You want proof? Done.
In 2000, the meat-cutting department of a Wal-Mart in Jacksonville, Texas voted in favor of unionizing. Wal-Mart’s response was to eliminate the entire department and switch over to prepackaged meat, claiming that the decision was made based solely on efficiency and that it had nothing whatsoever to do with unionization. After a lengthy battle in court, a National Labor Relations Board judge ordered Wal-Mart to reintroduce the meat-cutting department and recognize the union.
I mentioned before that Wal-Mart closed down a store in Quebec because its workers had voted for a union. in September 2005, the Quebec Labor Board ruled in favor of the workers, stating that there was ample evidence to suggest that the store employees had lost their jobs as a direct result of voting to unionize. Hearings to determine compensation for these employees are still in progress.
Wal-Mart is faced with approximately 5,000 lawsuits a year. Do you think an honest, law-abiding company would be sued so much, and lose so often? Maybe you’ve heard of Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores. It’s the largest class-action lawsuit in American history; 1.6 million women sought compensation for workplace discrimination. It’s a clear fact that women at Wal-Mart are paid less than men for the same work, and tend to remain “stuck” in the lowest-ranking positions as their male colleagues receive promotion after promotion. Dukes v. Wal-Mart was first filed in June 2001. The plaintiffs won the case in District Court; Wal-Mart promptly appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In February 2007, a decision was handed down, again in favor of the women. Wal-Mart still continues to appeal and take all legal actions possible to stall and try to get out of paying these women what they owe. Hopefully, the charade won’t continue much longer. (See Liza Featherstone’s book for the full story on this lawsuit.)
Oh, and Joseph: Sam Walton is dead.