Now Walmart Wants to 'Rollback' Free Speech
Company attempting to muzzle a website that tells workers how to unionize.
As part of UFCW Canada's effort to help Canadian Walmart 'associates' understand and exercise their rights as workers, the union launched a web site to provide the workers with the tools and knowledge they need to exercise their rights as workers in Canada. Walmart, the world's largest corporation, has reached a new low by filing for a court injunction to limit the effectiveness of that website. The injunction would force the WalmartWorkersCanada web site to make significant changes that could undermine the union's ability to effectively communicate with Walmart workers. Among other things, the company is demanding that the union stop using the words "Walmart" or "Wal-Mart" in any form.
UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley has called it "a kneejerk response by Walmart to the idea of its employees trying to understand their options as workers, and trying to share experiences with other 'associates'...another outrageous example of how the largest retailer in the history of the world will use its bottomless legal budget to manipulate the collective bargaining process and do just about anything to discourage its 'associates' from joining the union."
Despite several threatening letters from Walmart - and the prospect of a legal battle - UFCW Canada refuses to be silenced and has launched a public awareness and popular action movement in response to the multinational's threat. It calls on Canadians to contribute to the defence of their digital rights by challenging Walmart executives to immediately drop the injunction request which the union is confident is unfounded. You're being asked to help Walmart workers by telling Walmart NO! to the court injunction and YES! to free speech by visiting www.walmartworkerscanada.ca/freespeech. While you're on the site, you can send a quick email to Walmart executives. It only takes 30 seconds and it makes a real difference.
Walmart has long been notorious for low pay and minimal benefits. Helping their workers obtain better wages and benefits through unionization is important - but there's an even bigger issue at stake here. Making sure the Internet is a place where workers can freely learn about their rights and communicate with one another is a fundamental fight for us all. As citizens in a democracy, we can't afford to let Walmart, or any other corporation, try to undermine the communication effectiveness of a website and 'rollback' our freedom of expression rights just because it doesn't like the message.