Union Cancels Wal-Mart Election

Labor leaders canceled an organizing vote at a Wal-Mart store Thursday and accused the chain of using intimidation and harassment to keep its U.S. retail workforce from unionizing.

The store, located in the Birmingham suburb of Fairfield, would have become the first unionized Wal-Mart in the United States had employees joined the United Mine Workers of America in balloting set for Friday.

But the union unexpectedly withdrew its request for a referendum by the store’s 197 employees about 16 hours before the voting was to begin.

Wal-Mart denied any attempt to block unions through unfair practices.