NLRB complains Walmart Black Friday protesters broke rules, went too far

Nov. 29, 2013: A group of protesters walk through the Walmart retail store parking lot on Black Friday in Elgin, Illinois. (ap)

Labor union members and protesters who stormed a Michigan Walmart on “Black Friday”  in 2012 have landed in hot water with the National Labor Relations Board.

The NLRB has filed a complaint against Our Walmart, a so-called “workers center” group that organizes protests and claims to represent employees at the national big-box retailer, and the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, which funds Our Walmart’s activities.

The complaint also names a number of individuals, including UFCW employees and members of Occupy Detroit, who participated in protests at a Walmart in Dearborn, Mich., in November.

The Black Friday protests have become a common sight at Walmarts and other large retailers, but the labor unions behind the protests stepped up their efforts in 2013 to coincide with a national push from progressives seeking to hike the minimum wage.

The protesters in Dearborn apparently stepped it up a little too much.

According to the NLRB, “approximately 50 to 80” individuals stormed the electronics section of the Walmart and remained there for up to 20 minutes. While that was happening, seven women and one man entered the women’s restroom and “coercively interrogated an employee regarding her wages, hours and working conditions.”

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