Northwestern U. or Walmart?

My guess is that if you asked the administrators atop the food chain at Northwestern University, they would tell you they had very little in common with mega-corporation Walmart. Northwestern is an elite educational institution training the best and brightest for successful futures. Walmart is a discount retail chain employing and selling products to folks who don't graduate from places like Northwestern, dontcha know?

Well, these two institutions may be more alike than you think. At least when it comes to their shared antipathy to Unionization:

Northwestern:

“Understand that by voting to have a union, you would be transferring your trust from those you know — me, your coaches and the administrators here — to what you don’t know — a third party who may or may not have the team’s best interests in mind,” [Coach] Fitzgerald wrote to the team in an email.

Walmart:

 Northwestern:

Players have heard warnings that the formation of a union would make it harder for them to land jobs after graduation; that Fitzgerald might leave; that alumni donations would dry up; that Northwestern’s planned $225 million athletic center could be scrapped. 

Walmart:

 Northwestern:

In recent weeks, the university put together a 21-page document for the football team answering questions that Northwestern officials said they had received through an anonymous suggestion box, emails and phone calls. 

The document, which was first reported by CBSSports.com, highlighted Northwestern’s track record of strong academics and fair treatment of its players.

 Walmart:

Amazing how similar these statements are. Amazing how similar the tactics are when bosses try to prevent workers from organizing to claim any part of the pie.