It was one heck of a David and Goliath moment.

  That was the social media shout-out when Wal-Mart announced on February 19th it was giving almost half of its 1.3 million US workers a raise. Across Facebook, activists from OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect) and their union backers were giving each other high-fives. The mega-giant retailer, with $480 billion in annual total global net sales, said all employees will make at least $9 an hour by April and then $10 by next February.
  The raise, if Wal-Mart sticks to its promise, could arguably be the greatest labor victory for low-wage retail workers of this century. But organizers and activists are saying $10 is still not enough, and ultimately they are seeking Wal-Mart to pay a minimum of $15 an hour, including full-time hours and benefits. Nonetheless, the raise is OUR Walmart’s most significant victory to date even if Wal-Mart corporate leadership would never publicly admit pressure from OUR Walmart was the reason to finally boost pay.
  “We won a major concession from the world’s largest company because thousands of associates stood up together,” said Kevin Blair, an organizer for OUR Walmart in Ohio. “But that is thousands out of more than a million. Imagine what we can win if (every associate) joined the movement.”
  OUR Walmart is a “worker organization” financed by the United Food and Commercial Union (UFCW), which has thrown millions-of-dollars and tens-of-thousands of man hours into this labor battle. Membership does not depend on whether you are employed by Wal-Mart, and a significant percentage of members are former associates who believe they were unfairly terminated.
  Since its inception in 2011, one of OUR Walmart’s strategies was to set off sudden flash mobs within stores near checkout areas. Some of the flash mob performers included Wal-Mart associates from other stores. Soon enough the membership began to grow as it became clear associates could protest without losing their jobs.
  A “worker organization” such as OUR Walmart, unlike labor unions, does not negotiate contracts with employers, but federal labor laws protect these organizations from employer retaliation if the workers are pushing for better conditions and higher pay. There are many instances of OUR Walmart members being fired, however, but in response the National Labor Relations Board has filed charges against Wal-Mart in over 13 states.
  The six siblings who own Wal-Mart – the Walton heirs – are one of the richest families in the world, if not the richest. They have accused OUR Walmart and the UFCW of trying to unionize its massive workforce so to reap huge amounts in monthly dues.
  But the UFCW has contended from the beginning it simply wants Wal-Mart to raise wages, offer full-time hours, and – most importantly – give more respect to Wal-Mart’s hundreds-of-thousands of low-paid associates who feel they are being treated like second-class citizens by management. Many associates claim Wal-Mart’s corporate leadership has deliberately and secretly instilled a workplace culture that degrades on lower-level employees so to create apathy towards the low pay and erratic scheduling (which denies full-time status).
  By far OUR Walmart’s most effective strategy was protesting on Black Friday. This past Black Friday it was clear OUR Walmart was gaining more and more ground within the stores themselves. More Wal-Mart associates started paying the $5 monthly due and sporting the lime-green colors of OUR Walmart. Wal-Mart associates also began to air their grievances on Facebook, and then the first sit-down strike in the history of Wal-Mart took place last November 14th in Los Angeles.
  Here in Central Ohio, the number of OUR Walmart members was practically nil in 2012, but in 2014 the UFCW was reporting associates at 12 local Supercenters had joined as “silent” OUR Walmart members.
  In 2012 this reporter was sent a video of what is believed to be the first OUR Walmart flash mob to ever take place within a store. It went down at Wal-Mart’s Store #1, which is across the street from the retail giant’s corporate headquarters in Arkansas. As the rhythmic sound of bucket drums begins, the flash mob’s accompanying chant of “Stand Up! Live Better!” reverberated through the store.
  The young lady who led the flash mob is UFCW organizer Kasi Farrar of Oakland, California. Relentless yet humble, Farrar has inspired thousands to join OUR Walmart. Back then, as now, Farrar says she didn’t do much. The associates who stood up are truly inspiring.
  “These workers (in the video) are the inspiration so the more support we can get, the better. The flash mob at Store #1 was completely written, choreographed and planned by a small group of workers – I was just along for the ride,” said Farrar.