MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — Warehouse workers in Canada signed a collective agreement with Walmart in May. The agreement covers a distribution warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario.
The collective agreement includes increased pay, working condition guarantees, and a lump sum payout to settle allegations of unfair labour practices. The Mississauga distribution facility supplies more than 100 retail stores and processes online orders.
Walmart increased wages for other regional workers while negotiations with the unionized distribution centre were ongoing. Lana Payne, president of Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada, said, "These members were determined to have workplace democracy and they stuck with it."
Payne also stated, "Their decision to participate in collective bargaining with a major corporation resulted in a significant milestone for organized labour." Jim Stanford, an economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, said, "Workers around the world have been struggling for years to try and win a share of Walmart's profits in the form of higher wages and better jobs, and it has been a challenging struggle because of Walmart's market power and historical opposition to unionization."
Stanford said, "The collective agreement with Walmart is clear, and there are provisions that substantially change workplace conditions for the employees involved." He added, "But with a union and a contract, workers have a chance to win a fairer share of the wealth that they're producing." Walmart retail locations in Canada have previously unionized, but distribution centres remained organized under traditional management structures until this agreement.