US Wal-Mart workers reject union
Pennsylvania employee vote against representation
A group of Wal-Mart employees at a US store have rejected union representation.
Seventeen employees who work in the Tire and Lube Express department at Wal-Mart’s store in New Castle, Pennsylvania, voted against representation by the UFCW union in a secret ballot organised by the National Labor Relations Board.
The union has been trying to gain representation at the store for more than four years as a part of a national effort by the US labour movement to tackle Wal-Mart’s no-union stance. The vote was 17-0 in favor of Wal-Mart.
Terry Srsen, vice president of labor relations for Wal-Mart, said: “We are please that our associates finally had a chance to vote and send a strong message to the union. In past elections, the UFCW has been rejected over and over by our associates because they do not feel that a third party would add anything to Wal-Mart’s culture or environment.”
Wal-Mart said this week that it will close a store in Jonquiere, Quebec where workers have won the right to representation by UCFW Canada. The retailer blamed poor sales at the store.
