The UFCW has 20 active organizing campaigns against the giant U.S. retailer throughout Canada. These widely reported successes are going to be a big boost for all of them, even though Wal-Mart earlier managed to beat back two union-certification votes—in Quebec and Ontario.
UFCW Canada's national director, Michael Fraser, said in a statement that the union will continue to organize Wal-Mart employees. "Wal-Mart says that, given a chance to vote, their employees always reject the union," said Fraser. "Those days are over."
UFCW Local 503, which represents the workers at Jonquière, sees the Labor Relations Board's decision as a step forward. The president of the Quebec Council of UFCW, Yvon Bellemare, said: "Wal-Mart clearly closed this store because the workers succeeded in unionizing. The Labor Relations Board's decision once again exposes the multinational's anti-union attitude. The momentum is picking up. Wal-Mart employees now realize that if they want a union in their store, Wal-Mart may attempt to but can't stop them."
Some of the workers at Jonquière have filed a class action suit demanding that Wal-Mart pay their salary for the time they've been unemployed, plus $10,000 each for the stress the closing caused and $10,000 exemplary damages for its "illicit" act. Others want to see Wal-Mart forced to reopen the store.
Wal-Mart, like many other big U.S.-based retailers, wants to expand in Canada because markets in the United States are saturated and expansion is more difficult. The North American Free Trade Agreement eased many restrictions on the movement of capital. But companies like Wal-Mart are finding that the anti-worker political atmosphere in the United States doesn't carry across the border. The working class movement is stronger there and faces less restrictions on organizing.
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http://www.workers.org/2005/world/wal-mart-1013/
Note: http://www.workers.org/...
Wal-Mart Set Back In Canada
Posted on Thursday, October 06 at 13:11 by jensonjContributed By
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They have destroyed the lives of more Canadians than Wal-Mart, you see they unionize 99% of the Workers Compensation Boards across Canada and these WCB Boards are noted for their abuse.
Injured workers have been intimidated by these unionized thugs, they have lost their homes, credit because these unionized thugs have wrongfully terminated injured workers claims. Injured workers have been driven to suicide, because of the abusive actions of these unionized thugs… no my friends, Wal-Mart is not that bad and one must ask the question, would Wal-Mart ever get away with that kind of abuse? Answer not frigging likely, so why is it that these unionized Compensation Boards can and do , even with all of the complaints that have been filed against them, why are these unionized Boards getting away with it?
So, when you put the union up against Wal-Mart and compare ethics and morals, Wal-Mart wins hands down.
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Good government is not a party government
lol....
They are not the lesser of two evils, they are the evil, they are two faced abusers and have no right to slam Wal-Mart when they have their own dirt to clean up.
If I were Wal-Mart I would take them to court for the abuse they are involved in, I would not want anyone of these vile unions near my business either. Oh yes the NDP are the unions party of choice so really think about where you are placing that X on election day.
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Good government is not a party government
WCB was a Chamber of Commerce idea that Unions right across Canada opposed. Why? Unions and injured employees separately as well as together were more successful in winning their law suits and obtaining higher financial payouts in successful court challenges and law suits then they would from WCB. Also, Businesses that continually abused and endangered their employees were forced to close their doors due to these successful law suits.
Now Businesses are screaming the blues because of the high premiums that they now pay due to the same bad businesses.
It has only been a couple of years that Businesses haven't been able to rights off 100% of the fines or pass them on to the next customer that they have received for breaking the Labour act.
Lets make one thing clear here. If Business regulated itself and enforced compliance to the laws by their peers then there would not be any need for laws nor regulations to protect employees. But they don't so they pay the price by having laws put in place to force them to comply.
If one wants to complain, then complain about those Businesses that don't tow the line and are constantly having employees injured and wronged. They are the ones that are costing industry part of their profits not WCB nor the employee! But that is not as expectable by one peers as it is to kick and blame the employee?
Remember that neither Manager nor Business has the right to jeopardize the health and safety of one’s employee no matter how trying and demanding the job might be. One expects one’s employees to come to work in good health to tackle the day’s needs. So it is just as much expected that the employee should leave work in just as good of health as when they arrived.
I for one would welcome the return to the old way of doing Business with Business!!
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Perception is two thirds of what we perceive reality to be.
Difficult decisions are a privilege of rank.
WCB also has to deal with people that "Get Injured" and never get well again.Till it is time to play golf of course.No system is perfect.Lots of games do go on.
Union who profess to be protectors of Human Rights and defenders of the working class are also their abusers. Wal-Mart as far as I know has never been involved in as much abuse as these unionzed Workers Compensation Board here in Canada... so until the Union clean up their own back yard they have no room to talk.
So, please do not try to make excuses for these vile unions here in Canada... it does not fly.
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Good government is not a party government
I would say, we had no problems, because the guys were happy and content. Accidents will happen, though. I put my right hand into a jointer once, when I had a bad cold and took some Dristan. It was my own stupidity, but my guys never made such mistakes.
If businesses would treat their employees in human manner, many of their problems would disappear.
Ed Deak, Big Lake BC.
All of the fees that companies pay into the WCB fund are paid out to everyone but the injured. Employees and employers should have to pay into a joint insurance fund, which comes under the Insurance Act in ever province.
These insurance funds must be universal and every employer required to pay into it,set it up on a National system , something like the Canada Pension Plan. Rates would be lower and maybe a percentage of the fund could be put towards accident prevention in partnership with the Federal and Provincial Labour Departments.
If the Labour Department were doing their job, there would be no need for these unions and look at the money the employee would say, just in dues alone.
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Good government is not a party government
Ed if employers got their attitude out of the dark ages there is no telling what a strong country we would become.
Wayne, I think you hit the nail on the head about making the labour laws more effective and then we wouldn't need to rely exclusively on unions or WCB. Unions and WCB exist to "supposedly" fill the gap between what employees are entitled to and what employers will willingly provide. I do believe that unions have grown too powerful and corrupt and often are not acting in the best interests of employees but are following their own goals. I would not do away with unions though, because they address an inequity in the employee employer relationship that no one else is fielding at the moment. Through, enforcable labor laws, decent living wages and benefits ensured and workers rights encoded in law, would reduct the role of unions to representing workers on a more individual basis and for negotiating contracts, I don't see much use for WCB, it's one of those entitites set up to protect individuals Canadians who are little more than gatekeepers for the government and the employer. They rerely serve injured workers, but are great at protecting turf for the provincial government and employers, they don't deserve to earn a crust with our money. The environment departments at both levels are also, IMO little more than window dressing that does little to protect Canadians with the money we give them. If they were truly safeguarding our interests, we wouldn't have the Sydney Tar ponds and the people living next to it would have been protected. But, the prov. government ws the polluter in this case so the people, who pay for the show were hung out to dry. I think it is time for Canadians to take a look at these agencies and departments at both leveles, and say if you don't serve Canadians you have no entitlemant to a mandate or a dip into the public purse. Put that money into health care and education, and anywhere that it will actually benefit Canadians.
Canadian are being milked to death by the legal community and hopefully we all will wake up soon at bring them into check.
Over the years I have seen both union and political party being high-jacked away from the very people who use to be the heart and sole, of both of those organization. Learking in the backroom in the shadows, you will always find several well place lawyers, giving advice and the only benefactor of this advice will be them and their peers.
Working men and women are the heart of a union or a political party and with out their involvement neither can survive.
Companies like Wal-Mart might have some flaws, but there is no way Wal-Mart can be accused saying onething and doing another, and this is just what the unuons are doing. Unions are mismanaging the truth and nolonger can say they are the protectors of the working class, they can nolonger make the statement that they are the defenders of Human Rights.. for they are the very organization that unionizes these vile Workers Compensation Boards.
If I were Wal-Mart I have their ass in the Supreme Court of Canada charging them with Human Rights Abuse. Union have walked both sides of the street here in Canada for tolong and Canadians should be told the truth about them.
The time has come for the business community to rework its-self and get rid of this monster called the Workers Compensation Board, lobby for a stronger Department of Labour and make it so these unions are forced out of business... they take members dues and fund political parties, this must stop.
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Good government is not a party government