| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2000 |
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JUSTICE DELAYED FOR PALESTINE, TEXAS WAL-MART WORKERS Justice has been delayed today for the Palestine, Texas Wal-Mart meat and seafood department employees. Withstanding weeks of illegal intimidation and union- busting tactics by Wal-Mart managers and executives, workers finally won the right to make their voices heard in a union election. Ballots were cast this afternoon, following this morning's announcement by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that the votes would not be counted or made public until it issues a ruling on Wal-Mart's most recent appeal. No date has been set for that ruling. The Board ordered the election at the Palestine store on March 13, 2000 after meat and seafood department employees signed union authorization cards and petitioned the NLRB for a chance to make their voices heard through an election. Wal-Mart appealed the Board's decision then in an attempt to deny these workers their legal right to vote for a union. In February, Wal-Mart failed in its attempt to stop the Jacksonville, Texas Wal-Mart meat department employees from having the chance to vote for a union. Workers voted 7-to-3 in favor of union representation by United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 540 becoming the first Wal-Mart workers in the U.S. with a union. Wal-Mart's union-busting lawyers recycled their already meritless legal arguments from the Jacksonville case it its attempt to prevent an election in Palestine. In earlier hearings on the Palestine case, the regional NLRB rejected the company's additional claim that meat department employees should not be able to vote because Wal-Mart was planning to change responsibilities for meat workers at all Wal-Mart Supercenters. The announcement of Wal-Mart's supposed plan to shift to case-ready meat came after the Jacksonville workers voted for UFCW-representation. "Despite Wal-Mart's delaying and intimidation tactics, the Palestine workers are standing strong to have a voice in the workplace. Wal-Mart says it obeys the laws, but all it's doing is using sham legal maneuvering to attempt to deny workers their federal right for union representation," said Doug Dority, UFCW International President. Wal-Mart workers and customers are logging on the internet?to www.walmartyrs.com?expressing support and encouragement to these workers who are standing up for their rights at Wal-Mart. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is the largest organization of retail workers in North America, with 1.4 million members. UFCW represents workers at retail food industry leaders such as Kroger and Safeway. -30- |
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