Wal-Mart's exploitation of weak US labor laws interferes with workers' rights to organize and violates the human rights of its employees, a report by a leading human rights group said.
In a 210-page report released on Monday, Human Rights Watch said Wal-Mart uses an arsenal of sophisticated tactics -- some of which it says are illegal -- aimed at thwarting union organization and creating a climate of fear for its 1.3 million US workers.
The Human Rights Watch study was based on interviews with 41 current and former Wal-Mart workers and managers, as well as labor lawyers and union organizers, between 2004 and early this year.
The organization also said it analyzed cases against Wal-Mart charging the company with violating US labor and employment laws.
Not alone
While Wal-Mart Stores Inc is not alone in engaging in illegal anti-union tactics, the retailer "stands out for the extreme sophistication and aggressiveness of its anti-union strategies," said Carol Pier, a senior researcher on labor rights and trade for Human Rights Watch and author of the report.
Pier said that while Human Rights Watch had been following reports on Wal-Mart's anti-union efforts, what was missing from the debate was a "human rights analysis" and a road map to its systematic approach.
As Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the US, Pier said: "The company's treatment of its workers has significant impact in the US and beyond."
She emphasized that the report was not funded by labor unions and is not an anti-Wal-Mart organization.
Quick to dismiss
But Wal-Mart was quick to dismiss the study's allegations as untrue and unsubstantiated.
"Wal-Mart provides an environment of open communications and gives our associates every opportunity to express their ideas, comments and concerns," said David Tovar, a spokesman at Wal-Mart, in a statement.
"It is because of our efforts to foster such an environment that our associates have repeatedly rejected unionization attempts," he said.
"Wal-Mart respects our associates' right to a free and fair unionization vote through a private, government-supervised process and we remain committed to compliance with US laws regarding workers' rights to unionize," he said.
Tovar added that as less than 5 percent of all retail workers in the US are part of a union, the current trend is not one that is unique to Wal-Mart.
In a statement, Justin Hakes, legal information director at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a nonprofit group, called the study "the latest tactic in the aggressive efforts by union officials to force union affiliation on Wal-Mart's workforce."
Human Rights Watch is using the report to call on the US Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
The act, which passed the US House of Representatives in March and is now under consideration in the Senate, increases penalties for labor law violations.
The legislation also would restore what the group calls a "democratic" union selection process by requiring employers to recognize a union if a majority of workers sign cards showing their support.
Intimidation
Employers can now force union elections and then intimidate workers with their aggressive anti-union message during the campaign period, Human Rights Watch said.
Unions have been trying to organize Wal-Mart for years, but after failing in several attempts to represent workers at individual Wal-Mart stores, union-backed groups like WakeUpWal-Mart.com have emerged to embrace a broader strategy that goes beyond the chain's employees and aims to get the retailer to improve its wages, health care benefits, environmental record and to be a better neighbor.
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