Unifor kicks off grocery talks with 100 per cent strike vote by ‘fed up’ workers

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TORONTO — Grocery workers are more determined than ever to achieve higher wages and better working conditions, Unifor says, as it approaches a two-year bargaining period on more than a dozen collective agreements.

Negotiations will begin next week for a contract covering 3,700 metro workers across the Greater Toronto Area, who –

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In an unusual move – it has already voted 100 per cent in favor of striking if no deal is reached.

The vote to strike sends a strong signal not just to Metro, but to all three grocery giants, that their workers are fed up, said Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president.

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“We need to send a very serious signal and message to the supermarket barons that workers deserve a cut of those profits, that they deserve better pay, better working conditions and more full-time jobs,” she said.

We want to achieve important gains in this round of bargaining. We feel like we’re in a good place to do that.”

The union said Unifor represents more than 11,000 grocery workers in major grocery stores across Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Payne said the next collective agreement to bargain will be for Loblaw workers in Newfoundland and Labrador this fall.

Payne said workers have seen the quality of their jobs erode over time, as inflation eroded their wages even as groceries posted healthy profits.

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The pandemic has highlighted how important grocery workers can be, Pine said, noting that many of them were given their so-called “hero wages” early on only to take it away – something that GTA Metro worker Courteney Cook said “felt like a slap in the face.” “

“This is our first bargain since the pandemic,” Cook said. “A lot of things changed during the pandemic, and we were considered essential workers. So I think everyone is frustrated that our salaries don’t reflect that kind of situation.”

Payne said Unifor held a national strategy session in May to set its bargaining priorities in the grocery sector, which the union hopes to establish a pattern and gain momentum with its first round in Metro. She said those priorities include significant pay improvements, greater access to better health benefits, the elimination of pay disparities, and more full-time work and job protections for workers affected by technological changes.

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Major grocery stores came under public scrutiny as inflation soared across Canada last year, reaching more than eight percent last June as the cost of basic necessities rose. Grocery store executives spoke earlier this year before a parliamentary committee examining grocery prices, denying accusations that food price inflation was driven by profit-making.

But accusations of profiteering aside, the grocers were turning a profit. Empire Company Ltd. reported. On Thursday, it reported a profit of $182.9 million in the most recent quarter, compared to $178.5 million a year ago. In its most recent earnings report, Loblaw reported a profit of $418 million in the first quarter, down from $437 million last year when the company saw a one-time gain from a court ruling. Metro reported second-quarter earnings of $218.8 million, up from $198.1 million a year earlier.

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Payne said Unifor is determined to get workers a bigger slice of that pie.

“It’s really hard to put everything we’ve got into this company. And we’re not getting back what we feel we deserve,” Cook said.

In addition to better wages, Cook said she wants to see jobs at Metro become more stable, giving workers more predictable hours so they can better prioritize their families and lives outside of work.

She said the 100 percent strike shows workers are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they deserve, and she believes grocery store workers across the country will approach the negotiating table with the same kind of determination.

Payne believes that the pandemic has made Canadians more aware of grocery workers and what they face, and that this will translate into public support and sympathy as workers negotiate with groceries.

“They risked their health and safety every day to go to work that in many cases did not pay them a decent wage,” she said.

“That’s enough here. We have to make good improvements in this collective agreement, and the determination of our members is very strong. And I think this vote to strike clearly shows that they are willing to fight if they need to.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 22, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX: MRU)

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