Union Activity Begins in Colorado Wal-Mart

New York City, Employees at a Colorado Wal-Mart’s tire department can go ahead with a union election, according to a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The store is in Loveland, Colo., where nine of the 17 employees of the Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express signed union cards last year. Wal-Mart argued that the workers represent a department of the store—not a separate unit that can unionize. The NLRB sided with the union Friday.

The last time a separate division within a Wal-Mart store voted to unionize involved butchers in Texas. Wal-Mart moved toward case-ready meat, eliminating the need for butchers. The move was unrelated to the union activity, according to Wal-Mart.