Wal-Mart has been the target of union campaigns for years. Why? Because Wal-Mart is the biggest fucking retailer in the world, and the most famous anti-union company in America. It makes sense for both practical and symbolic reasons. In L.A. right now, unions and worker advocates are trying to stop the construction of a new Wal-Mart in the city's Chinatown district. But Wal-Mart has an ally in the fight: the Wall Street Journal.
I base this assertion on the WSJ's story today, "Los Angeles Unions Try a New Tack in Wal-Mart Battle." Gawker readers are familiar with this issue already, because a PR person working on Wal-Mart's behalf was caught posing as a reporter in order to infiltrate an anti-Wal-Mart group, leading to the firing of the flack and the subsequent (very public) firing of the PR firm itself, by Wal-Mart. Of course, you wouldn't learn any of this by reading the WSJ's story on this very issue. None of it is mentioned.
What is mentioned? Anti-Wal-Mart research is flawed!
If you'd like to read something to balance out this story, try this. In the meantime, Wal-Mart is lucky to have such a fine national newspaper as an ally. (Especially since they might see a story they don't like in the local paper.)
