January 19, 2014
By Stephanie West
Washington, DC —The National Labor Relations Board issued the largest-ever complaint against Walmart on Wednesday January 15th, for breaking federal labor law by violating workers’ rights. The complaint alleges Walmart illegally fired and disciplined nearly 70 workers, including those who went on strike last June to speak out for better jobs.
The NLRB asserts illegal activities in 14 states at 34 stores and shows that company executives conceived—and oversaw implementation—of an unlawful retaliation policy for store managers to execute.
While the majority of Walmart associates are paid less than $25,000 a year, Walmart makes $17 billion in annual profits.
“Walmart thinks it can scare us with attacks to keep us from having a real conversation about the poverty wages we’re paid,” said Barbara Collins, a fired Walmart worker from Placerville, CA who is one of the nearly 70 workers named in the complaint. “But too much is at stake—the strength of our economy and the security of our families—to stay silent about why Walmart needs to improve jobs."
