Wal-Mart workers in St-Hyacinthe prepare to negotiate collective agreement, undeterred by management bullying

Wal-Mart workers in St-Hyacinthe have chosen their union representative, who will now negotiate a collective agreement on their behalf. The workers of this Canadian store have not been discouraged by Wal-Mart's bullying tactics, which came to a low point when the company decided to close its store in nearby Jonquière.

Yvon Bellemare, the local representative of UNI Commerce affiliate UFCW, said that the workers who attended last Saturday's trade union meeting at the Wal-Mart store are "very brave people" and that a proposal for a first collective agreement would be handed to management this week. He also said that it would be difficult for Wal-Mart to try to close it down, as it is very profitable.