Walmart says it won't spy on workers anymore

We'll see about that.

At least for now, Walmart and its public relations firm say they won't spy illegally on their workers.

Last year, a flack named Zoe Mitchell pretended to be a journalist at a press conference and interviewed a warehouse worker.

She got caught.

Here's what happened next, according to Warehouse Workers United, a Teamster-supported group that aims to improve working conditions for warehouse workers in California's Inland Empire:

Walmart and Mercury Public Affairs agreed to destroy any recordings made at a press conference last year that was co-sponsored by Warehouse Workers United and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. The companies settled to avoid a trial after federal authorities investigated and authorized a complaint over a federal charge filed by Warehouse Workers United. 

At the June 2012 press conference, warehouse worker Santos Castaneda was interviewed by a Mercury Public Affairs staffer posing as a student journalist. The public relations agent said her name was Zoe Mitchell and that she was a journalism student at the University of Southern California. The next week, the same woman appeared at a press event in front of the proposed location for a Walmart in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. This time she used her real identity, Stephanie Harnett, and said she was representing Walmart.

At least someone has a sense of humor about the incident:

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Posted by: Tukiyooo Walmart says it won't spy on workers anymore Updated at : 2:33 PM

Monday, July 1, 2013