Complaint Issues Against UFCW for Unlawful Coercion of Walmart Employees

Region 7 of the NLRB in Detroit, Michigan issued a complaint, alleging that the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) violated Section the NLRA by restraining and coercing Walmart employees during a 2012 Black Friday protest at a store in Dearborn, Michigan.

According to the complaint, an organizing director for UFCW Local 876 and an Occupy Detroit activist, along with 50 to 80 other individuals stormed and remained inside the store’s electronics department without permission and without the intent to shop. A smaller group of men and women then entered the women’s rest room and interrogated employees regarding wages, hours, and working conditions.

I am glad to see that at least one Regional Director has placed some limitation on the antics of worker centers like OUR Walmart. Hopefully, such egregious facts won’t be needed to find future violations particularly when they border on harassment of other employees and brazenly interfere with their work duties.