Catherwood LibraryILR School

The threat of a strike on Black Friday in 2012, which would have affected billions of sales as well as its public image, prompted Walmart to employ the use of intelligence-gathering services from Lockheed Martin to oversee the activities of employees supportive of union organization efforts. By using surveys and social media, increasing labor hotlines, using “Delta Teams” for management alerts, as well as seeking help from the FBI Joint Terrorism task force, Walmart kept an eye on employees most closely involved with OUR Walmart, a group of employee labor activists, as well as thousands of others who supported their efforts. The surveillance efforts came to light when OUR Walmart brought allegations to the National Labor Relations Board that Walmart retaliated against employees who participated in widespread protests. This year, OUR Walmart is holding a 15-day fast through Black Friday in support of a $15 minimum wage.