Quebec, Norway Labor Groups Pushing Couche-Tard to Recognize Unions

LAVAL, Quebec -- Labor groups in Canada and Norway joined forces in an effort to push Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. to recognize convenience store unions.

The Confederation of National Trade Unions in Quebec, which represents 100 employees at eight Couche-Tard stores, and HK-Norway, which represents 263 employees at several Statoil Fuel & Retail stores, met in Oslo, Norway, this week to discuss a game plan moving forward, reported The Canadian Press.

Couche-Tard, parent company to Circle K in the United States, acquired Statoil last year.

According to the news outlet, the labor unions said Couche-Tard uses "coercive tactics" to delay recognition of union efforts at its c-stores. In fact, Jean Lortie, the Canadian union's general secretary, claims the operator of 8,467 locations in the United States, Canada and Europe, has closed down profitable outlets and transferred ownership to franchisees in order to avoid accepting unions.

In addition, the Quebec union alleged that Couche-Tard makes it difficult for employees to join a union and negotiate working conditions.

To date, U.S. Circle K employees have not joined the Canadian and Norwegian labor union effort.

Outside of Quebec, Couche-Tard primarily operates under the Mac's Convenience Stores banner in Canada.

The c-store chain has yet to publicly respond to the labor unions' allegations.