High court will hear appeals of employees left jobless after Wal Mart closure

By: THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear appeals from a number of workers who lost their jobs when Wal Mart closed its unionized store in Saguenay, Que., three years ago. As is usual, the court gave no reasons for its decision to consider the two related cases and no date has been set for the hearing. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union won certification at the Wal Mart outlet in September 2004, but couldn't reach a contract agreement with the retail giant. The union asked to take the matter to arbitration, but Wal Mart then announced it was closing the store. The workers went to a Quebec labour tribunal and argued they had lost their jobs because of union activities. Wal Mart said it was within its rights to close the store, which it said was unprofitable. In one case, the... [read full story]