QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC – A Wal-Mart located in Jonquière, Quebec is on its way to becoming the only unionized Wal-Mart in North America after a ruling on Monday by the Quebec Labour Relations Board (QLRC) to grant employees union certification with UFCW Canada (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada).
The union accreditation was issued by the QLRC after a majority of employees at the Saguenay-region store, about 220 kilometres north of Quebec City, signed UFCW Canada membership cards. A hearing has been scheduled for August 20th to finalize the makeup of the bargaining unit, following a statement by QLRC adjudicator Jocelyne Houle that no matter the definition of the unit, "the applicant is representative, as required by law."
"This is great victory for the workers in Jonquière, and for Wal-Mart workers everywhere," said Michael J. Fraser, UFCW Canada's national director.
"Wal-Mart is on the record stating they support workplace democracy," said Fraser. "The majority of workers in Jonquière have spoken, so we expect Wal-Mart to listen and get down to negotiating a first contract without delay."
Fraser went on to say, "Wal-Mart has also now gone on the record stating that ‘we would not close the store because of a union'."
"So Wal-Mart workers should stop believing the rumours their stores will close if they exercise their right to form a union," said Fraser. "What's happened in Quebec can happen at any Wal-Mart store in North America. Jonquière is only the first of more to come."
Currently UFCW Canada has other applications pending for Wal-Mart stores in Weyburn and North Battleford, Saskatchewan; in Terrace, British Columbia; and in Thompson, Manitoba.
UFCW Canada is one of Canada's largest private sectors unions with over 230,000 members working in working in the food retailing and processing, warehousing, security, hospitality, office, and health care sectors. UFCW Canada is a member of UFCW International – the largest private sector union in North America with over 1.5 million American members. UFCW International has been leading the drive to organize Wal-Mart in the United States.