Helping Wal-Mart Workers Make a Difference!

Our Union
MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE FOR UFCW CANADA MEMBERS • VOL. XXII • NO. 1 • WINTER 2004-2005
Canada Post Corporation
Publications Mail Agreement No. 0685651999
Helping Wal-Mart Workers
Make a Difference!
Local unions report progress …
starting on page 7
Our Back Pages …
50 years ago …
The Canadian Packinghouse Worker celebrated its second year of publication, chronicling
the months-long negotiations between a united front of CPWA locals across the country
and the “Big Three” packinghouse employers: Canada Packers Limited, Swift Canadian
Company, and Burns & Co., with contracts reached late in the year. Matters were complicated in the fall when boards of conciliation were established, but various provinces
refused to allow unified settlement procedures, including British Columbia and Québec,
which were both harshly anti-union at the time. The resulting agreements won packinghouse workers raises of as much as 18¢ per hour for a top-bracketed rate of $2.18 per
hour, or pay of $87.20 for a 40-hour workweek, before taxes.
The union’s newspaper also argued for socialized auto insurance, noting premiums of
just $20 in Saskatchewan compared with $72 in Ontario. It also put forward arguments for
increased government efforts for affordable housing, a guaranteed annual wage, and calls
for a national health plan. One issue of the newspaper was largely devoted to building
solidarity with the agricultural community (see illustration at left).
In other news, the publication noted with sadness the death of Agnes Macphail,
Canada’s first woman elected as a Member of Parliament.
10 years ago …
The end of the Miracle Food Mart dispute was a cover story for UFCW Canada Action
magazine, marking the conclusion of a 95-day strike by nearly 6,500 members of UFCW
Canada Locals 175 & 633 during one of the most bitterly cold winters in southern Ontario
history. Although the A&P-owned chain’s 63 stores were closed during the strike (Ontario
at the time still had an NDP government and strong anti-scab laws), striking members
ran information pickets at other A&P stores. The settlement with the troubled Miracle
and Ultra Mart chain was achieved with the assistance of Vic Pathé, a former mediator
and UFCW Canada local union president, who was brought out of retirement by the NDP
government at the union’s request as a Special Mediator. UFCW Canada national director
Michael J. Fraser, then president of Local 175, said at the time, “The 6,500 Miracle Food
Mart strikers have fought the battle for all retail workers in Ontario. All will benefit from
their sacrifice.”
Elsewhere, UFCW Canada Local 503 – recently known as the first local to successfully
organize Wal-Mart workers in Jonquière, Qué. – showed unique organizing approaches at
PriceCostCo stores, utilizing the volunteer assistance of Laval University students studying labour relations in Québec City. The year 1994 also was marked by the retirement of
founding UFCW international president William H. Wynn (since deceased) and the election of Douglas H. Dority (who retired this past year). The Action magazine also covered
UFCW Canada delegates’ participation in a UFCW Canadian Council convention in Québec
City and at the Canadian Labour Congress convention held in Toronto.
Our Union
UFCW Canada CLC AFL-CIO
| The mailing list for this magazine is compiled from current UFCW
Canada local union membership records. Please contact your UFCW Canada local
union directly for all changes. Your UFCW Canada local union number appears in the
top left corner of your mailing label.
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS
CANADA POST CORPORATION
Michael J. Fraser NATIONAL DIRECTOR
François Lauzon, Robin McArthur
Wayne Hanley, Doug O’Halloran, Brooke Sundin
COPYRIGHT
ADDRESS CORRECTIONS
Winter 2004-2005 | Vol. XXII No. 1 | ISSN 1492-8329
| Publications Mail Agreement No. 0685651999
| All contents copyright ©2004-2005 UFCW Canada unless indicated
otherwise. Commercial stock art and photographic images copyright of their respective suppliers. For further information, please contact Mike Freeman, UFCW Canada
Communications.
INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Joseph T. Hansen INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
Anthony M. Perrone INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER
Sarah Palmer Amos, William T. McDonough, Michael J. Fraser
EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTS
Our Union • UFCW Canada
UFCW Canada
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Winter 2004-2005
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Democracy and dignity at work
A
cross our country, as you can read in
the following pages, thousands of WalMart workers are exploring the benefits
of belonging to UFCW Canada – benefits that
Michael J. Fraser
hundreds of thousands of other retail workers
National Director
already enjoy.
Union membership is about standing
together, using our collective strength to make
our voices heard in the workplace. For WalMart workers (or, as the employer likes to pretend, “associates”), that means taking a big first
step towards becoming union members at an
employer that has been notoriously anti-union.
In every case thus far where Wal-Mart
workers have been successful in organizing – to
the extent that an application for representation has been made to the labour board in their
jurisdiction – Wal-Mart has fought its employees’ right to unionize. In one case, the U.S.-based company even went to court
to challenge the constitutionality of Canadian labour laws! You
can read more about that particular case on page 8.
Wal-Mart even goes so far as to claim it is championing
the democratic rights of its workers. In November, Wal-Mart
Canada spokesperson Andrew Pelletier told the media from
the company’s Mississauga, Ont. headquarters, “We are a major advocate of workplace democracy and we believe the only
way to ensure a fair vote and a fair expression of employee will
is to have a secret ballot vote.”
Really? We would agree that secret ballot votes – in jurisdictions that require them – are a valid means of determining
the democratic wishes of workers. But Wal-Mart’s interest in
secret ballot votes is simply an excuse to provide the company
with an additional opportunity to intimidate workers. Workers
have the equally valid right in some jurisdictions to join a union by simply signing union membership cards, which in turn
are accepted by the labour board as evidence of the wishes of
the majority.
Workplace democracy means listening to the voices of
workers and respecting their rights. Wal-Mart simply isn’t doing that. When an employer refuses to treat workers with the
dignity and respect they deserve, it loses any credibility it might have had with regard to democratic
principles. Wal-Mart workers want a voice, and UFCW Canada is helping them find that voice.
Workplace
democracy means
listening to the
voices of workers
and respecting
their rights.
Wal-Mart
simply isn’t
doing that.
Winter 2004-2005
3
UFCW Canada • Our Union
FOCUS
ON
ORGANIZING THE UNORGAN
Wal-Mart wasn’t
UFCW Canada’s
only organizing
breakthrough
in 2004 –
more than 2,000
workers at Canada’s
largest non-union
packinghouse said
“Union YES!”
in August.
At last … a Union at Lak
UFCW Canada Local 401 members in Alberta are welcoming more than 2,000 new
members to their ranks, as workers at Lakeside Packers voted in August to join the
union after a multi-year campaign.
“We are proud of the efforts of the employees at Lakeside standing up to the
intimidation tactics of the employer,” says Local 401 president Doug O’Halloran. “It
took a long time, but we are now setting up meeting dates with the employer and have
selected a bargaining committee.” In addition, he adds, numerous volunteer stewards
have stepped forward, and training programs were being run for them in November.
The Lakeside beef-kill operation, located in Brooks, Alta. about two hours east of
Calgary, has a long and chequered history with the union. A 1999 exposé by UFCW
Canada made public the harsh working and living conditions workers there faced,
behind barbed-wire barricades and a company banner that boasted “Proud to be
Union Free”. The plant had been unionized as early as 1976, but the union lost support
following a strike in 1984.
After a period of government-supported growth and changes in corporate ownership (it was purchased by multinational IBP Inc. in 1994, which itself was swallowed
up by Tyson in 2001), UFCW Canada Local 401 found renewed interest amongst
workers in Brooks in 1994. With support from the national office and other locals, Local 401 established a permanent presence in Brooks, providing workers with assistance
in areas such as worker compensation and arbitrary dismissals, while working towards
a day when they would once again win recognized union representation.
In the run-up to the final successful vote, UFCW Canada organizers worked
closely with leaders in the various ethnic communities both within the Lakeside workplace and in the community, and took advantage of a national-office-produced video
on DVD – featuring the workers themselves – to assist in communicating with them.
“This is great news for UFCW Canada members everywhere, especially in the
packinghouse industry,” says national director Michael Fraser. “We have a history of
dealing with Tyson Foods (the corporate owner) internationally, and we are confident
that we can get better conditions of employment for workers at Lakeside.”
Doug O’Halloran adds, “There are so many people who have worked over the
Organizing timeline: Lakeside Packers in Brooks, Alberta
1966: First cattle feedlot
pens and commercial
feed mill built at Brooks,
Alberta, about two hours
east of Calgary
1969: Feedlot and mill
merged to form Lakeside
Farm Industries Ltd.
1974: Lakeside
Packers division
created with
new beef kill
facility, with an
initial capacity
of 50 head per
hour.
1976: CFAW Local P-740 (which
later became UFCW Canada
Local 740P) signs first collective
agreement on behalf of about 125
workers at Lakeside, replacing a
prior “employees’ association”
1984: UFCW Canada Local 740P
members go on strike against
Lakeside for a renewal contract,
ending the strike four years later
after many members gave up and
returned to work
19661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985
Our Union • UFCW Canada
4
Winter 2004-2005
NIZED
Photos by Don Crisall, UFCW Canada Local 401
keside!
years on winning union membership for these workers in Lakeside. Too
many, really, to thank individually. But in the years to come, they will
know that their efforts have paid off as a more co-operative atmosphere
is established in the workplace, and the quality of life improves for not
just these workers and their families, but for everyone in Brooks.”
Late 1980s - early 1990s: Main period of Canadian beef industry’s
restructuring including major government funding
Just a few of the
familiar faces from
the final days of
UFCW Canada
Local 401’s Lakeside
Packers campaign, from top to bottom: Eric
Kukovica with mobile billboard; Nathalie
Doerth, Chris Mayberry, and Ronnie Cordes;
Ranjine Penugonde, Jarod Pryputniski, Jason
Whitehead, Brandie Tracksell, Anna Liu, Dave
Hann, and Chantel O’Neill; at union headquarters in Brooks, Chantel O’Neill, Lakeside
worker Al Cull and wife, Archie Duckworth,
Brandie Tracksell, and Katrina Piechotta; Chris
Dennis, Dave Smith, and Michelle Cahill face
off with plant security rep Andy Crocker.
1994 - 2004: UFCW Canada Local 401’s campaign to
restore union representation for oppressed Lakeside workers
1989: U.S. multinational Cargill
Foods opens first beef “superplant”
in High River, Alberta
1993: Longtime industry 1999: UFCW Canada publicly
leader Canada Packers
exposes harsh conditions at
closes its last beef plant
“The Lakeside Gulag”
1990: Lakeside opens
“state of the art” beef
kill operation in Brooks;
UFCW Canada organizes
442-member workforce
at Cargill
1994: UFCW Canada Local 401 renews contact
with Lakeside workers; Lakeside announces
sale to U.S. multinational IBP Inc., “the world’s
largest red meat processor” (Local 740P
merged with Local 401 in 1992)
1999: Lakeside workers
vote against UFCW
Canada representation
for first time
2000: Second
representation
vote lost
August 26-27,
2004: More than
2,000 workers at
Lakeside Packers
finally win union
representation
2001: IBP acquired by
Tyson Foods, “world’s
largest protein producer”
51986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004
Winter 2004-2005
5
UFCW Canada • Our Union
UFCW Canada:
Helping Wal-Mart Workers
Make a Difference!
I
t’s happening. After years of preparation, Wal-Mart workers in Canada are
winning union representation. UFCW
Canada organizers in every province have
been answering questions, signing membership applications, and, in several cases, have
applied to represent Wal-Mart workers. In
two instances now, in Jonquière and SaintHyacinthe, Qué., workers have successfully
won union representation and negotiations
for a first collective agreement are underway
(see opposite and page 11).
“The year 2004 has been a breakthrough
one in Canada,” says UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser. “We have
known for years that some Wal-Mart workers were interested in learning about the
benefits of union membership, but now that
we finally represent some, we are receiving
calls and emails from Wal-Mart workers in
every province, and have filed applications
to represent the employees at this point in
four provinces.”
Those applications – in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Québec
– are producing results, and details of many
of the local unions’ stories are told in the
following pages. Not all of the applications
made thus far have been successful, although most are still pending decisions by
the labour board in their respective jurisdictions, or are in an appeal process.
The saga of Wal-Mart in the “great white
north” began a decade ago when the giant U.S. corporation – the world’s largest
retailer – took over the floundering Woolco
(originally Woolworth’s) chain of 122 stores
in Canada. In doing so, Wal-Mart refused to
… continues on page 8
Our Union • UFCW Canada
6
Winter 2004-2005
There’s a first time for everything …
The largely unheralded community of Jonquière, Qué. became a lightning rod for media attention last spring when UFCW Canada
Local 503 announced it had applied to the Québec Labour Relations Commission (QLRC) to represent workers at the Wal-Mart store
there. After repeated attempts by the company to keep UFCW Canada out, the QLRC ruled once-and-for-all in late summer that the
union had won the support of enough workers to be certified, then the only Wal-Mart store in North America to be unionized. Faceto-face negotiations with the employer began in November, and Wal-Mart applied to the QLRC for the appointment of a conciliator
to aid negotiations in the new year. “We think the steps we have taken can only improve our situation,” says Jonquière member
Johanne Desbiens (seen at left with co-worker Sylvie
Lavoie, left, and local president Marie-Josée Lemieux,
centre, at a union meeting). “By joining together, we
have greater bargaining power than acting individually.”
Desbiens and Lavoie cite working conditions – including
seniority, wages, and treatment by management – as
reasons behind the drive to unionize. UFCW Canada
national representative Hermann Dallaire (seen below)
says the union’s unflagging presence and unconditional
technical and sometimes moral support for workers in
Jonquière was important to the campaign. “In Jonquière,
the men and women at the Wal-Mart store showed
limitless determination and perseverance,” he says. “That
is the real key to a successful organizing campaign.”
Once the union was officially certified, Wal-Mart officials
declared they would not close a store because workers
had decided to unionize, but, entering negotiations in
the fall, made further references to a lack of profitability
at the Jonquière store, questioning its future viability.
“That’s sabre-rattling, plain and simple,” says UFCW
Canada executive assistant Louis Bolduc. “This store is every bit as profitable as
the company expects it to be in this location.”
–With files from UFCW Canada Local 503
Winter 2004-2005
7
UFCW Canada • Our Union
continued from page 6 …
Challenging
Canada’s laws …
buy any of the nine stores where workers already enjoyed UFCW Canada union membership. Not included in the sale, Woolco
simply closed those stores and left hundreds
of workers without jobs.
“Right from the get-go, we knew WalMart Canada management wasn’t going to
be any easier to deal with than their reputation led us to believe,” says UFCW Canada
national organizing coordinator Shane
Dawson. “This is an anti-union employer,
and it doesn’t matter what its head office
preaches about ‘workplace democracy’, it’s
still anti-union!”
The hometown of Canada’s “Greatest Canadian”, Tommy
Douglas, was a focal point for Wal-Mart organizing activities in Saskatchewan in 2004, as workers at the store in the
community of Weyburn applied for union representation
with UFCW Canada Local 1400. Applications were also filed at
the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board (SLRB) for stores
in North Battleford and Moose Jaw (the latter under union
successor rights provisions – as part of its deal to purchase
the Woolco chain of stores when Wal-Mart entered Canada in
the early 1990s, a Woolco store represented by Local 1400 in
Moose Jaw was closed), but applications for both were put on
hold at the provincial labour board while precedent-setting
hearings were held for the Weyburn application. “We expected
the usual resistance from Wal-Mart,” says UFCW Canada
national organizing coordinator Shane Dawson. “But we
didn’t expect Wal-Mart to challenge Canada’s legal system!”
The surprise move came in late spring when the SLRB ordered
both the union and Wal-Mart to supply it with relevant documents concerning the organizing campaign. UFCW Canada
complied, but Wal-Mart balked when ordered to present its
top secret “manager’s tool kit to remain union free” and other
materials designed to fight union organizers and employees
who want to join a union. Wal-Mart went to court, crying
that the order violated its
“constitutional right” to
communicate with
employees. A lower court
rejected the constitutional
argument, but allowed
Wal-Mart’s challenge of
the SLRB subpoena; this
was later overturned by
Saskatchewan Court of
Appeal as UFCW Canada
took the issue to the
higher court. “This decision restores the integrity
of the board,” says UFCW
Canada Local 1400 president Paul Meinema (photo). “It sends
a clear message to Wal-Mart: stop hiding behind your lawyers.
Constant delays are not good for business, the employees, or
the union. Let’s get the issues back in front of the board where
they belong. Let’s get a decision!” Hearings in all three cases
are set to resume in 2005.
–With files from UFCW Canada Local 1400
Our Union • UFCW Canada
W
al-Mart’s “workplace democracy” pitch is the latest in its
attempts to force elections
amongst workers in province’s where a simple demonstration by the union of majority
support is sufficient to win labour board
certification, as is the case of the two stores
in Québec. Theoretically, elections give the
employer a second chance to change workers’ minds after they have already decided
they need a union.
This isn’t just speculation – as it has in
many other jurisdictions, Wal-Mart Canada
has violated labour laws in numerous locations, and even tried to have laws changed
in its favour. In one of its most blatant antiunion manoeuvres, meat cutters at a WalMart Super Center in Jacksonville, Texas
joined UFCW Local 540 in 2000. Wal-Mart
responded with what it called “the ultimate union avoidance strategy!” – it shut
down all its meat-cutting departments in
the region by moving to case-ready meats,
eliminating the bargaining unit altogether.
In 2003, a U.S. National Labour Relations
Board (NLRB) administrative law judge
made a landmark decision in the union’s
favour, ordering Wal-Mart to reinstate the
departments and jobs and to bargain with
the union. Wal-Mart continues to refuse to
recognize the union there.
In several cases in Canada, Wal-Mart
8
Winter 2004-2005
The creative
approach …
has been found guilty by various labour
boards, including a “bad-boy” order at the
store in Quesnel, B.C. that required the
store to provide the union open access to
an open meeting with all employees, and in
Brossard, Qué., where the employer was ordered to stop interfering in workers’ organizing activities.
In towns and cities throughout British Columbia, UFCW
Canada Local 1518 has been actively working to organize
Wal-Mart associates. But, as the employer has responded
across Canada, Wal-Mart has “lawyered up”, according to local
president Brooke Sundin (pictured), putting both legal and
illegal roadblocks in the way. Sometimes, however roadblocks
can inspire new paths to a destination, he adds. Local 1518’s
dealings with
Wal-Mart began
when workers
at the store in
Quesnel came
looking for
representation in
2002. It was one
of the first union
drives ever at a
Wal-Mart store
in Canada, and Wal-Mart overreacted in typical fashion – so
much so that the B.C. Labour Relations Board (LRB), following
a UFCW Canada complaint, ordered Wal-Mart management
to call meetings of all its employees in the Quesnel store, read
aloud the decision that found Wal-Mart guilty of violating
labour relations statutes, post the entire LRB decision on
the store’s bulleting boards, and allow the union a half-hour
session on “company time” to address all employees about the
union and the benefits of joining a union. Later, as workers
at a store in Terrace applied to join the union, Wal-Mart again
resisted, this time challenging the make-up of the bargaining
unit. While the board’s decision favouring Wal-Mart in this
case is under appeal, Local 1518 took a creative approach:
because of Wal-Mart’s arguments, it became apparent that
it should be acceptable in B.C. to organize a bargaining unit
comprising only the Tire and Lube Express (TLE) department at
a Wal-Mart store. In short order, Local 1518 made appplication
for the TLE workers at not just the Terrace location, but for six
more TLE departments across the province, in Surrey, Dawson
Creek, Fort St. John, Quesnel, Kamloops, and Langford. A vote
was held late in the year and those applications are currently
before the board. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to
represent these Wal-Mart employees across B.C.,” Sundin says.
“They expressed real interest in joining UFCW Canada, and
were brave enough to sign union cards despite their employer’s hostility.”
–With files from UFCW Canada Local 1518
P
ublic support for UFCW Canada’s
organizing efforts has been a boost
for the union’s efforts to reach out to
Wal-Mart workers, says national campaign
coordinator Andrew Mackenzie (pictured
below). “It is unusual for so many people
outside of the labour movement to come
forward with messages of support and information that can prove helpful,” he says.
Mackenzie points to advertising in publications such as Our Times and Herizons,
and publicity at meetings and conventions
such as those of the Ontario New Democrats and the Québec labour federation (see
sidebar, page 11) as examples of how some
of the outside involvement and support has
been generated. “Wal-Mart has become
synonymous with low wages, worker abuse,
and lawsuits,” he says. “And there is good
reason for that – it’s true.”
Wal-Mart’s well-deserved reputation as
a “bad neighbour” was spotlighted by an
Mackenzie (red shirt) and other UFCW Canada activists at 2004 Toronto Labour Day parade
Winter 2004-2005
9
UFCW Canada • Our Union
Where
there’s a will …
award-winning 16-page booklet published
by UFCW Canada in 2000, Blowing the
Whistle on a Neighbourhood Bully. Now out
of print after thousands were distributed
across Canada, the booklet details some of
the company’s abuses of workers’ rights and
provides facts and figures about the global
retail giant. The National Union (NUPGE)
is currently partnering with UFCW Canada’s national office to update and republish
the booklet in order to get it into the hands
of the National Union’s members as well.
“It was really the first time that all of
that information had been assembled in one
simple, easy-to-understand package,” says
UFCW Canada national communications
coordinator Bob Linton. “The argument for
Wal-Mart being a bad corporate citizen in
the community is an easy one to make. The
challenging part is to help its employees to
understand that they can stand up to the
company and make their lives better.”
What began in 1950 in Bentonville, Arkansas – a stone’s throw from the Oklahoma
and Missouri state lines – as a humble “Walton’s five-and-dime” general merchandise
store, has grown into a business behemoth.
Today, Wal-Mart has burgeoned from a
small-town shop to the largest retail enterprise on earth, with well over 5,000 stores
in 10 countries – including 248 in Canada,
plus Mexico, Germany, and even China
– and 1.5-million employees worldwide.
Interestingly, workers are unionized in Germany and China – where it is customary in
the former, and requisite in the latter.
Wal-Mart’s annual sales in fiscal 2004
topped $256-billion, ranking it 20th on the
list of “gross domestic product” – ahead of
developed countries like Austria and Turkey. Its profits top those of its three closest
general merchandise competitors plus the
three largest food retailers combined, and
2000 sales reports showed record sales with
an astonishing 20% year-to-year growth rate
(although more recent reports show some
decline with “just” a 12% growth rate).
No applications for Wal-Mart workers had yet been filed in
Canada’s largest province at press time, but that doesn’t mean
there are no active organizing drives on the go. Wayne Hanley,
president of UFCW Canada Local 175 – the largest local union
in Canada with more than
50,000 members – says there
has been a great deal of interest on the part of Wal-Mart
workers across the province,
and there are several active
campaigns in progress, with
at least one nearing an application. “We’re getting closer
every day,” Wayne says. “We’re
doing all we can to assist WalMart workers in their quest
for union representation
and fair treatment in their
workplaces.” Meanwhile, the
local created a media stir on Labour Day 2004 with colourful
advertisements in newspapers leading up to the holiday, and
a presence with signs, banners, and leaflets proclaiming “Yes,
we will organize Wal-Mart” at Labour Day parades and festivities in Kenora, Dryden, Hamilton, Ottawa, Cornwall, London,
Windsor, Toronto (pictured), and elsewhere. “As part of the
campaign, we are also asking activists and the public to avoid
shopping at Wal-Mart stores until they have union contracts,”
Wayne adds. “In most
communities, there are
plenty of good unionized
grocery retailers such as
A&P, Food Basics, Fortinos,
Loblaws, Loeb, The Barn
Markets, Ultra Food, and
Your Independent Grocers,
as well as PharmaPlus
and Zellers. We’re letting
people know that, by supporting workers in these
stores, they are helping
their communities by ensuring good-paying jobs
and greater prosperity.”
–With files from UFCW
Canada Local 175
Our Union • UFCW Canada
10
Winter 2004-2005
A second store …
“Wal-Mart is simply a big-business
bully,” says national director Michael Fraser.
“UFCW Canada has made the commitment
that we will do everything we can to ensure
Wal-Mart’s employees are protected and
secure the best futures they possibly can for
themselves, their families, and their communities.”
As this magazine was being prepared for press, word came
from the Québec Labour Relations Commission (QLRC) that
UFCW Canada Local 501’s application for the Wal-Mart store
in Saint-Hyacinthe, Qué. – a quiet community less than an
hour east of Montréal (pictured, this page) – was successful,
and bargaining was set to begin. The local is still waiting for
word on a second application made for the store in Brossard,
located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River across
from downtown Montréal
(shopping mall entrance
pictured on page 6). “We are
confident that we have the
required support in these
stores, and the QLRC should
rule accordingly,” Local 501
president Yvon Bellemare
(pictured on right outside
the Brossard store with
the local’s coordinator of
organizing, Mario Delisle;
also seen on cover) said in
December. “The employer
has simply filed protests to
create the usual delays, and
more work for Wal-Mart’s
army of lawyers. But once
we are certified in these two
stores, we anticipate more
interest from workers in
other stores – who are also
just waiting to see what will
happen as more Wal-Mart
store employees join the
union.” In early December, the local provided a memorable
moment at the convention of the FTQ – Québec’s labour
federation – when a group of newly-organized Wal-Mart
workers marched through the Montréal convention centre to
the podium in their characteristic blue vests while convention
delegates gave them a long and enthusiastic standing ovation
(no photos were taken in order to protect the as-yet uncertified workers from possible company reprisals). Delegates to
the convention from throughout the province were also given
forms to provide information about friends or family who
work at Wal-Mart and would be interested in learning more
about the union. “We came away with 40 new leads in just
one day!” Mario says.
–With files from UFCW Canada Local 501
A
side from an earlier partial organizing success in Windsor, Ont. in
the 1996 (where a labour boardimposed first contract fizzled out with the
decertification of the unit), recent Wal-Mart
organizing in Canada has been largely successful, although not without its setbacks.
Despite the penalties against Wal-Mart
in Quesnel, an application for that store
(as a whole – see sidebar, page 9) hasn’t yet
been filed. And in Manitoba, applications
for the store in northern Thompson were
narrowly turned down by workers.
But in addition to the certification of
UFCW Canada Local 503 at the store in
Jonquière and Local 501 at the store in
Saint-Hyacinthe, an application by Local
501 is pending for Brossard, Qué. In Saskatchewan, UFCW Canada Local 1400 is
in the midst of labour board hearings or
awaiting decisions on separate applications
for three stores, located in Weyburn, North
Battleford, and Moose Jaw. And UFCW
Canada Local 1518 has applied to represent
workers in widely-dispersed Wal-Mart Tire
and Lube Express departments in Terrace, Surrey, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John,
Quesnel, Kamloops, and Langford, B.C.
Votes have been held at those locations, but
remain uncounted at press time pending
further board hearings.
“As a union, we are definitely making
progress,” UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser says. “We knew it wasn’t
something that could be accomplished
overnight, and we have made the long-term
commitment to Wal-Mart workers that is
necessary to not only win them a voice in
Winter 2004-2005
11
UFCW Canada • Our Union
Casting a
wider “Net” …
the workplace, but the basic dignity and
respect on the job that they deserve.”
P
redictably, Wal-Mart has responded
to the growing outcry for union
rights by spreading misinformation
and challenging the Canadian system it
claims is “skewed” in favour of union members. But lower prices on the store shelves
come with the cost of lower wages and benefits for the people who stock those shelves
and ring up the purchases.
“It has been clearly established that
Wal-Mart destroys more jobs than it creates;
that it makes money at the cost of communities and the competition; that it bullies
suppliers in order to maximize profits as a
discounter,” says national Wal-Mart campaign coordinator Andrew Mackenzie. “It’s
a vicious, downward cycle.”
Two years ago, UFCW Canada established the walmartworkerscanada.com
website in order to provide answers to
questions most asked by Wal-Mart workers
themselves. With thousands of hits on a regular basis, the website has become a popular
source of information, as well as a friendly
and anonymous “first contact” resource
for workers with little or no experience of
union activism, especially those who may, at
first, be afraid to be identified.
“In the past year, the UFCW Canada national office has also been supporting local
union organizing efforts by supplying a new
organizing flyer specifically for Wal-Mart
workers about once a month,” says national
communications coordinator Bob Linton.
“This gives organizers an opportunity to
keep going back to stores where people
have questions but are not yet ready to sign
cards.”
With so many gains in 2004, the road
ahead is still much longer. But with each
victory, more Wal-Mart workers are willing
to come forward and speak up for a better
future with UFCW Canada.
For UFCW Canada Local 832, early organizing efforts at WalMart in Thompson, Man. have led to the local casting a wider
organizing net – on the Internet. The website abetterlife.ca
was launched by the local in April 2003, aiming to provide
information to Wal-Mart workers in Manitoba about the
advantages of union membership, and why UFCW Canada
Local 832 should be their union of choice. The site included
Local 832 members,
primarily from the
retail sector, speaking
(in RealAudio format)
about why they like
belonging to the union.
News about progress in
the ongoing efforts to
bring union representation to Wal-Mart’s
Manitoba workers was
prominently featured.
The site produced
numerous enquiries
from people interested in union membership, and contributed
to organizing efforts at the Thompson store. Those efforts
eventually resulted in two Manitoba Labour Board representation votes, both of which narrowly turned down the union.
Meanwhile, says Local 832 organizing director Cliff Beaulieu
(pictured reviewing the abetterlife.ca website with special
project union representative Ron Allard, seated, who is a shop
steward at Sysco Food Services), the site continued to generate organizing leads, including those from people working
for employers other than Wal-Mart. “Local 832 is extending
its focus in 2005 to include several companies in addition to
Wal-Mart as priority organizing targets,” Cliff says. “So we
decided to build on what we had already started, and convert
the website to an all-purpose organizing tool.” It still contains
much of the same information that was on the original
abetterlife.ca site, but modified to make it applicable to any
worker looking for union information. The site is frequently
updated with information about recent activities of the local,
including highlights of some recently ratified agreements. “A
website will never replace on-the-ground organizing efforts,”
says Local 832 president Robert Ziegler. “But we have already
seen that the revamped site will give organizers even more
leads to pursue than in the past.”
–With files from UFCW Canada Local 832
Our Union • UFCW Canada
12
Winter 2004-2005
Arts and culture,
fundraising, and union
outreach: a great fit
Several thousand fans of folk and progressive music spent
a balmy July weekend at Tudhope Park in Orillia, Ont. for
the annual Mariposa Folk Festival, this year supported by
UFCW Canada through the national office, the Ontario
Provincial Council of UFCW Canada, Locals 12R24, 175
& 633, 1000A, and 1977, with additional donations from
UFCW Canada employers The Beer Store,
Loblaws, and A&P. The
Ontario Federation of
Labour (OFL) and the
Ontario Public Service
Employees Union (OPSEU) were also involved.
“It was a great success, and really helps
to raise our union’s profile in the community,”
says UFCW Canada national director Michael
Fraser. “We are committed to more outreach of
this nature in the years to come.”
In addition to acknowledgements with numerous signs and stage appearances, donated
items were sold at UFCW Canada tents, raising
more than $10,000 for leukemia research.
Through the auspices of the UFCW Canada
Humanitarian Fund, our union became the
principal sponsor of the Peterborough, Ont.
flood relief concert fundraiser in August, helping to raise thousands more for that cause. And, at press
time, UFCW Canada efforts to raise funds for the tsunami
relief efforts in Asia are ongoing, having already topped the
$100,000-mark.
Above, Mariposa duos Easily Amused and Châkidor
perform at the UFCW Canada Local 12R24 beer
tent stage; at left, UFCW Canada leukemia research
fundraiser tent, and mainstage shared by OFL
president Wayne Samuelson, Local 12R24’s Frank
Falconer, and national communications coordinator
Bob Linton; below left, clockwise from top, UFCW
Canada Local 1000A’s Carrie Chenier with Prairie
Oyster’s Russell deCarle; UFCW Canada-sponsored
visual artist Thomas Canning with Gordon Lightfoot,
an Orillia native who also performed at the Peterborough show; Bob Linton backstage at Peterborough
with heavyweight champ George Chuvalo and show
organizer Rompin’ Ronnie Hawkins, who lives in the
Peterborough area.
Mariposa special offer for
union members and families
In recognition of UFCW Canada’s ongoing support and fundraising
activities, the organizers of the Mariposa Folk Festival are making a
special offer to union members who wish to attend the 45th annual
festival, to be held July 8, 9, and 10, 2005 in Orillia, Ont.
Pre-order a weekend pass to the festival at a special early-bird
rate of $44.00, and 10% of the ticket price will be donated to the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (new name of the
Leukemia Research Fund of Canada). Kids under 16 are free when
accompanied by an adult.
To order tickets or get more information, visit mariposafolk.com,
or call 705.329.2333. Looking for info on a folk festival in your area?
Check with your local union for possible future announcements.
Winter 2004-2005
13
UFCW Canada • Our Union
H
PharmaPlus worker
is UFCW Canada’s
2004 scholarship
winner
eather Miles, a UFCW Canada Local 175 member who works at PharmaPlus store #1800 in Niagara Falls,
Ont., has been named the union’s top scholar
for 2004. She is the sole Canadian winner
among seven scholars recognized this year
under the UFCW International Scholarship
Program, each receiving a $4,000 bursary.
Sister Miles is a graduate of Stamford
Collegiate in Niagara Falls, where she maintained an outstanding grade-point average of
99 while being active in a number of extracurricular activities, including choir, drama
and musicals, basketball, and the founding of
the school’s mathematics club. In the community, Heather was also busy coaching
both basketball and soccer.
Heather is now in her first year at the
University of Guelph, where she is majoring
in Environmental Science and plans to make
a career in urban planning or resources management. In addition to intramural sports
and singing in the Guelph Community
Choir, Heather was also involved in the university’s recent environmental symposium.
“Being a member of UFCW Canada can
really open doors,” Heather says. “It is an
honour to be recognized with this scholarship, which is a big help with the expense
of university.” Speaking in early December,
Heather looked forward to the approaching holiday break, when she would be back
at her union job at PharmaPlus in Niagara
Falls.
UFCW International Scholarship 2005
Seven UFCW scholarships totalling $28,000 will be awarded to UFCW members or their dependents
who graduate from high school and enter college or university in 2005. The awards are made possible
by the James A. Suffridge Fund and the Earl W. Jimerson Scholarships. Scholarship grants of $1,000 per
year will be paid over the four-year college or university term. Applicants must be UFCW members in
good standing as of December 31, 2003 or their unmarried dependents, and must be under age 20 as
of March 15, 2005. Complete rules, regulations, and application forms are available online. To apply for
the UFCW International Scholarship, go to www.ufcw.ca, click on “National Programs & Services”, and
then follow the links through the Scholarships section. Download and print the application form in PDF
format, fill out, and mail with any required documentation to the address provided on the form. Note:
your application must be completed and postmarked no later than March 15, 2005.
Our Union • UFCW Canada
14
Winter 2004-2005
Beggs-Dowling-Mathieu
scholarships awarded for 2003
2004 scholars to be named in January 2005
UFCW Canada members know that the union is about
much more than workplace representation. Unions provide other benefits as well, and UFCW Canada delivers.
Amongst the most popular membership benefits are
the annual scholarship programs, including the UFCW
Canada National Council’s Beggs-Dowling-Mathieu
Scholarships, honouring the memories of three builders
of our union: William Beggs, Fred Dowling, and Roméo
Mathieu.
“It is with great pride that UFCW Canada is able to
assist members and their families in the important area of
higher education,” says national director Michael Fraser.
“With education at such a premium and other forms of
assistance getting harder and harder to obtain, students
need every bit of assistance that can be provided.”
The winners for 2003 are:
• Frédérique Benoît of St-Roch de Richelieu, Qué.,
daughter of UFCW Canada Local 500R member Pierre
Benoît (Aliments Sylvio Bouchard). Frédérique is enrolled
in the education program at Université du Québec à TroisRivières.
• Jessica Bernhardt of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., member
of UFCW Canada Local 175 (Food Basics). Jessica is
studying psychology and sociology at Algoma University
College in the Soo.
• Alex Josée Boucher of St-Charles-Borromée, Qué.,
member of UFCW Canada Local 500R (Métro Bélair).
Alex Josée is in the university preparatory program at
Cégep régional de Lanaudière à Joliette.
• Alex Bourque of Moncton, N.B., son of UFCW Canada
Local 1288P member Bernadette Bourque (Co-op Basic).
Alex studies science at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
• Sterling Chan of Abbotsford, B.C., son of UFCW
Canada Local 1518 member Wesley Chan (Canada Safeway). Sterling is enrolled in engineering at the University
of Alberta in Edmonton.
• Mandy Lee Chytyk of Melfort, Sask., daughter of UFCW
Canada Local 1400 member Barry Chytyk (Extra Foods).
Mandy Lee is in the education program at the University
of Regina.
• Mélanie Déziel of Charlemagne, Qué., member of
UFCW Canada Local 500R (Métro Charlemagne).
Mélanie studies natural sciences at Cégep régional de
Lanaudière à l’Assomption.
• Anna Marie Dlugosz of West St. Paul, Man., member of
UFCW Canada Local 832 (Canada Safeway). Anna Marie
is enrolled in education at the University of Winnipeg.
• Jaclyn Ewaskow of Richmond, B.C., daughter of UFCW
Canada Local 1518 member Brenda Ewaskow (Canada
Safeway). Jaclyn studies science at Kwantlen University
College in Surrey, B.C.
• Jean-Marc Fortin of Montréal, Qué., son of UFCW
Winter 2004-2005
Canada Local 500R member Suzanne Fortin (Marché
Tradition). Jean-Marc is enrolled in nursing at Université
Laval in Québec City.
• Tyler Gatcke of Waterloo, Ont., member of UFCW
Canada Local 1977 (Zehrs). Tyler is in the electrical
engineering program at
Conestoga College in
Kitchener, Ont.
The UFCW Canada Beggs• Tanya Pelrine of
Halifax, N.S., daughter
Dowling-Mathieu Scholarships provide
of UFCW Canada Local
864 member Walter
a one-time $500 award each year to
Salteiro (Sysco Food
Service). Tanya studies marine biology at
18 students selected on a regional
Dalhousie University in
Halifax.
basis. To qualify, they must be UFCW
• Melissa Pottle of
Orillia, Ont., member
Canada members in good standing,
of UFCW Canada Local
1977 (Zehrs). Melissa
or the children of members, enrolled
is taking science at
McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ont.
in any year of post-secondary study
• Kevin Randall of
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield,
at an accredited Canadian institution.
Qué., son of UFCW
Canada Local 500R
For more information, contact your
member Hélène Quenneville (IGA). Kevin is
local union representative, write to the
enrolled in global human
sciences at Collège de
UFCW Canada Office of Education, or go
Valleyfield.
• Krista Row of Calgary,
Alta., daughter of UFCW
online to www.ufcw.ca. ApplicaCanada Local 373A
member William Row
tions are due on September 30.
(Canada Safeway). Krista
studies engineering at
Mount Royal College in
Calgary.
• Alexander Schirru of Welland, Ont., member of UFCW
Canada Local 1977 (Zehrs). Alexander is studying psychology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
• Sarah Silk of Orangeville, Ont., member of UFCW
Canada Local 1977 (Zehrs). Sarah is enrolled in the
special event management program at Niagara College in
Welland, Ont.
• Jennifer Zilinski of Sault St. Marie, Ont., member of
UFCW Canada RWDSU Local 582 (Best Western Great
Northern hotel). Jennifer is studying fine arts at Algoma
University College in the Soo.
15
UFCW Canada • Our Union
M
Investing in your future
ost UFCW Canada
members belong to
CCWIPP, the Canadian
Commercial Workers Industry
Pension Plan.
This independently-administered plan is paid for by your
employer, but only you will get
the benefits on retirement. Unlike
some other employer-paid plans,
CCWIPP assets are managed by
trustees, and no one can touch any
surplus – it belongs to the members.
As you can see from the most
recent annual statement below,
CCWIPP is thriving and continues
to grow to secure your future.
Founded in 1979 by former
UFCW Canada director Clifford Evans, in little more than
20 years CCWIPP has grown to
hold assets of more than a billion
dollars. CCWIPP pays out benefits
to members of nearly $80-million each year, but with employer
contributions of more than $100million and strong investment
returns, the plan’s ongoing stability
is assured.
Canadian Commercial Workers Industry Pension Plan
Abbreviated financial statement for the year
January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003
Add:
Deduct:
Summary of Operations
Net assets as at January 1, 2003
Contributions
Investment income
Change in market value of assets during the year
TOTAL ADDITIONS
Benefit payments
Expenses
TOTAL DEDUCTIONS
Net amount available for investment
Plan transfers
Net assets as at December 31, 2003
AT MARKET ($)
1,107,958,997
104,900,715
38,344,310
23,636,167
166,881,192
79,020,599
7,916,995
86,937,594
79,943,598
16,587,741
1,204,490,336
Allocation of invested assets as at December 31, 2003
Cash
Short term notes
Bonds & debentures
Index-linked mortgages
Common stocks
Equity, loans and mortgages
Real estate
Accrued investment income
Receivables
SUB TOTAL
Less accounts payable
TOTAL
$
5,393,717
48,886,468
446,250,397
15,635,400
304,984,192
266,644,611
98,339,156
3,671,909
21,130,659
1,210,936,509
(6,446,173)
1,204,490,336
Our Union • UFCW Canada
16
Winter 2004-2005
%
0.45
4.06
37.05
1.30
25.32
22.14
8.16
0.30
1.75
100.54
-0.54
100.00