UFCW Wins at Second Quebec Wal-Mart

Posted to the IUF website 21-Jan-2005

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The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) have succeeded in organizing a second Quebec Wal-Mart store. UFCW Canada Local 501 was legally certified by the Quebec Labour Relations Commission on January 17 after a majority of workers at a Wal-Mart in Saint-Hyacinthe signed union membership cards in the course of an organizing drive. The Saint-Hyacinthe Wal-Mart now joins the Wal-Mart in Jonquiere, Quebec (where the union is attempting to negotiate a first collective agreement following recognition last August) as the only unionized Wal-Mart stores in North America.

�We�ll be sending a letter to Wal-Mart tomorrow,� said UFCW Canada Local 501 president Yvon Bellemare, �to set dates to begin bargaining. Before that we�ll be meeting with our members at the store to discuss terms of the contract. We expect to deliver our contract proposal to Wal-Mart sometime in the next two to three weeks.�

The UFCW Canada is currently seeking legal recognition at 12 other Wal-Mart locations in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Wal-Mart Canada employs some 60,000 workers at 235 stores.