IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2009

CONTACT: Meghan Scott
(202) 538-0362


CANADIAN WALMART WORKERS WIN UNION CONTRACT

WAKEUPWALMART.COM CALLS ON WALMART TO DO THE RIGHT THING, HONOR THE CONTRACT


An arbitrator awarded workers at a Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada Walmart store a union contract more than four years after the employees voted to certify the union. The workers at this store are the only Walmart employees in North America to be covered by a union. Andrew Pelletier, vice-president of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada said he couldn’t speculate on any store's economic future, when asked about whether the Saint-Hyacinthe store would close, “We’ll have to see. Our objective has always been to run a viable store in Saint-Hyacinthe.”

“We’re glad to see that these employees finally have a union contract,” said Meghan Scott, Director of WakeUpWalMart.com. “They voted to be represented by a union, and that choice should be respected. After nearly four years of legal stalling by Walmart, the employees at this store finally have a voice on the job. While this is a great victory for the workers, it sounds like Walmart will use the same old dirty tricks to avoid treating their workers fairly.

“Walmart has a history of simply shutting down stores when its workers win union representation. We’ve already seen Walmart close an auto shop in Gatineau and an entire store in Jonquiere. Mr. Pelletier’s comments would seem to leave the door open to a similar scenario in Saint-Hyacinthe.

“Closing the store down would mean employees there would not just lose a rightful voice in the workplace, it would mean they’d lose their jobs. Walmart cannot be allowed to fire hundreds of employees because they voted for union representation.

“We hope Walmart keeps the Saint-Hyacinthe store open and honors the contract with its workers. It is the right thing to do, and Walmart has a responsibility to their employees. Firing hundreds of associates rather than allowing them a voice on the job would show a gross disregard for that responsibility.”