Sears agrees to rehire employees who led union drive: Company also agrees to no future reprisals as union organizing campaign continues

BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO- All the members of a committee leading an inside union organizing drive at a Sears Canada warehouse and call centre in Belleville,Ontario have been reinstated following the conclusion of charges on Monday before the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB). The charges originally filed with the OLRB last week by UFCW Canada argued the firing of workers at a Belleville warehouse distribution and call centre by Sears Canada on March 9, 2006 was part of a company strategy to stop a union organizing campaign at the facility.

While Sears admitted to neither guilt nor liability regarding the union busting charges, Sears did nonetheless agree to pay a substantial additional severance to all those terminated employees who had been instrumental in an earlier union drive. In addition Sears agreed to reinstate with back pay all those employees who, until they were terminated without explanation on March 9, had been members of a new union organizing committee at the Sears Belleville location.

An interim application filed by UFCW Canada to force Sears to reinstate all Belleville employees terminated on March 9 was not heard by the Board.

The settlement of charges included an assurance from Sears Canada of no future reprisals against employees for union organizing activity. An organizing campaign has been underway at the Sears Belleville location since early 2006 after employees there contacted UFCW Canada to assist in unionizing. The organizing campaign is continuing.

UFCW Canada is one of Canada's largest and most respected private sector unions with more than 240,000 members employed nationally in a variety of workplaces.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Michael Forman,UFCW Canada
416-675-1104 x249
E-mail: [email protected]