Walmart faces NLRB complaint alleging anti-union interrogation and flyer removal in Eureka

The National Labor Relations Board issued a formal complaint accusing Walmart of interrogating employees at its Eureka, California, store about union activities, removing pro‑union flyers from a break room and threatening workers who distributed union literature. The agency’s allegation replicates language in the complaint summarized by Reuters, which said the NLRB “issued a complaint late Wednesday” describing those three actions.

If Walmart does not settle the claim, there will be a hearing in May, Supermarket News reported, citing the procedural timetable. Unless settled, an administrative-law judge will hear the case in May; the judge’s decision can be appealed to the NLRB’s five-member board and then to a federal appeals court, Reuters noted in its outline of the appeals path.

The Eureka filing is the latest of roughly 21 NLRB complaints facing the retail giant, Reuters reported, and the agency has begun proceedings in four of those cases so far. Reuters and Supermarket News also noted that despite decades of organizing efforts, none of Walmart’s roughly 4,700 U.S. stores are unionized, underscoring the broader stakes behind the regional complaint.

Walmart provided an emailed statement to trade outlets saying, “We strive to create an environment of open communication and respect our associates’ rights to share their ideas, feedback, and concerns. We look forward to sharing the facts and addressing the inaccuracies during the legal process.” Reuters separately reported it could not immediately obtain a copy of the NLRB complaint and that the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from that reporter.

Industry coverage positioned the Eureka complaint within a wave of recent labor complaints: Supermarket News highlighted a separate NLRB action against a Trader Joe’s wine store in New York City, where incidents in July and August 2022 led the store to go “dark” on Aug. 11, 2022 and prompted an NLRB demand to reopen with the original staff. Historical context cited by labor groups includes an AFL‑CIO summary of a prior formal NLRB complaint alleging violations affecting nearly 70 workers across 14 states and leaked Walmart manager slides advising ways to discourage unionization; those matters are separate from the Eureka filing.

The NLRB complaint’s full text and case number were not publicly available as Reuters reported, leaving basic document details and the names of charging parties unconfirmed. Key next steps remain obtaining the filing, confirming the exact May hearing date and judge assignment, and tracking whether Walmart and the NLRB reach a settlement before the administrative hearing.