NEWS

May Day inspires Palm Springs Walmart protest

Anna Rumer
The Desert Sun

Singing the protest anthem “We Shall Overcome” and waving banners reading “Honk 4 $15 an hour” outside of the Palm Springs Walmart, community members spoke out Friday against what they believe are unfair employment practices.

Coachella Valley activists chose May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, to advocate for fair treatment and livable wages for the laborers and working class they believe are often pushed to the side by corporate America.

Activist Lorraine Salas sees it every day when she goes to work. Agricultural workers hunched over, already trying to pick crops while the rest of the working world wakes up.

“I think they deserve just as much as anyone else does,” she said.

Walmart, protestor Rosie Puentes-Terry said, is one of the worst offenders, with many of its workers having to depend on public assistance to feed their children and pay rent.

“I see the wages they’re getting and we were getting that 30 years ago with benefits,” she said. “I grew up in a low-income community, and I know what it’s like to go out there and try to make a decent living. I don’t like that they’re out there doing a decent day’s work and not getting paid a decent day’s pay.”

Puentes-Terry asked that people stand up against corrupt employment policies by shopping at more sustainable businesses.

“A lot of us are retirees in the desert with disposable income, but if I see employment practices that are wrong, I’ll boycott it with my pocketbook,” she said. “If the community is going to support this business, they have to know (the people) don’t support it.”

Attendees encouraged those who want to do more to protect the rights of workers to speak out and contact the businesses directly.

“I want to encourage everyone to come out and speak for everyone’s rights,” Salas said.

The majority of onlookers were supportive of the protest, with many honks of approval and thumbs up being given by several passersby. Many, Puentes-Terry said, asked questions about fair labor practices, while others told her they were in full “moral support” of the cause.

Speaker Mitchell Strand with Students for a Democratic Society was met with applause from several shoppers as he listed the merits of grassroots activism such as today’s demonstrations.

“People try to talk us into voting for change,” he said. “But it is only out here on the street where we can really make change.”

Anna Rumer is a public safety reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at (760) 778-4692, anna.rumer@desertsun.com or on Twitter @AnnaRumer.