Wal-Mart Canada has closed a unionized tire and lube shop in Gatineau, Quebec, 2 months after the employees were granted their first ever collective agreement. This past August, an arbitrator imposed the contract which Wal-Mart says it is unable to operate under due to a 33 percent wage increase which they say would lead to rising costs for the customer. The 33 percent wage increase would bring the employees pay up to $13.76/hour.

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Wal-Mart, known to be anti-union, and the worlds largest retailer had also closed another unionized shop in Quebec in the past. Citing the increased wages as detriment to their operating costs, Wal-Mart again used veiled attempts to justify this latest closure.

We think the numbers speak for themselves when the imposed contract would increase operating costs by more than 30 percent and combined with the fact that TLEs (Tire Lubrication Express) operate under very narrow profit margins, such a large increase could have raised consumer prices by more than 30 percent Groh said.

National President of the United Food and Commercial Workers of Canada Wayne Hanley said

The closure of a unionized Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Express in Gatineau, Quebec "is another attack on its workers, on the community, and one more example of its blatant disregard for Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Basically Wal-Mart is saying that a union doesn't fit it's business model, and whenever and wherever a uion is formed, Wal-Mart will close shop. Wal-Mart is quick to point out though that the employees will not lose their jobs as they will be relocated.

This is the norm for Wal-Mart, they say that workers can unionize, but when they do, they relocate and get around the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which guarantees the rights of workers to organize and collective bargain. The audacity of the world's largest retailer to pull this stunt due to a raise to $13.76 is a slap in the face, not just to unions, but to all workers. Here it is, a multi-billion dollar company, whining that they will not be able to afford to pay these workers without passing the cost onto the customer is just plain ridiculous and a huge cop out. I'm just not buying into this nonsense. I've been guilty of shopping at Wal-Mart in the past and it is crap like this that makes me reconsider doing so. As if labour were the only component of operating a business anyhow. Wal-Mart thrives in poverty, they have no intentions whatsoever in providing a decent, living wage, and by the way, $13.76 is hardly decent and livable in my opinion.

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