The world's first Wal-Mart union wins in court: The Quebec Labour Relations Commission (QLRC) has rejected Wal-Mart's challenge to the union certification of its store in Jonquière, Québec – leaving it the only unionized Wal-Mart in the world. The QLRC dismissed Wal-Mart's argument that the bargaining unit certified at the store was not valid because it didn't include store management personnel. In a six-page written decision the QLRC rejected Wal-Mart's application to stall the process leading to a first contract, and confirmed that the bargaining unit certified by the commission in August should stand. The Jonquière employees gained union accreditation on August 3rd after a majority of employees at the Saguenay-region store, about 220 kilometres north of Quebec City, signed UFCW Canada Local 503 membership cards. Wal-Mart applied to challenge the certification. A single-commissioner QLRC hearing was held on September 2nd to hear the challenge, but Wal-Mart's lawyers declined to attend. Wal-Mart could also appeal this latest decision to a three-commissioner hearing but "we hope Wal-Mart respects the ruling and stops stalling," said Louis Bolduc, head of the Quebec region of UFCW Canada. "We're sending Wal-Mart a letter to begin contract talks," said Bolduc, "and we will also soon be meeting with our Jonquière Wal-Mart members to discuss their goals in the upcoming negotiations. Today's ruling confirmed what we said all along – that the bargaining unit is legitimate, and that Wal-Mart will try its best to stop the inevitable."