A union-backed group of Wal-Mart workers, OUR Walmart, said on Tuesday that it had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, asserting that Wal-Mart was making illegal threats to deter its employees from participating in protests scheduled for Black Friday.þþThe complaint said that a statement by a Wal-Mart spokesman, David Tovar, on Monday on the CBS Evening News — that “there could be consequences” if employees did not report for work — constituted an illegal threat meant to discourage workers from exercising their federally protected right to protest.þþ“We will not be silenced,” said Mary Pat Tifft, an OUR Walmart member and a Wal-Mart employee in Kenosha, Wis. “We should expect more than threats to our jobs when we speak out.”þþMr. Tovar said the company was respectful of “all of our associates” and was always willing to hear employees’ concerns.þþ“There has not been any retaliation against our workers who are simply expressing their views, nor will there be,” he said.þþOUR Walmart filed papers after Wal-Mart made a labor board complaint last Thursday, asserting that the protests that OUR Walmart is planning around the country would violate a federal law that bars picketing for more than 30 days when a union is seeking recognition.þþWal-Mart maintains that OUR Walmart’s rolling protests have continued for more than 30 days and are actually sponsored by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which helped found OUR Walmart last year. Wal-Mart contends that the food and commercial workers are seeking union recognition from the company.þþBut OUR Walmart and the union maintain that OUR Walmart is an independent group that no longer relies on the union for support. Further, they argue that the hundreds of protests that they say will take place this week are not seeking union recognition, but are protesting what they say is Wal-Mart’s retaliation against workers who speak out about wages and working conditions.þþSeveral workers involved in demonstrations this week said they were protesting low wages, part-time hours and increases in out-of-pocket costs for health care. Some said they had not reported to work as part of what they called a job action.þþNancy Cleeland, a spokeswoman for the labor board, said on Tuesday that her agency was investigating Wal-Mart’s complaint, adding that it raised several complex issues. She said the agency did not expect to make a decision before Thursday on whether to seek the injunction that Wal-Mart requested to prohibit the protests.þþMr. Tovar told CBS that the protests were “another union publicity stunt.” He added: “If associates are scheduled to work on Black Friday, we expect them to show up and to do their job. And if they don’t, depending on the circumstances, there could be consequences.”
Source: NY Times
