Hostile interrogation. Secret surveillance. And if all else fails? Firing.

Why does a typical day at Wal-Mart sound like a spy movie?

We all know that when Wal-Mart employees try to form a union, they face threats, intimidation, and even firing. And a shocking new report reveals they’re being followed, too – by the store’s own security cameras!

These revelations come just as Wal-Mart appoints Pat Curran as its new “Executive Vice President of People” (that’s Wal-Mart whitewash-speak for Human Resources).  Let’s congratulate Curran on her promotion – and demand that she put an end to these tactics.

It’s time Wal-Mart’s dirty tricks stop – write your note to Curran now!

A new report from our friends at Human Rights Watch details just how far Wal-Mart will go to stop its employees from forming unions.  The report features incredible stories from employees like Terry Daly, whose job at a Wal-Mart in Arizona was to supposedly prevent shoplifting.  Instead, he was asked to turn security cameras on workers like Brad Jones, an employee with a spotless record whose only ‘crime’ was trying to form a union:

 “We were to monitor any activity that we thought might be organized... and place cameras in certain areas... and report back what we saw. We needed to find a reason to fire Brad.”

Apparently, Wal-Mart is more interested in busting unions than preventing shoplifting.  Tell Wal-Mart to stop the spy games!

Imagine the fear of trying to form a union under these conditions.  According to a South Carolina Wal-Mart employee interviewed in the report: 
“I think the union failed because a lot of [workers] were scared to come forward, scared for their jobs. That’s exactly the reason I didn’t sign up... other associates would say that if Wal-Mart would get wind of [my involvement with] the union, I’d be fired.”

That quote comes from one of the stores Pat Curran used to oversee. Which means Wal-Mart’s new “Executive VP of People” knows all about unionbusting.

Tell Pat Curran congrats on her new corner office.  Then tell her to earn her new title – and stop treating her own people like the enemy.

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/wm_curran

Thanks for all that you do to support workers’ rights!

Liz Cattaneo,
American Rights at Work
www.americanrightsatwork.org

p.s. Click here to check out Human Rights Watch’s new report, “Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association.”
http://hrw.org/reports/2007/us0507/