Dear Editor: I am happy Kevin Scofield is glad to remain employed at Menards during hard times, though he hardly offers spirited details and talks vaguely of policies he does not like. Unfortunately, Menards denies their employees the right to speak openly regarding company employment policies and decisions with which they may disagree.

For instance, Menards has created a no-gossiping policy at the workplace. The company’s “Team Member Pay Merit Review Eligibility Notice” lists reasons managers can cite to deny employees merit pay increases — including gossiping. Menards' gossiping ban violates the National Labor Relations Act as it unjustly penalizes any employee who complains, to another employee, about working conditions.

Additionally, Menards' personnel handbook includes a “Confidentiality Policy” that is overly broad and effectively prohibits employees from discussing and sharing pay or benefit issues. Here again, Menards maintains a workplace rule that violates federal labor law. 

Because of such work policies, Local 153, Office and Professional Employees International Union, has recently filed several unfair labor charges against Menards with the National Labor Relations Board, Region 18, which includes Wisconsin. We believe that Scofield and fellow employees have free speech rights to complain about working conditions without being fearful that they will be disciplined or penalized.

Seth Goldstein

senior business representative, Local 153, OPEIU