Wal-Mart wins ruling against union

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has won a court injunction to keep union organizers out of its 3,200 U.S. stores, and company officials said Saturday they hoped the union abides by the order. <br> <br> Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jessica Moser said Wal-Mart employees have asked the company repeatedly since 1999, when the union activity began, to stop members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union from ``harassing them.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A permanent injunction issued Friday by Chancery Judge Jim D. Spears should help resolve the issue if union organizers will comply with the order, she said. <br> <br> ``It is unfortunate that we were forced to seek court protection from the union&#39;s repeated invasions into our stores, but our informal requests that they stop their unlawful activity have been ignored,&#39;&#39; Moser said. <br> <br> Union spokesman Greg Denier did not immediately return a call seeking comment. <br> <br> The judge&#39;s order prohibits the union from soliciting inside Wal-Mart buildings in the United States, including Supercenters, Sams Clubs and Neighborhood Markets. Violators can be held in contempt of court. <br> <br> Union organizers can still legally solicit in store parking lots, as other groups can, Moser said. <br> <br> In September 1999, the UFCW went to about 300 Supercenters across the country and accused Wal-Mart of improperly trying to deny organizers access to workers. The union argued that charitable groups are allowed to solicit inside Wal-Mart and other stores and that union organizers should have equal access. <br> <br> Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, claimed organizers were trespassing, harassing workers and violating meat safety procedures by going into meat departments. The company denied the union claim that other groups were allowed to solicit inside the stores. <br> <br> The National Labor Relations Board ruled against the union last year.

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