Attention Shoppers: Don’t Shop at Sears Canada

Members of Vancouver, British Columbia, Local 213 are reminding Sears Canada that union-busting can be bad for business. Local 213 members and their families spent the holiday shopping season leafleting customers at Sears Canada department stores throughout the province to convince them to shop elsewhere until the company ends its lockout of more than 70 service technicians. Local 213 has represented the technicians— who repair Sears-bought appliances for customers in southern British Columbia— since 2001. During negotiations for their second contract last September, Sears Canada demanded substantial concessions, said Assistant Business Manager Rave Ghuman. The company’s takebacks included no guaranteed wage increase for four years, the right to impose split weekends—which means no consecutive days off—loss of Boxing Day as a paid holiday, and no overtime for the first half hour past quitting time. The local’s negotiating committee told the company its demands were unacceptable. On October 1, Local 213 members who showed up for work found a written notice from the company telling them they were locked out. Sears Canada offered to lift the lockout for any employee who was willing to work under its imposed contract and told them that they would not have to pay union dues. “This is clearly an attempt by the company to drive out the union,” said Local 213 Business Manager Rick Dowling. “If (Sears) succeeds in its agenda, it will be extremely difficult to organize other large companies who employ electrical service technicians throughout Canada.” According to provincial labour law, because the technicians work out of a central warehouse, Local 213 is not allowed to set up “locked out” pickets outside of department stores. But they can hold informational pickets. With the lockout falling during the busiest shopping season of the year, the local knew that a consumer boycott could be an effective tool to encourage the company to play fair. “If we can affect their sales volume now that the Christmas shopping season has started, we can hopefully bring them to their senses.” Dowling said. The boycott is growing into a nationwide movement. IBEW First District Vice President Phillip Flemming has encouraged all Canadian locals to support the boycott and in November, labour federations in both British Columbia and Alberta endorsed the campaign. IBEW leaders said they hope that the expansion of the boycott can put enough pressure on the retailer to return to the bargaining table. “When facing a giant corporation like Sears Canada, solidarity from the entire labour movement is key to victory,” said Flemming. z