Dive Brief:

• National Labor Relations Board Judge Geoffrey Carter found that several actions Wal-Mart Stores Inc. took against protesting workers in California was unlawful, in a decision that was revealed Wednesday.

• A group of workers calling themselves “Our Walmart” had held a one-day strike in stores in California in 2012, wore T-shirts that said “Our Walmart,” and as a group demanded $15 an hour, better possibilities of full-time work, and other improvements. The judge ruled that Wal-Mart managers who reprimanded employees for participating in the strike did so illegally. The judge also ruled against Wal-Mart’s dress code in California.

• “Our Walmart” is not a union itself but a group of Wal-Mart workers supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers. The company has said it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal it to the full board.

Dive Insight:

The ruling unveiled Wednesday covers a lot of ground, from protests and strikes to the wearing of T-shirts, over several years. The judge comes down hard on Wal-Mart’s actions, which in many cases were harsh indeed. One Walmart store manager is documented as saying, “If it were up to me, I’d shoot the union” and, to a protestor who had a rope around his waist for pulling a heavy load, “If it was up to me, I would put that rope around your neck.”

That kind of revelation doesn’t reflect well on the company, to be sure, but the NLRB judge says it’s also unlawful intimidation. Considering its record over the years, it’s hard to see any significant change in Wal-Mart’s attitude toward its workers. But working conditions and pay for retail workers is increasingly coming under scrutiny, and these incidents may begin to matter more.