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New victory for U.S.
commercial workers and UFCW: Court in Arkansas dissolves Wal-Mart injunction to deny basic worker rights In its own backyard, a state court has put an end to the bully tactics of the biggest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart lost its bid to suppress employees' basic workplace rights. Judge James Spears of Fort Smith, Arkansas today dissolved a temporary restraining order obtained by the giant retailer against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). Last fall, Wal-Mart used its size and influence to get its hometown county judge to ban the distribution of workers' rights information to Wal-Mart employees nationwide. The judge was subsequently forced to withdraw from the case after the UFCW challenged his close financial ties to the company and exposed his portfolio of more than a half a million dollars in Wal-Mart stock. UFCW international organizers across the country had been banned from distributing workers' rights information to Wal-Mart employees by the order of this Benton County, Arkansas judge. Judge Spears, sitting by designation in the Chancery Court of Benton County, Arkansas dissolved the nationwide restraining order after an hour-long hearing this morning. "A fair court has finally put a stop to Wal-Mart's heavy-handed bully tactics and the irresponsible actions of Wal-Mart's hometown judge. Wal-Mart may be a big company, but it doesn't own the American legal system, it can't sidestep the law and it can't run rough- shod over employees," said Mike Leonard, Director of the UFCW Strategic Programs Department. The giant retailer relied on the suspect actions of the county court to prevent workers from receiving information about their rights on the job. The state court affirmed today that in this circumstance of this particular case, a county court ruling should not extend beyond the state line. According to UFCW attorneys, Wal-Mart used the county court in an attempt to sidestep federal law that guarantees the rights of workers and the Bill of Rights that protects all citizens. During the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s, small town judges used the same tactics to block actions to integrate public accommodations and to register voters. Wal-Mart is the nation's largest private employer with 900,000 employees. Wages at Wal-Mart are from $2 to $3 below average for the retail trades. Over 600,000 Wal-Mart workers are not covered under the company health benefit plan. The UFCW is the largest organization of retail workers in North America, with 1.4 million members. Workers at retail food industry leaders such as Kroger and Safeway are members of the UFCW. For more information, contact Jill Cashen at (202) 728-4797 or email press@ufcw.org |
