Representatives from the Saskatchewan Labour Board were at the Weyburn Wal-Mart store on Wednesday, conducting a vote of decertification from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.
Representatives from the Saskatchewan Labour Board were at the Weyburn Wal-Mart store on Wednesday, conducting a vote of decertification from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.
"There are roughly 70 associates who were eligible to participate in the secret ballot, and it will determine if the UFCW will represent the employees," explained Andrew Pelletier, vice-president of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Canada. "The associates had made it clear that they wanted a voice, and now they have received that right."
Weyburn Wal-Mart employees moved to decertify themselves in November, in reaction from a ruling by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in October. The Labour Board had conducted their own vote to "capture the wishes of the employees in the workplace," according to Fred Bayer, registrar for the Labour Relations Board.
The Labour Board panel will continue to consider issues from both Wal-Mart and UFCW Canada Local 1400 in the decertification, and there is no date when a final decision will be released. An application for first contract negotiations filed by the UFCW to the Saskatchewan Labour Board has been delayed for the decertification proceedings.
Being delayed from contract negotiations is difficult for the United Food and Commercial Workers. "Wal-Mart has done everything it could to prevent the workers from getting a collective agreement, and has even prevented us from communicating with the workers at the store," said Norm Neault, president of the UFCW Canada Local 1400. "We feel that the time for stalling is over and look forward to returning to the bargaining table to start talking."
The certification of the UFCW at the Weyburn Wal-Mart was issued by the Saskatchewan Labour Board in December 2008. Shortly after this decision, Wal-Mart appealed to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeals using changes to the Trade Union Act that would require a vote by their associates.
In October of this year, the Court of Appeals released their ruling that the certification would go ahead, as the Trade Union Act changes had been made after the certification and were not applicable. In reaction to the decision, the Weyburn Wal-Mart associates Mart moved to decertify. At the same time, the union attempted to contact associates, asking them to allow for a contract to be negotiated before deciding whether to decertify or not.
"We are anxious to arrange a collective agreement that will improve the wages and benefits of the Wal-Mart employees and give them protection," added Neault. "A collective agreement would give the associates some new additional terms and benefits to their working conditions."
The Labour Board must rule on the application to have the union decertified for the employees of the Weyburn store. A decision in favour of the union would result in contract talks being negotiated, since those talks have been suspended between the two sides since the original certification in 2008.
