Workers at the Thompson store voted June 4. Results of the vote were released Friday by the Manitoba Labour Board.More advanced--including the usual love by Union reps:It's the second time the Manitoba employees have voted on the issue. Last August, they voted 61 to 54 against representation by the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW).
Wal-Mart and the UFCW have engaged in a heated battle over the years. Union officials have accused the company of convincing employees to vote against the union.
The company issued a statement after the Manitoba board released the results: "Wal-Mart was extremely limited in its communication to its own associations about the issue of unionization throughout the union's lengthy and aggressive organizing."
Wal-Mart employees in Thompson, Man., have rejected union representation, just days after a Quebec board certified the only unionized Wal-Mart in North America. The results of the June 4 vote, released Friday, were 67 to 44 against unionization. A total of 130 employees were eligible to vote.UPDATE:More union love:"This is significant and a major victory for democracy," said Andrew Pelletier, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada, headquartered in Mississauga, Ont.
It's the second time in less than a year that workers in Thompson, about 720 kilometres north of Winnipeg, have turned down a chance to be represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). Workers also rejected union representation in a vote held in June 2003.
Pelletier noted that the latest margin was considerably higher than the previous seven-vote edge. He said that was particularly significant given Manitoba's labour laws, which he said give unions more latitude than companies in terms of what they can tell employees.
"It also shows that pretty well any time our employees have been given a chance to vote in a secret ballot, they vote against the union," Pelletier said.
In a release, union local president Robert Ziegler said he was disappointed but not surprised by the results.
"Every Wal-Mart associate knows that (voting for a union) will prompt management to unleash so many subtle - and some not-so-subtle - 'threats' that they'll regret their decision."
But it won't stop the Winnipeg-based union from trying again, said president Robert Ziegler.... "I would have to say we're disappointed, but there is still 40% of our membership who voted in favour of a union," said Ziegler, adding another organizing drive would occur in six months....In other words, if you make life difficult for Wal-Mart, WM returns the favor. Why do these people expect Wal-Mart to cave in when they're so abusive of the company's image and character?There was one spoiled ballot and 26 workers didn't vote in the most recent vote.
Ziegler said the closing of a day-care centre after employees voted to unionize two weeks prior to the Wal-Mart vote may have been a factor in the rejection. The outcome also may have been different had the vote not been held on a Friday afternoon, he said.
Posted by Kevin on August, 6 2004 at 08:42 PM
