Summary 4

Lindsey Knight

Mr. Comer

Honors Government

11/29/14

Summary #4: "Why I’m Standing with Walmart Workers This Black Friday"

For Americans in 2014, Black Friday was less about the fancy deals and materialistic battleground; this year, thousands rallied together for a new hot deal— economical change.  In the article entitled “Why I’m Standing with Walmart Workers This Black Friday,” Carol Joyner, the director of the Labor Project for Working Families, posits that the government needs to step in to raise the minimum wage, allow for better hours, and support women when huge corporations like Walmart tend to rack up profits and give little in wages to workers.  In fact, she begins by including the story of a college graduate, Cantare, who earns $322 a week at Wal-Mart.  Cantare is attempting to pay of college debt, rent an apartment, and buy a car, but her meager salary forcers her to cut her budget. Joyner continues on with Cantare’s story to explain the recent protesting of Wal-Mart stores.  She appeals to ethos as she states countless statistics claiming that the owners of this big business have been nothing but greedy in their collection of profits.  However, Joyner does point out that recent federal acts have been helping low-income workers and families.  For example, with the Fair Minimum Wage Act, the minimum wage is increasing, and the Schedules That Work Act helps workers schedule easier hours.  In addition, the Paycheck Fairness Act can help to “close the gaps that exist from the Equal Pay Act of 1963” (Joyner).  The author concludes by calling her readers to join her and 1,600 other protesters this on November 28th to "deliver a memo to the store manager, and contribute to building a fair economy” (ibid.).  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-joyner/why-im-standing-with-walm_b_6193006.html