News

UFCW Canada, one of Canada's largest unions whose membership spans over many sectors, has beefed up an online campaign against a Walmart court filing targeting the union's Web site www.walmartworkerscanada.ca



Walmart filed a request for a court injunction July 28 claiming the Web site, infringes on its trademarks and asking that it be shut down.

Instead, UFCW Canada has launched a new section on the site and a social media campaign with Facebook and YouTube to bring attention to what it calls an "over the top assault on effective freedom of speech."



An “under the threat of censorship” banner adorns the main graphics on the home page.

The online campaign has a satirical edge and challenges Walmart to show respect for free speech by dropping its injunction request, says Derek Johnstone, national representative at UFCW Canada.



Yet, from the union's perspective, it's had the pleasant side effect of exposing UFCW's cause to a wider audience.

“Traffic on the site has gone up ten fold,” Johnstone says. “Our appeal has really broadened from the people we normally attract. We're suddenly getting interest because there's a free speech component that people are interested in.”



Interest indeed. The campaign has caught the eye of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and popular blog The Huffington Post. A network of bloggers has covered the story and the Facebook group has attracted more than 660 members and continues to grow.

“Here you have the largest corporation in the world trying to edit and remove a Web site that speaks to collective labour rights,” Johnstone says. “It sets a scary precedent.”



In its court filing, Walmart demands the union not use the phrase “Walmart Workers Canada” or the expression “Get Respect. Live Better” which is a parody of Walmart's slogan, “Save Money. Live Better.” It also requests that no photos of Walmart employees wearing blue vests, or “oval, circular or semi-circular” designs similar to Wal-Mart's logo be used.



It also asks that the Web site be taken down entirely.



Read more at: http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=54200 or : http://www.tuac.ca/Default.aspx?LanguageId=2 or :

http://www.ufcw.org/take_action/walmart_workers_campaign_info/ or: http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/