Retailer files suit so critics keep out

Wal-Mart seeks a protest shield

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Wal-Mart has filed a lawsuit in Benton County Circuit Court to prevent several anti-Wal-Mart groups from trespassing on store property - specifically to prevent the groups from engaging in past activities, such as unlawful picketing, demonstrations, disrupting customers and confronting managers.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, names the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), Organization United for Respect at Wal-Mart (OUR Walmart) and several others as defendants.

Wal-Mart maintains it has the right to manage, control and operate its stores and business affairs on its private property without interference from protesters.

“Defendants often block ingress and and egress at store entrances, parking lots, parking spaces, vehicular traffic and customer traffic,” Wal-Mart states in the lawsuit. “They often scream through bullhorns, carry signs on sticks, conduct in-store ‘flash mobs’ and divert management and local police from their normal job functions.”

The complaint states that the United Food and Commercial Workers union and OUR Walmart orchestrated and carried out “a disruptive trespassory event” as recently as April 13 at a Rogers Wal-Mart store and are planning to “mobilize” demonstrators at Wal-Mart’s annual shareholders meeting June 7 and at Arkansas Wal-Mart stores on Labor Day. The company said it has reason to believe that OUR Walmart is planning a caravan to arrive in Bentonville during shareholders meeting.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union and OUR Walmart list their mission as helping Wal-Mart employees as individuals or groups in their dealings with Wal-Mart over labor rights and standards and their efforts to have Wal-Mart publicly commit to adhering to labor rights and standards.

“This lawsuit looks to be another meritless attempt by Wal-Mart to silence workers and the community rather than hear our concerns about the company’s treatment of workers,” said Zoe Bridges-Curry, spokesman for OUR Walmart.

“Rather than creating good jobs with steady hours and affordable health care, Wal-Mart is resorting to aggressive legal tactics - pitting the nation’s largest employer and its army of lawyers against $10-perhour workers and their community supporters,” she said. “Wal-Mart’s legal games will not stop OUR Walmart and our supporters from protesting Wal-Mart’s attempts to silence and retaliate against workers who speak out in calling for a change of course at Wal-Mart.”

Business, Pages 31 on 05/18/2013