GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — More than 200 Dollar General workers and customers gathered for a march and protest at the corporation’s annual shareholder meeting in Middle Tennessee on Wednesday to demand store safety and better pay.

A delegation of workers with Step Up Louisiana who have been organizing for dollar store safety traveled by bus from New Orleans to join other Dollar General workers, advocates and labor organizations from across the South, including Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, SEIU Local 205, Workers’ Dignity, Poder Popular and the New Justice Project.

The group gathered for a rally in Goodlettsville where workers delivered speeches to share their stories about alleged hazards they face while working at Dollar General.

The rally was followed by a march to Dollar General headquarters, where chants from the protest could be heard inside the shareholder meeting, according to three Dollar General workers who attended the meeting as proxies. Dollar General headquarters were on lockdown as protesters arrived.

Wednesday’s protest comes after years of reported store safety violations at Dollar General locations across the country. In May 2023, Dollar General shareholders approved a resolution to create an independent audit into worker safety and well-being at the last annual shareholder meeting.

In a public statement, Step Up Louisiana slammed the audit, calling it a “sham,” claiming Dollar General hired a union-busting law firm, Jackson Lewis, to lead the audit, and citing the audit’s failure to measurably improve store safety:

“At first, we were encouraged to see Dollar General shareholders vote for a safety audit. When you have Bloomberg calling Dollar General the ‘worst retail job in America,’ OSHA making Dollar General the first company to be put on its Severe Violators list, and workers across the country protesting over store conditions, getting a handle on the nature and cause of the crisis is a good first step. Unfortunately, the leadership of the company has used this audit as a tool to deny the extensive reporting, regulatory determinations and first-person worker accounts of the safety crisis, rather than using it to get to the bottom of the situation.

We call on Dollar General to shelve this sham of an audit and get to work implementing the safety demands dollar store workers developed more than a year ago. Dollar General workers stand ready to share our experiences and insights into what makes it so dangerous to show up to work every day whenever the company discovers a real interest in solving this crisis. We’ll be outside their headquarters tomorrow if they want to talk.”

Dollar General sent the following statement to FOX 17 News in response to Wednesday’s march and protest.

“Individuals gathered today to express their opinions at our Store Support Center. We value feedback and will continue encouraging our employees to share both positive and constructive feedback in company-provided channels so we can listen and collaboratively address concerns. Ultimately, we strive to create a work environment where employees have opportunities to grow their careers, serve their local communities and feel valued and heard.

Dollar General engaged an independent third party to conduct an audit in response to the shareholder proposal that passed during the 2023 shareholders meeting. A report on that audit can be found on our website.

Additionally, we are unaware of any store safety issues or blocked exists connected to the suspected arson in our Knoxville store on May 14. We continue to collaborate with local authorities investigating the matter.”

Dollar General’s report on the audit of its safety policies and practices can be found here.