US retail employees call out working conditions with Black Friday protests
United for Respect holds demonstrations at H&M stores to address retaliation while 45 Guess stores protest mass firing
Workers across the US are using Black Friday and Thanksgiving holiday shopping sales to address working conditions and labor issues in retail and related industries.
On Black Friday, workers from the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, are holding protests at 45 Guess retail stores across the US. The art foundation’s owners, Maurice and Paul Marciano, founded Guess in 1981, and workers are targeting the stores to call attention to the mass firing of 70 visitor service associates at the art museum earlier this month after the announcement of a union organizing drive. The workers filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board in response to the firings.