For Marilola Ledesma and Graciela Blancas, their recent trip to a union conference in Sao Paolo, Brazil proved to be a voyage of discovery. What they found was that Walmart employees in all these other countries enjoy the protection of union membership and the benefits of union contracts. Some of the benefits include medical insurance for the workers and their families, full 40-hour work weeks, free uniforms, half of their lunch hour is paid, and the cashiers can work sitting down. They even have burial insurance, and a medical clinic in the store!
When they shared copies of the Tribuno Del Pueblo with their compatriots from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and South Africa, it became a voyage of discovery for them too. These workers were surprised to find that Walmart workers in the U.S. do not have a union and do not enjoy any of these benefits! They were also surprised to find that there were so many other problems in the U.S., which they thought was a paradise where everyone was well off.
Marilola and Graciela were sponsored by the OURWalmart Organization, which organized the international conference for Walmart employees. They attended seminars which taught them new ways of organizing, and thinking. Graciela and Marilola said that various points of view were offered, so they could choose what they liked and reject what they didn’t.
Their hosts in Brazil were two large Brazilian unions, the UGT (Uniao Geral Dos Trabalhadores) and the CUT (Confederacao Nacional Dos Trabalhadores No Comercio E Servicos). These unions invited them to a spirited rally with the slogans displayed on large banners and flags: “JUSTICE AT WALMART” and “WE STRUGGLE AGAINST: DICTATORSHIP AT WALMART, MORAL HARASSMENT, AND ANTI-UNION PERSECUTION.”
They agreed it was a wonderful experience, and an inspiration to continue their struggle. They attended a conference in September at the headquarters of the United Farmworkers Union in Keene, CA where they could share what they learned in Brazil.
