Community activists and Walmart workers across Massachusetts used one of the busiest shopping days of the year to protest the chain’s treatment of employees, part of a national campaign to pressure the retailer to raise wages to $15 an hour and allow more part-timers to get full-time positions.
Protesters gathered outside many of the state’s nearly 50 Walmart stores, including the ones in Quincy and Westfield. Worker advocates consider $15 an hour the “living wage,” or enough to cover basic costs of living such as rent, food, and clothing.
“Workers can’t live on the wages [Walmart is] paying them,” said Russ Davis, executive director of Massachusetts Jobs With Justice, a coalition of religious, student, and labor activists who helped organize protests in Massachusetts. This is the third year the coalition has organized these protests.
Black Friday protests also took place at Walmart stores in Los Angeles, Washington, and Denver. Walmart is the world’s largest retailer.
Such strikes and protests have become increasingly common this year as the economic recovery has seemed to disproportionately benefit the wealthy, heightening concerns about income inequality. Labor unions and other groups have focused on the conditions of low-wage workers at fast-food restaurants, hotels, universities, airports, and retailers.
Bill Wertz, a regional spokesman for Walmart, said the demonstrations didn’t interfere with business at the stores. He said most of the company’s workers didn’t participate.
“Protests around Black Friday are really just part of the background,” he said. “The protests are not an event that seems to make much difference to customers or associates.”
Wertz added that Walmart pays better than most retailers and that the company’s average hourly wage nationwide is nearly $13 per hour. In Massachusetts, it’s $13.79 an hour.
“When you look at the whole package,” Wertz said, “Walmart compares very favorably with any retailer and is probably at the top of the pack.”
Still, about half of its more than 1 million retail store workers earned less than $25,000 a year, according to the company’s data. Part-time employees also have complained that Walmart doesn’t offer enough opportunities to move into full-time jobs with reliable hours.
“Think about living in Massachusetts on $20,000,” said Davis, the coalition executive. “That’s nothing to brag about.”
Phillip Bekech, a 42-year-old produce sales associate at the Walmart in Westfield, was among the protesters Friday. Some of his co-workers live in homeless shelters and sometimes struggle to bring more than a bag of chips or package of ramen noodles for lunch, he said.
“If we can make Walmart a better place to work, we can make all retail a better place to work,” Bekech said.
Globe correspondent Taryn Luna contributed to this report. Deirdre Fernandes can be reached at deirdre.fernandes@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @fernandesglobe.