Catherwood LibraryILR School

After four years of largely unproductive attempts by the American labor movement to unionize the country’s largest corporation and second largest employer, and the world’s largest retailer, the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) has begun a major push to organize Wal-mart. The importance to the labor movement of unionizing this extremely successful business is not only a matter of symbolism or proving that unions are still viable and important---Wal-mart puts enormous pressure on other employers to reduce labor costs to remain competitive, and drags down community living standards (see WIT for Oct. 25, 2002). Despite low wages, often unaffordable healthcare, and violations of anti-discrimination and harassment laws, labor and wage standards, and other workplace protections(see WIT’s for Dec. 22, 1999, Dec. 18, 2001, and July 1, 2002), Wal-mart has managed to so far fend off unions through a combination of outright union-busting and intimidation, and measures aimed at maintaining employee approval.