Walmart workers plan Black Friday strike

Black Friday will begin early this year at Walmart as the discount retail chain prepares to open its doors on Thanksgiving evening for "Gray Thursday." Not all potential shoppers will be served though as some Walmart employees prepare to strike.

As Walmart advertises Black Friday offers, employees are preparing to strike. Workers, not exactly ecstatic at the prospect of working on Thanksgiving, are striking at 13 stores, demanding better pay and benefits. "Making Change at Wal-Mart" is organizing protests this week. According to Business Week the group plans strike action in Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C. ECommerce Times reported Walmart released a statement regarding the planned strike action. It said: "The super majority of our 1.3 million associates are excited about Black Friday and are ready to serve our customers. The fact is, we do not expect these actions by a very small minority of our associates (less than .0003 percent) at a handful of stores to have any impact on our stores or our customers shopping experience on Black Friday." The company has responded to strike threats by taking legal action. Fox News reported Walmart has filed a complaint against United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, claiming protests unlawfully disrupt the business.