Montreal – March 16, 2020 – UFCW Local Unions in Quebec representing workers at RONA and Réno-Dépôt welcome the decision of parent company Lowe’s to create a new Commercial Sales Department in 14 RONA stores and 12 Réno-Dépôt stores whose staff are unionized with UFCW Locals 500 and 501. As a result of this decision, an organized regular employee position will be created at each one of the affected stores. Employees who are to be in this new job classification will be there to support the expert sales assistants assigned to professional clients.

‘‘We are very happy about this hardware company’s initiative to believe concretely in quality job creation in order to attract and retain workers in all its stores. This is excellent news as it will be a great agent of growth, which will allow the maintaining of decent working conditions in the home and commercial improvement sector,’’ say UFCW Local 500 President Antonio Filato and UFCW Local 501 President Alain Lachaîne.

This is the second wave of job creation that Lowe’s has announced in the last three months. Last November, the hardware company decided to stop outsourcing its merchandizing, which would result in the creation of between four and six regular employee positions in its stores.

Furthermore, in the last round of collective bargaining at the RONA and Réno-Dépôt banners, it was agreed that the part-time employee status would be abolished in every store and that the status of regular relief employees working between 30 and 40 hours a week would be created.

So, the new announcement is an additional and encouraging step that shows the company’s willingness to invest in human capital as, for several decades, these workers have helped RONA and Réno-Dépôt achieve a resounding success. ‘‘That is excellent news for the more than 2,700 members of our union working in the 28 stores under these banners,’’ conclude both union leaders.

List of stores affected

AT UFCW LOCAL 500

Réno-Dépôt Anjou, Réno-Dépôt Boucherville, Réno-Dépôt Charlemagne, Réno-Dépôt Drummondville, Réno-Dépôt Lasalle, Réno-Dépôt Sainte-Dorothée, Réno-Dépôt Marché Central, Réno-Dépôt Sainte-Foy, Réno-Dépôt Sherbrooke, Réno-Dépôt Saint-Hubert, Réno-Dépôt Rosemère, Réno-Dépôt Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, RONA Brossard, RONA Haut-Richelieu, RONA Joliette, RONA Mascouche, RONA Saint-Bruno, RONA Châteauguay, RONA Lévis, RONA Longueuil, RONA Pierrefonds, RONA Repentigny, RONA Rimouski, RONA Saint-Jérôme

AT UFCW LOCAL 501

RONA Alma, RONA Chicoutimi