Striking Beaulieu Canada Workers Step Up Pressure

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Aug. 27, 2008--The union representing 300 striking workers at Beaulieu Canada has launched a nationwide publicity campaign against the country's leading residential carpet manufacturer, according to The Gazette newspaper.

UNITE HERE supporters began distributing leaflets yesterday at Home Depot stores in Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Winnipeg, notifying their customers that Beaulieu has threatened to close its commercial carpeting plant in Acton Vale because the employees have refused to accept severe concessions on wages and benefits.

Home Depot is a major Beaulieu customer that prominently features its products in stores and catalogues. The campaign is to be extended to a Home Depot store in Vancouver today.
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The 226 employees who cast their ballots two weeks ago voted 91.5 percent against the proposed pact that sought salary cuts of 20 percent (the average wage is $17.50 an hour) as well as reductions to statutory holidays, vacations and company contributions to the collective insurance program.

Beaulieu closed its spinning factory last month in neighoring Wickham, where yarn was made that it used mostly to manufacture carpets for the new housing construction market in Canada, eliminating eight management positions and about 110 union jobs.


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