Freedom Flyer 4

Employees at the downtown Eaton's store in London have voted almost 62 per cent against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Employees Union, but union organizers are not planning to give up.

In a secret vote held Friday and Saturday, part-time employees voted 148 to 85 and full-time employees 60 to 44 against joining the union. Only 16 part-time and three full-time employees who were eligible to vote did not cast ballots.

Union international representative Tom Collins of London said Sunday he was surprised by the vote. "I think our impression was that a few more of the undecided would have voted in favor."

Under Ontario labor law, the vote against the union means it cannot apply for certification again for six months. Collins said he will continue to monitor the situation at the store during that time, meet with the store's union committee to analyze what went wrong and eventually begin circulating union cards again.

He said he expects another vote will be held immediately after the six-month deadline unless the required number of union cards have been signed by then. If more than 55 per cent of the workers sign union cards, a vote is not needed to get Ontario labor relations board certification.

"There's obviously a substantial number of employees who want a union." said Collins. He said It is difficult to determine why the majority voted against the union. "We were confident we were going to win this thing. I think it's a natural fear that employees have of reprisal."

He said it is the first Eaton's store in the province to have required a vote. Five stores - in Brampton, St. Catharines and Toronto - as well as the eight employees at the Eaton's warehouse on Commissioners Road in London are already certified. All are still in the process of negotiating a first contract.

Collins said he is confident the downtown London store will eventually join the union. "I don't think they can stop us over the course of time. I think we'll get them on the next run."

The union did not apply for certification for the company's other two stores in London - at Northland and Westmount malls - choosing the largest store in the city to tackle first. Under that plan, the union would have applied for certification for the other two stores after the downtown store had joined.

Doreen Denman, a senior clerk in the store's management services and one of about 25 vocal anti-unionists, said she was pleased with the weekend vote. "We're overwhelmed ... I knew we were going to win. There was no doubt in my mind from the beginning."