You may have heard about the “massive” protests Walmart workers have in store for Black Friday this year. The only problem with this story is that workers aren’t really the ones behind these efforts. In reality, Big Labor, liberal groups and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are colluding to stage protests with the explicit purpose of targeting and undermining the nation’s largest employer.
According to audio recordings of a private planning session—which included members from liberal group Retail Action Project, Walmart-Free NYC, Jobs with Justice and Occupy Wall Street working group 99 Pickets, among others—these protests are not only being planned and orchestrated by Big Labor, but are also receiving support from the NLRB and, in some cases, local law enforcement.
One account reveals that these so-called “activists plan to have some participants get arrested in a ‘civil disobedience’ action coordinated with local police ahead of the event,” most likely to ensure wider media coverage and an extra measure of public sympathy. While some protesters may deliberately try to get arrested, others will be engaging in more “traditional” protest measures in and outside of the 2,000 Walmart locations being targeted this Black Friday.
Adding fuel to the fire, the NLRB announced this week that it is issuing complaints against Walmart in response to allegations of retaliation against workers who protested at a recent shareholders meeting. Is there any indication that Walmart took action against these workers? No. Do things like facts and proof matter to union-backed worker centers like OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect at Walmart) or their friends in government with taxpayer funded jobs? Also, a resounding no.
In fact, the NLRB decision was made public during a media call held by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and OUR Walmart hours before the official NLRB announcement. That Trumka and OUR Walmart were seemingly in on the NLRB’s decision speaks volumes about the extent to which all three parties are in collusion. Government and Big Labor working hand-in-hand to unleash a massive smear campaign against the nation’s largest retailer? Happy Holidays, indeed.
While Walmart protest organizers would love to be seen as a grassroots movement of Walmart employees, the truth is the entire thing is being staged by OUR Walmart, an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and other Big Labor front groups. And while the hype has been heavy in the media, Justin Wilson, managing director of the pro-business Center for Union Facts says much of this is being overplayed.
According to The Daily Caller, “if organizers expect massive strikes and picket lines to materialize next Friday — turning away shoppers and giving Wal-Mart a black eye — Wilson believes they’ll be disappointed. ‘The idea that there’s this mass uprising of Wal-Mart employees trying to unionize the stores when they can’t get more than 500 of them to actually turn out is ridiculous — just an absolute joke,’ he concluded.”
As you do your Black Friday shopping this year, keep in mind these Walmart protests are nothing more than the overblown theatrics of Big Labor. Let’s make sure they don’t have an audience this year.