Transcripts

Walmart Remains Resistant To Union Ways In The U.S.A.

SUSIE GHARIB: Wal-Mart is under fire from labor unions around the world. A network of 900 unions wants the giant retailer to open its doors to organized labor in countries where it`s currently operating or soon might. But as Diane Eastabrook reports, the drive to organize at the world`s largest retailer could be a tough one.

DIANE EASTABROOK, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Wal-Mart may be the world`s most successful retailer, but a global union network calls the company a failure when it comes to employee relations. At a conference in Chicago this week, Union Network International or UNI, says organizing Wal-Mart workers is its top priority.

PHILIP JENNINGS, GENERAL SECRETARY, UNI: We brought liberty and democracy to many countries around this world, the union world and civil society. People do not have a free choice in Wal-Mart to be a member of a union or not.

EASTABROOK: For labor unions the service sector-- which includes retailers-- offers the most promise when it comes to organizing. UNI says retailing is a growing industry that often pays low wages, offers few benefits and employs immigrants, women and teens. Wal-Mart is a prime target because it employs more than 1.5 million workers in 10 countries. While unions have been successful organizing Wal-Mart workers in parts of Europe and South America, they have yet to be successful organizing workers in the U.S. and Canada.

JOE HANSEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS: If we send one organizer into a store, Wal-Mart will fly 50 people in from Bentonville to combat that, that is they terrorize the workers in the store.

EASTABROOK: Wal-Mart says it is not anti union and follows the laws and regulations in every country it has stores. In a statement Wal-Mart says quote, we prefer having direct relationships with our associates, but where there are unions, work councils or other employee associations, are relationships are professional and cordial, end quote. Still, labor experts say Wal-Mart may find it increasingly harder to prevent unions from organizing its workers.

DAN CORNFIELD, SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: The timing is right in the sense that there`s a growing have not segment of the national labor force in the United States that suffers a range of employment related abuses and all the opinion polls seem to suggest that that segment, that low-wage service workers, ethnic and racial minorities and immigrants, have a strong desire to unionize.

EASTABROOK: UNI is confident when it closes its conference at the end of the week, it will have a strategy in place to help unions organize Wal-Mart stores both here and abroad. Diane Eastabrook, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Chicago.