What those anti-Walmart ads during last night's Democratic debate were about

If you tuned in to the Democratic presidential debate last night you might have noticed a couple of ads that looked something like this:

“These are the voices of America’s retail workers,” the ad begins. “They think I’m worthless,” says Qulima, identified as a Walmart worker, of her corporate bosses.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union aired the ads during the debate to draw attention to what they say are unfair employment practices by Walmart.

“These current and former Walmart workers represent the voice of America’s retail workers,” Jess Levin, communications director for the Making Change at Walmart campaign, said in a statement. “They have endured years of low wages, decreased hours, and abuse on the job. We are going to make sure their voices—and the voices of retail workers all across the country—are heard in the 2016 presidential election.”

Walmart says they’re aware of the campaign and they’re making efforts to raise wages this year.

“While the UFCW is committed to spending its members’ hard earned union dues on political ads attacking a company that employs 1.3 million Americans, Walmart will continue to focus on our commitment to spending $1 billion this year alone to not only raise wages, but also provide additional skills-based training and other opportunities to build great careers,” a spokesperson for Walmart told CNN Money this morning.

The union said they launched the ad campaign during the debate to try to get a dialogue going with the presidential candidates. None of the candidates have talked about the ads so far.

America’s labor unions are considering which candidate to endorse for 2016, with many seeing the choice as being between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the largest unions in the country, endorsed Clinton in 2007 but has yet to decide who they’re backing for next year.

Correction: This article previously stated that the AFSCME is endorsing Clinton in the coming year as well. The union is yet to declare an endorsement.