IQW Quebecor World

Justice@Quebecor: U.S. Government Accuses Quebecor World of Additional Labor Law Violations in Tennessee and Nevada NLRB Alleges Company Guilty of Firing, Spying on, Harassing and Intimidating Workers to Block Unionization WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has charged Quebecor World, Inc. (NYSE:IQW) Toronto with nine new violations of U.S. federal labor laws. The NLRB's Region 26 Director, Ronald K. Hooks, has added five new claims to an earlier issued complaint, accusing Quebecor World of unlawfully discharging employee Lamarcus Hicks for union activity, and stopping other employees from engaging in legally protected union activities at the company's facility in Covington, Tenn. The original complaint issued in September included 22 other counts of unlawful activity, including firing employee Carl Rogers, and intimidating, threatening, coercing and spying on workers in its Covington and Corinth, Miss. plants. A trial on all 27 charges is scheduled for December 13. "I was fired because I want to form a union so we can address safety problems at the plant and because I want affordable health care for my family," said Hicks. "This is about more than just me and my job, it's about our rights as working people in this country." In a separate development NLRB Region 32 Director Alan B. Reichard issued a four-count complaint accusing Quebecor World of engaging in illegal surveillance, blocking distribution of union-related literature and threatening workers with arrest for participating in union activities at its Fernley, Nev. facility. The complaint accuses the company of intimidating employees through surveillance and interrogations to discourage their efforts to organize a union. A trial on this complaint is scheduled for January 25, 2005. "We want to be able to form a union free from the company's campaign of spying, intimidation and harassment and so do our coworkers in other states," said Mark Rubert, an employee in the Fernley, Nev. plant. "We are determined to keep struggling for our rights and to have a free and fair process to organize with the union of our choice." In addition to the charges facing Quebecor World in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Nevada, the company was confronted with employee allegations of unlawful activity at its Versailles, Ky. plant, including charges of spying, surveillance and blocking the distribution of union-related literature. After the NLRB's Region 9 found merit in these charges in July, the company entered into a settlement agreement. During a previous organizing campaign in Dickson, Tenn., the National Labor Relations Board found that the company unlawfully fired a worker who openly supported forming a union. The labor board forced the company to reinstate that worker with back pay, and the workers eventually organized with the Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU). "The wheels of justice don't necessarily turn quickly but they are turning and they are exposing Quebecor World's unlawful activity," said Alan Tate, GCIU Director of Contracts and Research. "It is significant that the company is facing government prosecution for its wrong-doing at so many plants. It shows the problems at Quebecor World are pervasive and necessitate a new corporate policy that respects workers' rights." "The GCIU welcomes Quebecor World's announcement yesterday that its chief executive officer is assuming direct control over the company's U.S. operations," Tate added. "We believe this is a positive step that we hope will lead to rectifying the problems at the company's U.S. facilities and resolving its ongoing labor-relations crisis." Quebecor World workers throughout the United States are trying to form a union with the GCIU as part of the Justice@Quebecor campaign. The campaign continues to win growing support from elected officials such as Sen. John Kerry, religious leaders, community leaders, and many of Quebecor's customers. The Justice@Quebecor campaign, launched in December 2003, is an unprecedented effort by Quebecor workers and their unions throughout the world to win basic human rights on the job at Quebecor World's facilities worldwide. These rights, which are enshrined in the conventions and declarations of the International Labor Organization, include the right to organize a union free from management interference, the right to engage in collective bargaining, and the right to a safe and healthy workplace. To obtain copies of the government complaints, or for any additional information, please contact Bernard Pollack at 202-321-2025 or . DATASOURCE: Justice@Quebecor CONTACT: Bernard Pollack, +1-202-321-2025, , for Justice@Quebecor Web site: http://www.justiceatquebecor.org/ http://www.gciu.org/

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