Walmart Illegally Gave Gag Order to Worker, NLRB Judge Rules (1)

Walmart Inc. violated federal labor law by prohibiting a worker at a Baton Rouge, La., store from discussing the discipline he was issued—under the penalty of further discipline up to termination, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

Administrative Law Judge Donna Dawson on Wednesday rejected Walmart’s argument that the supervisors who instructed Peter Naughton to keep quiet mistakenly believed the company’s confidentiality policy for managers also applied to line employees.

Dawson also turned aside Walmart’s proposed settlement agreement to resolve the allegations by posting a notice at the store where the incident happened, which the company argued “is all ...