Wal-Mart Goes Union

TORONTO: An Ontario labor board ruled that Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, must work with organized labor for the first time in its 35-year history. In pursuing unions as corporate bogeymen, Wal-Mart at last overstepped its reach. Even though a vote last May on unionization at the company's Windsor, Ontario store failed 151-43, the result was deemed "meaningless" by the board since company officials had implied that they would close the branch if the vote passed. Ed Gould, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada, says that Wal-Mart stands firm in its belief that the vote accurately reflected the wishes of Windsor employees. Threats to close stores are not part of what made Wal-Mart "the most popular retailer on planet earth," maintains Gould. Maybe, but not having to battle with union demands for salary hikes certainly didn't hurt either. In an effort to keep the union drive from spreading to other Canadian stores, Wal-Mart is considering an appeal. Meanwhile, pro-union employees, slated to be represented by United Steelworkers, milled around Wednesday in a state of shock over their surprise victory. The Wal-Mart union will have 60 days to opt for contract negotiations, a new experience for company management, which for the past few decades has relied mostly on employee ownership to keep workers from drifting to higher-paying jobs.