Fair Labor Practices - USA vs Canada

I have mixed feelings about the need for Unions, however, I also understand why and how they evolved in the USA. It was because of companies like Wal-Mart. Employees shouldn't have to 'organize', they should be treated with respect by employers.

Unions and Wal-Mart in the USA

There’s little secret to Wal-Mart’s success. The company will simply do whatever it takes to keep workers from organizing. “Staying union free is a full-time commitment,” reads one of the company’s training manuals. “[F]rom the Chairperson of the ‘Board’ down to the front-line manager … [t]he entire management staff should fully comprehend and appreciate exactly what is expected of their individual efforts to meet the union free objective.”

Read more here.

Unions and Wal-Mart in Canada

The Canadian legal system does not play Wal-Mart's game, if the company now thought they would. In two recent court decisions, the retail giant has been mercilessly exposed for its repressive and anti-social behaviour. Workers that were fired in Jonquière, Quebec, for their union activities, have to be compensated. In a Saskatchewan court, Wal-Mart's efforts to disqualify the Labour Relations Board from dealing with unionisation issues in Wal-Mart ran on ground.

More here.