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Wal-Mart Union to File Complaint After Quebec Closure. The first unionized Wal-Mart store is quickly shut down.

The United Food and Commercial Workers’ Canadian arm said it plans to file a complaint against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for bargaining in bad faith after the retailer said it would close its first unionized outlet in North America.

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The union also said today it plans to file an unfair labor practice complaint against Wal-Mart while asking the Quebec Labor Relations Commission to force the company to prove that the Jonquiere store was unprofitable.

Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay Fine in Child Labor Cases. Back in the US, corporate malfeasance is rewarded.

Wal-Mart Stores, the nation’s largest retailer, has agreed to pay $135,540 to settle federal charges that it violated child labor laws in Connecticut, Arkansas and New Hampshire.

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A provision also promises to give Wal-Mart 15 days’ notice before the Labor Department investigates any other “wage and hour” accusations, like failure to pay minimum wage or overtime.

That provision drew criticism yesterday from Representative George Miller of California, the senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee. It also prompted complaints from some Labor Department investigators who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

“With child labor cases involving the use of hazardous machinery, why give 15 days’ notice before we can do an investigation?” asked a district office supervisor who has worked in the wage and hour division for nearly 20 years. “What’s the rationale?”