Quebec City – July 26, 2013 – An application for union certification has been filed by UFCW Canada Local 501, after workers at Les Productions Horticoles Demers Inc. indicated their support to bring the union advantage to their workplace. Many of the workers are migrant agriculture workers from Guatemala and Mexico.

The Demers greenhouse, farm, and packaging operation is in Saint-Nicolas, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence about 25 kilometers southwest of Quebec City. Demers is a major grower and packer of gourmet tomatoes, strawberries, and raspberries – supplying markets in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes, as well as the New England states.

The application was filed with the Quebec Labour Commission on July 21. UFCW Canada Local 501 collective agreements are already in place at a number of greenhouse, field crop, and agriculture packing facilities in Quebec. In association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA), UFCW Canada also operates agriculture worker support centres in Saint-Rémi and Saint-Eustache, Quebec.