Unfair labor charges dropped against Wal-Mart

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789 has withdrawn charges of labor law violations by Wal-Mart against employees at its store in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. The union, which is currently engaged in an organizing campaign at Wal-Mart outlets throughout the Twin Cities, accused the world’s largest retailer last month of illegally threatening to terminate workers who supported unionizing.

According to Doug Mork, organizing director for Local 789, four of the six workers slated to testify before the National Labor Relations Board backed out. At that point, UFCW wasn’t sure it had a strong enough case to proceed and withdrew the charges before the federal agency. Mork believes intimidation tactics by Wal-Mart were a factor in why the workers ultimately decided against testifying.

“It’s been a little bit hard to figure out,” he said. “It’s not quite so simple as to say they were scared off. I think that’s a piece of it.”

Despite the decision to drop the charges, Mork believes it will not be the last time they seek redress from the NLRB for Wal-Mart’s hardball anti-union tactics. “I suspect there will be more charges to follow,” he said.

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