North American break-through is expected soon:
Wal-Mart workers in Canada prepare to vote for trade union representation through UFCW
Workers in Wal-Mart stores in Canada will soon be able to vote for trade union representation through UNI Commerce affiliated UFCW. Hundreds of UFCW union cards have been signed in Terrace, British Columbia and in Jonquière, Quebec. With normal employers, this would be enough to secure union recognition in these stores. Not with Wal-Mart - here, the company forces a Labour Relations Board election, which gives it a chance to launch a union-busting operation.
"We're delighted that Wal-Mart employees in Terrace have decided to join our union," said UFCW Canada Local 1518 President Brooke Sundin to GLOBEANDMAIL.COM. "Given Wal-Mart's well-documented hostility towards unions, they've taken a very courageous step in their efforts to get better working conditions."
In Quebec, UFCW narrowly lost a recognition vote at the Jonquière store in April. Michael J. Fraser, the union's national director for Canada was not worried: "It's only our second vote at a Wal-Mart," he said, commenting on the defeat.
"It took a number of votes before we organized our first Loblaws and Provigo and Safeway. The same thing will happen here. With the Wal-Mart campaign it's no longer a question of 'if' but 'when', and it will be sooner than later", he added.
"The tide is turning against Wal-Mart and we're not going away," said Fraser. "The Jonquière workers who want a union can make a new application here in a few months."
Now, the UFCW Local has applied to the Quebec Labour Relations Board, asking for the right to represent the more than 100 workers of this store. "There have been an enormous number of people who have reflected on things", said the Local's president Marie-Josee Lemieux to canada.com, explaining that many additional union cards had been signed after the last vote. She was confident that the narrow loss in April would now be turned into a clear vote for union representation.
UFCW has 230,000 members in Canada.
Posted by UFCW 227 at July 13, 2004 03:41 PM