Bad faith.
Stupid Wal-Mart Watch. I start planning a blogging break after two posts today, and they go and pull me back in:
Wal-Mart Canada announced Thursday that it was shutting the Gatineau outlet because a union contract, which came into force in August, didn’t fit with its business model. It is the second time Wal-Mart has shut a Quebec outlet after its workers decided to form a union.
In April 2005 Wal-Mart shut its store in Jonquiere, Quebec and terminated more than 200 workers just as binding arbitration for a first-contract was set to begin. Later this year the Supreme Court will hear arguments that the shutting of the Jonquiere store was a violation of those workers’ rights.
In June 2007 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that under the Charter’s Freedom of Association protections, workers in Canada are guaranteed the right to organize for the purposes of collective bargaining, “but once again Wal-Mart has proven the only rules it respects are its own, ” said [the National President of UFCW Canada Wayne] Hanley.
So what’s the difference between Walmart in Canada and Walmart in China where unionization is proceeding smoothly. In China, the government actually cares so the company follows the law.
It’s funny. In the comments I just compared Walmart to a criminal syndicate. This example suggests that that comparison is less of a joke than I originally thought.
And speaking of Wal-Mart Watch, it looks like I’m going to have to do a multi-part series based on this site. [I guess I'll start tomorrow.] Can’t you people take a day off every once in a while?
Seems Someone predicted this…
[...] Walmart Canada’s CEO is keeping the main office’s troops fired up (and getting rid of pesky unionized workers by closing their store). But the man clearly has no shame as evidenced by the pep rally he held [...]
[...] mentioned yesterday that Wal-Mart Watch has a new web site: Wal-Mart Employees Speak Out. Its purpose, as the site [...]