According to the lawsuit, the employees were not informed.
Even if some of these details turn out to not be what was reported, I still say the practice described is unethical. And several posts on this thread defend the practice. That’s where I have the problem. If Walmart engaged in it, it was wrong. If they didn’t engage in it, the practice described is still wrong. And I have a real problem with people who think it’s okay to do it.
And thus we have a she said/he said type situation.
As I said, such a practice without consent is unethical, however, I'm going to take the word of an employee that actually signed such a consent form over that of a lawyer who makes his living seeking publicity for his practice of filing such lawsuits.
Why is this article focusing on WalMart, the reason is right in the article if you read btween the lines. To avoid lengthy litigation and bad PR, even unwarranted PR, this shark in a suit is looking for WM to settle out of court. On a scale of unethical behavior, I think that is even worse.