Approximately 200 energetic protesters, backed by a DJ and a ten-piece brass orchestra, rallied in front of the San Leandro Wal-Mart on Black Friday as part of a nation-wide strike against the retail giant and its “unfair labor practices.”

“Workers here are out on strike against Wal-Mart’s unlawful attempts to silence them, and community supporters are coming to stand behind them,” said Andrea Dehlendorf, assistant director for the Making Change at Wal-Mart campaign. “Workers have been threatened, harassed and intimidated when they’ve tried to speak out for better wages and for more hours. People are really speaking out to say that they work hard and deserve to have an income they can take care of their families on.”

Gathering next to the entrance of the store, the crowd of union workers, Wal-Mart employees and community supporters chanted usual slogans like “no justice, no peace,” but to the up-beat tunes of a brass band called the Brass Liberation Orchestra. The result was a jovial atmosphere more akin to a block party than a protest.

“We’re gonna roll back the Wal-Mart attack! We’re gonna roll roll back the Wal-Mart attack!” the crowd chanted in unison with a ragtime song by the orchestra. The familiar aroma of burgers grilled in the parking lot added to the party atmosphere.

OUR Wal-Mart, the group of Wal-Mart employees who organized the nation-wide protest with union support, claimed to have held around 1,000 such Black Friday protest scattered across 46 states.

“Right now we’re just standing together in solidarity with the community and leaders to stand up against unfair labor practices, wrongful termination on the job,” said Dominic Ware, Cart Associate at the San Leandro Wal-Mart. “We’re trying to bring a better open door policy and a better communication between the workers and CEOs to try to make Wal-Mart a better place to work.”

Ware’s comments were echoed by several others in attendance, the general consensus being Wal-Mart managers don’t respect their workers enough.

“How much power you have and how much respect you get is determined by how much money you make,” said Ware.

“As a job, they demand too much and they could really pay a lot more,” said Raymond Bravo, overnight maintenance associate at the Richmond Hilltop Wal-Mart. “The managers are disrespectful and they don’t appreciate us. They don’t even recognize us. We can’t even go talk to them. And if we do, they say we’re complaining and they don’t listen to us.”

John Juanitas, a cart associate at the Fremont Wal-Mart, claimed he was bullied by an assistant manager for trivial performance issues, such as not bringing in enough shopping carts.

Derek Sanders, a Wal-Mart employee in Fremont, said he and his peers were on strike in response to managerial retaliation against workers who speak out for their rights.

“We would like for management to sit down and meet with us so that we can put everything down on paper, and let them know we want better working conditions,” said Sanders.

The majority of those in attendance were not actually Wal-Mart workers, but active or retired union members, such as Frank and Yolanda Montenegro, retired members of the Teamster’s Union. The Montenegros, who were observing the festivities from the safety of their car several yards away, said they came to support the unions and Wal-Mart Workers in their struggle for fair wages.

Another observer, retired union worker Claudia McHenry, also said she was there to support the Wal-Mart workers and unions.

“I have health coverage along with my pension through my union, and I am grateful for that,” said McHenry. “Wal-Mart is probably the most successful company in the world, and all of its owners are billionaires a billion times over, and to provide the necessary things for working people in this country, they wouldn’t feel a thing.”

The peaceful atmosphere carried on throughout the protest, even during a tense confrontation between protesters and Wal-Mart management as those outside tried to enter the store, only to be blocked by security guards and local police.

Undeterred, the protesters gathered next to the entrance as leaders and activists spoke to the audience through the DJ’s speakers. California Asemblymember Rob Bonta spoke to the crowd, as did Art Pulaski, Leader of the California Labor Federation, and San Leandro city councilmember, Jim Prola.

“I’m here because I believe all workers deserve respect and dignity,” said Prola. “When you make less than $10, that’s not a living wage in this country. Wal-Mart needs to start paying a living wage with benefits for the their workers, otherwise, the tax payers end up picking up the tab.”

Nevertheless, shoppers continued to file into the store uninterupted by the protest. Wal-Mart officials claim to have had the best Black Friday in history.

“The OUR Walmart group doesn’t speak for the 1.3 million Walmart associates,” said David Tovar, Wal-Mart vice president for corporate communications. “We had our best Black Friday ever and OUR Walmart was unable to recruit more than a small number of associates to participate in these made for TV events. Press reports are now exposing what we have said all along – the large majority of protesters aren’t even Walmart workers.”