US union files ‘slush fund’ case against Wal-Mart
UFCW calls for investigation into former executive
The US union campaigning to represent Wal-Mart employees has filed for an official investigation to allegations that the retailer ‘bribed’ employees to vote against union status.
The United Food and Commercial Workers has filed an “Unfair Labor Practice Charge” with the National Labor Relations Board. The move is in response newspaper allegations that former Wal-Mart board member Thomas Coughlin, operated an illegal anti-union slush fund.
In a letter to the NLRB, the UFCW states that “the charge complains that Wal-Mart, acting through officers, employees and agents, including those at the highest levels of management, systematically denied workers their democratic right to exercise a choice for union representation. Wal-Mart’s actions seemingly involved the criminal misappropriation of company funds to create an illegal anti-union slush fund.”
The UFCW wants the NLRB’s to obtain any relevant information from Wal-Mart, particularly documents which, according to Coughlin, “substantiate the alleged scheme”.
UFCW executive vice president Bill McDonough said: “The UFCW and the American people deserve to know what Wal-Mart knows about this ‘union project’ and when they knew it.”
Wal-Mart said last month that, following an internal company investigation, Coughlin had resigned from the board. Three other Wal-Mart employees also lost their jobs.
The retailer said the investigation related to “personal reimbursements, payment of third-party invoices and the use of company gift cards”. Wal-Mart has referred the matter to the US legal authorities.
