AFL-CIO Joins Worker Rights Group in Filing Federal Complaint with FEC Against Wal-Mart

For Immediate Release
Contact: Alison Omens 202-637-5018

AFL-CIO Joins Worker Rights Groups in Filing Formal Complaint with FEC
Against Wal-Mart
Complaint Calls for Examination into Wal-Mart’s Intimidation of
Workers

(Washington, August 14) - - Today, the AFL-CIO, joined by other worker
rights groups, filed a formal complaint with the FEC demanding they look
into Wal-Mart’s intimidation of workers. The complaint stems from a
Wall Street Journal article that detailed the specific steps Wal-Mart
took to encourage employees to vote against Sen. Obama because of his
support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

“Wal-Mart has bullied its workers and managers for years.  Now it
wants to bully the political process, and the FEC should take
Wal-Mart’s threats very seriously,” said AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney. “Wal-Mart has shown exactly why our nation needs the Employee
Free Choice Act  - - we must outlaw the kind of behavior for which
Wal-Mart is famous and give workers a free and fair choice on whether to
form a union.”

The complaint states, “there is reason to believe that Wal-Mart
Stores, Inc. has made prohibited corporate expenditures by expressly
advocating against Senator Obama’s election to employees who were not
in its restricted class in violation of  2 U.S.C. § 441b. We request
that the Commission immediately open an investigation to determine
whether a violation occurred and, if so, to take all appropriate steps
to remedy that violation of federal election law.”

The complaint explains that "informing employees that it is imperative
that the Employee Free Choice Act not be enacted and, simultaneously,
that their voting for Senator Obama and other Democrats would lead to
its enactment constitutes express advocacy" that Wal-Mart cannot
finance.

It goes on to say: “The Employee Free Choice Act is strongly opposed
by Wal-Mart because it would, in fact, go a long way toward rectifying
the imbalance that currently exists between workers seeking to form
unions and employers that oppose them.  Currently, the law fails to
effectively protect workers seeking to organize, and employers are able
to violate the law with virtual impunity.  This legislation would allow
workers throughout the United States to decide whether or not to form a
union. If an employer intimidates or obstructs a worker’s free choice,
it would incur increased penalties.  Senator Obama is a co-sponsor of
the legislation, while his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain,
opposes the bill and voted against bringing it to the Senate floor last
year.”

The complaint was filed on behalf of the AFL-CIO, American Rights at
Work, Change to Win, and WakeUp WalMart.com

For a full copy of the complaint, contact the AFL-CIO Media Outreach
Dept. at 202-637-5018.

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