of collective force, though it is that. The difference is that it has developed into an ongoing micro-society with a micro-governmentthat directly exemplifies a principled alternative to the prevailing American order. The complaint that OWS has failed to produce a coherent list of demands seems to me to miss much of the point of the encampment in Zuccotti Park. The demand is a society more like the little one OWS protestors have mocked up in the park. The mode of governance is the message.

aint that the ever loving truth,,,,

those born in poverty TEND to stay in poverty

those born in riches TEND to hold on to their riches


while we continue looking the other way,, pretending not to see their strapless boots, and insisting they just pull themself up,,,(the poor)

===================================================================

He who pays the piper calls the tune....Tail wagging the dog..... Money is power.....But it cannot and will not last. People who live in Gated mansions are there because they do not want to live in the real world.

touche

Quoted for truth.


Also...I don't see the merit of trying to undermine the legitimacy of this movement by pointing out that the protesters use consumer products. Would we rather them be naked? Or do we think that only a person who raises their own sheep and spins their own wool has an opinion that should be heard?

Or maybe.. maybe the point is: Look at how trapped we are, in this modern world, with our dependency on corporations.