MONTREAL — The Unifor union has succeeded in organizing a group of Walmart employees, drivers from Walmart Fleet, in British Columbia.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board recently certified this union despite opposition from the employer, who questioned the reliability of the proof of membership and argued that the bargaining unit proposed by Unifor was not competent to bargain collectively.
Finally, the specialized tribunal said it was “convinced that the majority of the employer’s employees, who are part of the unit in question, want the applicant union to represent them as a bargaining agent.”
The union represents 95 full- and part-time Walmart Fleet drivers in Surrey, British Columbia.
This is an interim decision, pending a final decision on whether to integrate additional Walmart workers in Sicamous, British Columbia.
Unifor’s initial request was to unionize “all drivers who work part-time or full-time for Walmart Fleet ULC from 19525 24th Avenue in Surrey, British Columbia and 540 Thomsen Court in Sicamous.” (British Columbia), excluding team leaders and above, dispatchers, driver instructors and all office and administrative staff.
For the large pan-Canadian union, this is the second establishment of the retail giant that it has successfully unionized. He previously unionized the Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario.
The certification of the Walmart Drivers’ Union in Surrey, British Columbia, is to allow them to “form a bargaining committee and work with Unifor representatives to negotiate with Walmart towards the conclusion of their first collective agreement,” said Unifor, which is affiliated with the FTQ in Quebec.
