Workers at Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ont. vote to unionize in a Canadian first

A group of workers at a Mississauga Walmart warehouse has become the first in Canada to unionize at one of the company’s warehouses.

More than 40 per cent of the 800-plus workers at the facility signed a union card this summer. The Ontario Labour Board then awarded them a vote which was held Sept. 10-12.

Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, announced in a news release Friday that workers voted to join the union. They did not immediately release the numbers from the vote.

“This victory is the result of uniting around a belief in workplace democracy and better working conditions,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement. “Walmart workers in Mississauga stood up for their rights, and we are excited to get to work on their first collective agreement.”

In a statement, Walmart Canada confirmed the outcome of the vote and said it is reviewing next steps in the process.

“We’ve always believed that the best person to speak for our associates is the associate,” the company said. “Our culture is founded on an environment of transparency, honesty, and direct dialogue with our associates, without involving individuals outside of our organization who don’t know our culture or our business.”

Unifor said it began its campaign to unionize the facility about 10 months ago in December 2023.