TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2024 /CNW/ - Workers at Walmart's Mississauga warehouse have voted to join Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union. It is Walmart's first warehouse to unionize in Canada.
"This victory is the result of uniting around a belief in workplace democracy and better working conditions," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Walmart workers in Mississauga stood up for their rights, and we are excited to get to work on their first collective agreement."
More than 40% of the workers at the facility signed a union card this summer and the Ontario Labour Board awarded the workers a vote, which was held September 10–12, 2024.
The notoriously anti-union company did their best to spread falsehoods about the protections of a union, but workers saw through the thinly veiled intimidation and chose unity over fear and division, says Unifor.
"Unions are the most effective way to have a say in your conditions at work," said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. "These Walmart workers are showing warehouse workers across Canada what's possible when we stand together."
Unifor's campaign at Walmart's facility began in December 2023.
Earlier this year warehouse workers at Amazon in Metro Vancouver successfully filed for a union vote. The ballot box remains sealed while Amazon's lawyers continue to use stall tactics to artificially inflate the employee numbers ahead of the count.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor