Louisiana Walmart employees participate in national protest ahead of annual shareholders' meeting

Walmart employee Janet Sparks claims she's not making a living wage, but insists she's determined to change that. "Across the country, we're all standing together today," she told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune while holding up a protest sign outside of the big box store.

Sparks and five other Walmart employees, along with local group Walmart Moms and the AFL-CIO protested outside of the Cortana Mall Walmart Wednesday (June 4) as part of a national day of action against the chain store leading up to its annual shareholders' meeting.

Workers are using the national protest, which started on Monday in Phoenix, to demand better wages, affordable health insurance, more predictable work hours and not to be retaliated against for speaking out about unfair conditions. 

The protest included dozens of other cities and hundreds of Walmart employees, an AFL-CIO spokesman said, and will conclude with the annual shareholders' meeting on Friday (June 6).

"With a company that makes almost $17 billion in profit, we shouldn't have to have two or three jobs," Sparks said.