Huge convenience store chain uses Wal-Mart tactics to avoid unionization
September 18, 2011 - 9:51am
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Couche-Tard store closes after unionization - Employees rally outside boarded-up Montreal store
For those who haven't heard of Couche-Tard, you should. Here's how it describes itself:
They closed a Montréal store in April just after the staff was unionized; this is number two. It's the Wal-Mart strategy. So far, I've only seen Québec solidaire speak out:
Québec solidaire condemns this decision and demands government measures to favour unionization
The top 10 comments on the cbc article are all anti-unionization and blame the workers for their "Stupidity" in getting the store to close. One of them says if he saw the resume of one of these people come across his desk he would throw it out. I guess some people's mentalities have truly jumped back 100 years.
The CBC helps breeds that kind anti-union sentiment with its biases and focus. I hate our state media it is imperialist and spends most of its time being a booster for corporate and military interests. To bad Canada doesn't have a public broadcaster that would focus on the public interest not the view that what is good for corporations is good for the public.
I assume the Quebec MPs will be speaking out on this soon?
That would certainly be nice, Boom Boom. But since it's a matter under provincial jurisdiction, they have an easy excuse to say nothing. I could be wrong, but I don't recall the NDP saying anything about the Wal-Mart closings in Québec and Saskatchewan at the time.
Frankly, I'd be happy if just the PQ took a strong position. The phenomena that Lachine Scot and Northern Shoveler pointed to, however, mean that parties like the PQ and NDP can just quietly ignore issues like this, with their advisors assuring them there won't be much blowback. That's a dangerous situation which workers and their allies need to combat. I don't know how we'll change that balance of forces, but I do know that keeping up the pressure, fighting every instance, holding the politicians and the bosses to account, are essential ingredients. Bravo to QS for figuring that out and not being afraid to tell the truth.
I didn't even know about this story until I turned on my computer this morning.
At $1.36 a litre they can afford to pay their workers more. Much much more....
You know, I had this strange feeling that Couche-Tard would be looking to take revenge after their annual shareholders' meeting of Sept. 6, where union activists had distributed quite respectful leaflets asking Couche-Tard to respect their employees' rights, and where one shareholder (the Congregation of the Holy Cross) had given its proxy to Kassandra Lanteigne, a Couche-Tard employee who's earning $9.95 per hour after 2 1/2 years of service. She's working at a different store than the one that just closed, but they've unionized as well. You can read about that intervention on the union website.
9.95? Geez whats the minimum wage in Quebec? Ontarios is at least 10.25 a hour
9.95? Geez whats the minimum wage in Quebec? Ontarios is at least 10.25 a hour
$9.65.
I was at the demonstration/occupation of the closed Couche-Tard at the corner of Beaubien and St-Denis. I live there, the one at the corner of Jean-Talon and Iberville is just a bit eastwards. I was busy with other social/political stuff and a housing co-op "corvée" this past weekend so I couldn't go support them but I'm sure we'll have the opportunity.
Yes, of course they could afford to pay their workers better. They sell their junk food for a rate as inflated as current gas prices, too boot.
Thanks for this Unionist. Was unaware of it till reading your post...and have posted it up on "Crackbook".
Was just looking at the company's website. They operate as "Mac's" in Ontario and Western Canada.
I always think of them as franchise outlets, but looking at the company map, the overwhelming number of them are corporate stores...didn't realize this.
In Western Canada they're all corporate stores...not "mom and pop" franchises.
So I'm guessing that the CSN was organizing in corporate owned outlets? Has CSN called for a boycott? I know I will no longer shop at Mac's.
I'm going to avoid these stores - but I only know of one of them, and it's in Sept-Iles.
I'd love to see an organised boycott of this company.So I'm guessing that the CSN was organizing in corporate owned outlets? Has CSN called for a boycott? I know I will no longer shop at Mac's.
This latest closure, like the one in April, was a corporate owned outlet - the unfair labour practice filed today by the union identifies the respondent employer as "Couche-Tard Inc". I assume the other two unionized outlets are the same, but I don't know for sure.
No, I haven't heard of any boycott call yet. In my experience, those calls aren't a good idea unless there's a chance of winning. Also, given that the CSN organizing campaign is continuing, it would give the employer a handy weapon to say, "oh, they want you to join the union, but they're telling people not to shop in the store where you make your living!" That doesn't prevent individuals from not patronizing them, of course.
the trick is to enforce an entire sector unionisation. They can't close all the store in quebec at the sam time.
It not me who is goin to china to bougth my milk an bread.
as for delivery, i don't want to taste the milk after a month at sea.
Unfortunate but predictable ruling:
No forced reopening for closed Couche-Tard store
These sorts of rulings reinforcing the idolatry of private property make a mockery of claims of "free" collective bargaining under capitalism.
Of course if all the Wal-Marts are unionized at once then ... what do they do? Shoot themselves in the head? lol. Some alternative strategy needs to be developed, maybe something again at the SCofC or something.
A 5th Couche-Tard is now unionized in Pierrefonds (west end of Montréal)
Collective bargaing has started at one of the stores, while another is scheduled to commence soon.
Meanwhile, the unfair labour practice complaint regarding the two closed stores will be heard at the end of the month. When I reported earlier that the labour relations commission had refused to order the reopening of the store at Jean-Talon and Iberville, that was only a refusal of a request for a quick interim order (sort of like an injunction) - not a final decision. Let us hope.
In the meantime, couldn't the chain be suggested as a no go business for all unionized and non-unionized workers alike, those who would prefer to be organized that is, but are hindered from doing so, along with their families?
Any company that declares that unionization has made their business no longer profitable should be obliged to have their books audited, and any deficiency that exists (none will) can be made up by paying the workers in equity, or perhaps an inflation-interest loan made to the employees so that they can purchase and operate the store.
These kind of bad-faith tactics need to be made illegal, and any company that engages in them should be deemed to have made an offer to sell based on the fundamentals the company cites.