Union certification drive succeeds at second Wal-Mart store in Quebec
A union certification drive at a second Quebec Wal-Mart store has succeeded, according to the United Food And Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.
The union said Wednesday that workers at a Wal-Mart in Saint-Hyacinthe,Quebec have been certified as a bargaining unit after a majority of its 200 workers signed UFCW membership cards.
"We'll be sending a letter to Wal-Mart tomorrow to set dates to begin bargaining," said UFCW Canada local president Yvon Bellemare in a release.
"We expect to deliver our contract proposal to Wal-Mart sometime in the next two to three weeks," he said.
The Saint-Hyacinthe location joins the Wal-Mart in Jonquiere, Quebec as the only other unionized Wal-Marts, not just in Quebec but in all of North America. UFCW Canada said it is currently attempting to negotiate a contract covering workers at the Jonquiere store.
Wal-Mart, which the UFCW calls "staunchly anti-union", is also facing certification applications at about a dozen other locations in Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia â including applications representing workers at seven Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express departments in B.C.
"The momentum is picking up," said UFCW Canada's national director, Michael Fraser. "Wal-Mart workers now realize that if they want a union in their store, Wal-Mart can't stop them."
Wal-Mart has 235 stores in Canada, employing more than 60,000 people.