Here’s Walmart’s Internal Guide To Fighting Unions And Monitoring Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/01/16/3171251/walmart-leaked-powerpoint-unions/




A Black Friday protest outside of a St. Paul, Minnesota Walmart.

CREDIT: Associated Press

By Alan Pyke on January 16, 2014 at 9:43 am

Leaked internal documents show that Walmart’s strategy for fighting to keep its workers from forming unions includes instructing managers to report suspicious activity and warning workers that joining OUR Walmart could hurt them.

In two Powerpoint presentations, published by OccupyWallSt.org and confirmed as authentic by a Walmart spokesman, the company depicts OUR Walmart organizers as money-hungry exploiters looking to fleece Walmart associates without providing any material benefit to the workers, and it urges managers to nudge workers away from unions while taking care to frame their comments in ways that don’t violate the letter of U.S. labor laws.

One of the presentations is directed at managers and guides them in how to handle any signs of worker unrest. Managers are instructed to report anything resembling union activity or discussions of organizing to the company’s “Labor Relations Hotline,” yet are also warned that “it is unlawful to spy on protected/union activity” and that “it would be illegal” to “interrogate” associates about their opinions of or interest in union representation.

Signs of a budding union problem, according to a slide titled “Early Warning Signs,” include “speaking negatively about wages and benefits” and “ceasing conversations when leadership approaches.” The management presentation appears to include several instructional videos that did not make it into the leaked files in a watchable form, including examples of a strategy the document labels “FOE.” Managers are encouraged to share “Facts, Opinions, and Experiences” relating to unions, while avoiding interrogation or threats. One slide contains suggested managerial opinions:

FULL story at link.