Wal-Mart asked workers to spy on colleagues, faces trial for illegal anti-union campaign

Asked workers to spy on colleagues:
Wal-Mart faces trial for illegal anti-union campaign

U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart faces new charges for its anti-union campaigning. Both in Nevada and in Indiana, Wal-Mart has to answer to two new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaints for its illegal campaign of intimidation, harassment and retaliation against workers attempting to organize with UNI Commerce affiliate, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).

For two years, workers from Wal-Mart Supercenters and Sam's Club stores in Las Vegas, Nevada have been working together to organize for a voice on the job for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Wal-Mart's union-busting "People Division" has continued to break the law to silence the Las Vegas workers despite having lost three major trials with multiple charges. Wal-Mart settled a fourth case to avoid a trial.

The latest victims of Wal-Mart's war on workers are fighting back. Following an NLRB investigation of worker charges, the government has charged that Wal-Mart managers:

Told associates their union activities were being monitored;
Asked associates to spy on co-workers on behalf of the company;
Refused to allow distribution of union literature and confiscated materials from employees; and
Threatened workers who accepted union literature;

Wal-Mart will face trial on these new charges in Las Vegas is scheduled for March 6, 2003.

Workers in Noblesville, Indiana are fighting back against similar injustices. The NLRB investigation of Wal-Mart's actions resulted in a complaint charging that Wal-Mart managers:

Carried out surveillance on its workers;
Interrogated workers about union activities;
Threatened workers with reprisals including loss of profit sharing due to union activity; and
Attempted to buy-off workers with increased hours, promises, and tokens in order to discourage support for the union.

Wal-Mart faces trial on April 7, 2003 in Indianapolis on these charges.

These two new complaints bring the total number of Labor Board cases against Wal-Mart to 45 complaints in 25 states. Wal-Mart has been found guilty in 10 of those cases, settled 8 of them and the rest are pending.

"Two-thirds of Wal-Mart workers can't afford the company's health insurance. While workers and their families suffer, Wal-Mart spends millions of dollars on lawyers and union busters to keep them from having a voice at work. Clearly, this is a company that prefers to break the law and put corporate greed above worker need," said Michael Leonard, UFCW Executive Vice President and Director of Strategic Programs.

Copies of the NLRB complaints are available here.