Meanwhile, Wal-Mart is offering its workers incentives designed to let employees know the company appreciates them.
Wal-Mart employs over 300 associates at its San Jose Supercenter, part of its 1.3 million-person U.S. workforce.
But to many shoppers, the company's reputation for employee relations is not as famous as its prices.
"I like to shop in Wal-Mart because the prices are lower," said Angie Castro. "I find very good deals, but, really, about the employees, I don't know nothing."
Now, a labor union is trying to change that with a national television ad campaign just in time for the holidays. It features Wal-Mart employees speaking out against their employer.
"What are Wal-Mart's values? I'll tell you. Salary caps, poverty wages, unaffordable health care, locking employees in the stores," say some workers in an ad. "We even get punished if we have to leave to take care of a sick child."
The ads are funded by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which does not represent Wal-Mart employees because the company is a non-union shop.
"We're not trying to unionize them," said Tony Alexander of UFCW Local 428. "What we're trying to do is make sure that people know, make sure that Wal-Mart does the right thing."
A Wal-Mart spokesman said the ads' message would fall on deaf ears.
"Our customers see these attacks as part of a tired and failing campaign. Americans know that Wal-Mart creates thousands of jobs each year," said Wal-Mart spokesperson David Tovar in a statement.
The company is also launching an incentive program to show it values its workers with perks like a 20-percent employee discount during the holidays and a special polo shirt after 20 years of service.
Wal-Mart is also setting up plans to have more regular meetings between managers and workers to talk over concerns.
The company said its new policies were not being rolled out in response to the ad campaign, but rather to build on employee relations that it says are already good.
