Skip to content
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]
  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Search
Close
Sprawl-busters
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
  • Uncategorized

Lawmaker Accuses Wal-Mart of “Economic Terrorism.”

  • Al Norman
  • July 15, 2015
  • No Comments

A member of Canada’s Parliament says the Canadian government should intervene to force Wal-Mart to respect worker’s rights in that country, in the aftermath of the retailer’s decision to shut down a store in Jonquiere, Quebec that became unionized. David Christopherson, a Member of Parliament, told the House of Commons, “Wal-Mart’s closure of its first unionized store is being characterized as economic terrorism, a blatant attempt to smash organizing activities across the country. Wal-Mart has forced manufacturers to relocate overseas at the cost of thousands of Canadian jobs and now it has sent a message to its 70,000 Canadian workers telling them that they do not have the right to organize, they do not have the right to collective bargaining, and they do not have the right to decent wages or hours of work. What is the government going to do to protect Canadian workers from corporate bullies like Wal-Mart?” Canada’s Labour Minister Joe Fontana also sent a clear message to the American retailer: “This government that truly believes, under part I of the Canada Labour Code, in collective bargaining. We believe that both workers and employers have an opportunity and obligation to build the best economy, to be fair and equitable to each other and to build a Canadian society that we can all be proud of.” These comments were reported by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). MP Christopherson added more invective against Wal-Mart: “The fact of the matter is that Wal-Mart is an international corporation. This is affecting Canadians right across the country. In Saskatchewan, for instance, right now Wal-Mart is challenging the laws that protect workers’ rights during an organizing drive. This is a constitutional matter in Saskatchewan. What is the minister going to do to stand up for those workers in Saskatchewan who have a right to have their constitutional rights protected?” In a related matter, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union has indicated that it plans to take Wal-Mart to the Quebec Labour Relations Commission to require the company to “prove that the store in Jonqui??re was losing money” — a claim that Wal-Mart used as the reason for closing the store. The union says the store was making money and unionization would not have changed that. “Wal-Mart’s calculated ruthlessness was not about profit,” a union spokesperson said. “It was about power – the absolute power that Wal-Mart wants over its workers, and suppliers and towns it does business in.”

For earlier stories about Wal-Mart’s inability to deal with unions, search this database by “unions.”

Like this article?

Share on facebook
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on Linkdin
Share on pinterest
Share on Pinterest
Al Norman

Al Norman

Al Norman first achieved national attention in October of 1993 when he successfully stopped Wal-Mart from locating in his hometown of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Almost 3 decades later they is still not Wal-Mart in Greenfield. Norman has appeared on 60 Minutes, was featured in three films, wrote 3 books about Wal-Mart, and gained widespread media attention from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune magazine. Al has traveled throughout the U.S., Barbados, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan, helping dozens of local coalitions fight off unwanted sprawl development. 60 Minutes called Al “the guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.”

Leave a comment

Find Us

  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, MA
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]

Helpful Links

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Menu
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

CHRISTIAN SMALLS, FIRED AMZN WAREHOUSE WORKER, FILES RACE DISCRIMATION LAWSUIT. …

November 16, 2020

DUE TO THE SURGE IN CORONA CASES, WMT IS LIMITING SHOPPERS TO 5 PER 1,000 SF. A…

November 16, 2020

AMAZON RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FREE 1 HOUR GROCERY PICK UP FOR PRIME MEMBER ORDERS &g…

November 15, 2020

AFTER BEING REJECTED BY THE DEERFIELD, MA PLANNING BOARD, DOLLAR GENERAL APPEALS…

November 15, 2020

WILL TRUMP ALLOW ORACLE & WALMART TO INVEST IN TIK TOK? The deadline to ban …

November 14, 2020

AMAZON ACCUSED OF BREAKING ANTITRUST RULES IN EUROPE. “Data of 3rd-party sellers…

November 14, 2020

WALMART PET CARE NOW SELLING PET INSURANCE. My 3 year old mixed breed cat would …

November 13, 2020

WALMART’S GOING TO THE DOGS. 90 M OF ITS CUSTOMERS HAVE DOGS. You’d be Goofy not…

November 13, 2020

WALMART CASHIERS STILL LOOKING FOR A SEAT. They won a $65 M lawsuit in 2019, but…

November 12, 2020

4 DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,THE CO-FOUNDER OF HOME DEPOT SAID: “Pres…

November 12, 2020

Recent Tweets

Al Norman 19 hours ago

LEAKED DOCUMENTS FROM AMAZON INDIA: “AMZN has been giving preferential treatment to a small group of sellers [“Special Merchants”] on its India platform...misrepresented its ties with the sellers...to circumvent increasingly tough regulatory restrictions.” https://t.co/SQUsghP46i

Read More
Al Norman 20 hours ago

UBER HELD “ENGAGEMENT & LISTENING SESSIONS” WITH ITS DRIVERS to create “a new model for independent work” to “improve the quality of work...while preserving the flexibility...” But many drivers want to be made employees with full benefits. https://t.co/pICqBZZklA

Read More
Al Norman 2 days ago

IS IT ANY WONDER THAT RUSH LIMBAUGH DIED OF LUNG CANCER? https://t.co/aXH3yp1FnA

Read More

Ⓒ 2020 - All Rights Are Reserved

Design and Development by Just Peachy Web Design

Download Our Free Guide

Download our Free Guide

Learn How To Stop Big Box Stores And Fulfillment Warehouses In Your Community

The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.

Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.