Colo. Wal-Mart Workers Nix Unionization

Workers at a Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express voted 17-1 against union representation Friday, rejecting efforts to establish what would have been the first union inside any Wal-Mart store in the United States. United Food and Commercial Workers spokesman Dave Minshall said the group will ask the National Labor Relations Board to throw the results out, saying no union member was allowed to observe the election and Wal-Mart added employees to the unit to dilute the strength of the union supporters. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Christi Gallagher said the union was offered an opportunity to provide a substitute observer but could not find one. She said any workers added to the operation were a response to business needs and not part of an anti-union effort. Minshall said workers had been subjected to intimidation and harassment before the vote. Josh Noble, a tire shop worker who said he voted in favor of the UFCW, said he had been harassed by other Wal-Mart employees and that managers "kind of blew it off" when he reported one incident. "It's fear that won this election for Wal-Mart," Minshall said. Gallagher said she could not comment on incidents reported by employees or the way in which they were handled, but she said the company does not tolerate harassment or discrimination. "I can tell you this was a democratic, secret election and I'm going to let the vote speak for itself," she said. [more]

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