Supreme Court Rejects Union’s Case Vs. Walmart

Today the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected a majority of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union’s (UFCW) case against Walmart.

The Supreme Court said that the union couldn’t demonstrate against Walmart on common areas, such as parking lots and sidewalks, and that the National Labor Relations Act did not prevent Walmart from filing trespass by picketers.

Along with United for Respect at Walmart, the commercial workers’ union has held national demonstrations for years in an attempt to encourage better pay and working conditions at the retail chain. The groups have also protested Walmart’s retaliation against employees who spoke out against working conditions.

However, the Arkansas Supreme Court did side in favor of union organizations that the Benton County Circuit Court ruling had overreached by banning the organizers from all “non-shopping activity,” including non-disruptive conduct, for which Walmart had argued.

Campaign Director Randy Parraz of Making Change At Walmart, the campaign run by the UFCW against the retail chain, released the following statement in response to the Arkansas Supreme Court’s ruling: “We are pleased with the Arkansas Supreme Court’s decision to narrow the over-broad order. Make no mistake, Making Change at Walmart will continue to fight for a better life for the millions of hard-working Walmart employees in every state across this country whose economic struggles have been long forgotten or ignored by Walmart and so many others.”