Wal-Mart Workers Organize
Without Union
'We Don't Have Any Rights,' Leader of Group Says
Associated Press - October 3, 2005
By Mitch Stacy

It's not a union, but some Wal-Mart workers say it might be the next best thing.

Searching for a voice in their work lives, employees of some central Florida Wal-Mart stores have formed a workers group to collectively air complaints about what they claim is shoddy treatment by the retail giant.

About 250 employees and former employees from 40 central Florida stores have joined the fledgling Wal-Mart Workers Association, spurred by what they say is a reduction of hours and schedule changes recently that may jeopardize health care benefits for some. Organizers say the word-of-mouth campaign is attracting 15 to 20 new members every week.

The members say they hope their efforts will persuade the company to listen to its people and make some changes.

"Management seems like they don't really respect the associates," said Carl Jones, acting chairman of the new group, who makes $9.40 an hour as the lead cart-pusher at a store outside Orlando. "We don't have a voice. We don't have any rights at all."

The company, however, says most of its associates are happy and characterized the effort in Florida as another attempt by the unions to get their hands in the pockets of some of its 1.3 million workers in the United States.

"It's within (employees') legal rights to do that, but this group is a wolf in sheep's clothing," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Christi Gallagher said. "This is a labor organization attempting to masquerade as something else."

The world's largest and most profitable retailer has heard the employees' complaints before. Stores around the United States have been accused of everything from paying lousy wages and locking workers in over night to discriminating against women, while foiling attempts by labor groups such as the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to organize workers.

The food and commercial workers union is among the sponsors of the new workers association, along with the Service Employees International Union, and ACORN, an advocacy group for the poor. Central Florida was chosen for the launch because of Wal-Mart's expansion there.

Nine Wal-Mart Supercenters have opened in Florida so far this year to go along with a dozen new stores last year, according to the company. The state has 170 Supercenters and discount stores, 39 Sam's Club stores, eight neighborhood markets and six distribution center. More than 92,000 people work in the company's Florida facilities.

"Florida is like Wal-Mart central," said Rick Smith, state director of the Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now (WARN), a coalition of labor, anti-poverty and environmental groups trying to change the way Wal-Mart does business. Smith is spearheading the workers association project.

"It was carefully formulated," he said. "This is not the traditional unit we have now in terms of collective bargaining or having an election, this is about what sort of problems Wal-Mart employees are having at work and what can they do to make their lives better at work."