Protesters, targeting Walmart Board Member Marissa Mayer, disrupted a fireside chat today between her and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff at the SaaS provider’s annual conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
The protesters, with a group called Our Walmart, stormed the fireside chat to protest working conditions at Walmart and the plight of about 80 workers who were fired by the retail chain. The disruption to the fireside chat lasted no more than a few minutes as the protesters were quickly escorted out of the event. After their removal, Benioff quipped that he would have had multiple groups entering the conference hall from different directions if he was leading the protesters.
Our WalMart have been active protesters in a strategic campaign to pressure the company into raising the base wages for Walmart workers. More protests are scheduled for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and the traditional start of the holiday season.
The protesters were also planning to picket in front of AT&T Park tonight where Salesforce is hosting its big party, featuring the band Green Day and 1980 star Blondie.
According to published reports, yesterday, the federal government condemned Walmart’s practices, saying the company acted illegally against its workers. Walmart denies the claim, saying they acted in compliance with the law.
It was a lighter moment in a day that also witnessed people protesting Sean Penn, who they say is interfering in Haitian politics. Penn appeared at Dreamforce to discuss his organization’s relief efforts.
Protest ag Sean Penn at Dreamforce 2013 conf in San Francisco for interfering with #Haitian politics. pic.twitter.com/0ssdeVCGAU
— Nicole Phillips (@BuddhistLawyer) November 19, 2013