Steelworkers Dispute With Sears In Canada

Union steps up fight against retail chain

US union United Steelworkers (USW) is ramping up a campaign in support of its members who have been locked out by shopping and warehousing giant Sears.

Some 500 members of the USW who work at the company's warehouse in Vaughan, in Canada's Ontario province, have been locked out since April 1.

In the run-up to Christmas the union is running a Don't Shop At Sears campaign with leafleting at shops across the country, phone messages and radio advertising.

The USW intends to hit the company's key markets and extend the boycott to include Sears Vacations and the Sears Card, which charges an exorbitant 29.9 per cent interest rate.

Prior to the biggest shopping day of the year - November 26 is known in the US as "Black Friday" - the union will send an automated "Don't Shop At Sears" phone message to the households of its members and their families.

Sears has demanded that working conditions including pensions, health care benefits and holiday entitlements be replaced at management's discretion.

The firm walked away from negotiations on March 23.

Bosses then brought in scabs to take the jobs of the union members who had been locked out.

Sears has even hired security guards to ferry scabs across the picket line at the warehouse.

USW's Ontario director Wayne Fraser said: "Sears has frozen out its own hard-working employees and their families.

"We've had great feedback about our publicity campaign and now we're going to ramp it up. Consumers deserve to know what is going on so they can choose where to shop - and where not to."