Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

ILAB Press Release: U.S. to Review First NAFTA-related Labor Complaint Against Canada [12/18/1998]

For more information call: (202) 219-6373

The U.S. National Administrative Office (NAO) will review a complaint against Canada filed under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), the labor side agreement to NAFTA. This is the first submission involving Canada submitted to the U.S. NAO.

The complaint centers around worker efforts to organize a McDonald's restaurant in St.-Hubert, Quebec. Allegedly the restaurant owner, who owns four other franchise facilities in the area, closed the St.-Hubert facility when workers tried to set up a union at the restaurant. Specifically, the submission raises NAALC-related issues of anti-union plant closing; delays in the union certification process; and problems related to the certification process in cases involving multiple employers or multiple business locations under the franchise system of corporate ownership.

Irasema Garza, Secretary of the U.S. NAO, announced the decision to review the submission. She said, "Freedom of association is one of the 11 principles agreed to in the NAALC. We want to look at and understand the Canadian labor law system within the context of those labor principles the U.S., Canada and Mexico endorsed in the NAFTA labor side agreement."

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters Canada, the Quebec Federation of Labor, Teamsters Local 973 (Montreal) and the International Labor Rights Fund jointly submitted this latest complaint to the U.S. NAO. Under its procedural guidelines, the NAO has 120 days to review the allegations and to report its findings to the Secretary of Labor.

To date, 20 submissions have been filed for review under the NAALC. Thirteen have been filed with the U.S. NAO: 11 involving Mexico and two involving Canada. Five have been submitted to the Mexican NAO and all five involve allegations against the U.S. The remaining two have been filed with the Canadian NAO: one each against the U.S and Mexico.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.