Wal-Mart: The Race to the Bottom Line

Saying they had "bargain[ed] in good faith," Wal-Mart announced it was closing a store in Quebec whose employees were negotiating the first union contract ever with the giant retailer. Wal-Mart said the move is not a union bust, but due to "the fragile condition of the Jonquiere store." A union spokesperson said, "We're going to carry on with our efforts to organize Wal-Marts." The Canadian firm National PR is helping Wal-Mart with "French-language media outreach" following the announcement. O'Dwyer's notes that the closing "comes as Hill & Knowlton is guiding a national campaign in the U.S. to help the company put out the 'unfiltered truth' and correct 'urban legends.'"