A Gatineau Wal-Mart became the first in North America with a union contract yesterday when a collective agreement was put into place between the retailer and eight employees of the store's auto shop.
After a three-year process that ended with a ruling by an arbitrator, the eights employees at the Tire & Lube Express centre, represented by local 486 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada should see their wages rise to a minimum of $11.54 an hour from the current $8.50 an hour.
In 2005, Wal-Mart shut down its Jonquière store, northwest of Quebec City, days before an arbitrator was to impose a contract. The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the union's case that Wal-Mart violated Quebec labour laws, as well as the Charter of Rights, when it closed the store.
Arbitrator Alain Corriveau, who imposed the Gatineau agreement is expected to make a decision soon regarding a a first contract at a Wal-Mart in St-Hyacinthe, 60 kilometres southeast of Montreal, covering 200 associates and 10 technicians, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, are awaiting their first collective agreement.
Wal-Mart must recognize that Canadian workers won't tolerate being paid minimum wage so that consumers can pay rock bottom prices for foreign-made inferior goods and Wal-Mart can make huge profits. They can close all their Canadian stores, I'd be happier.
Impressive--can't wait to see how this turns out. I'd love it if they suddenly closed this one too because it, too, was "unprofitable" all of a sudden.
ReplyDeleteThey shouldn't mess with Quebec.
ReplyDelete