Union says there will be an Alberta Superstore strike if Loblaws doesn’t take lower wages and working hours off the bargaining table. A UFCW holding balloons during “Fairness Day,” organized by the AFL Saturday in Edmonton. Photo: Alberta Federation of Labour
Loblaws says it continues to negotiate in good faith to avoid Alberta Superstore strike
There will be an Alberta Superstore strike if management doesn’t drop its unreasonable demand for lower wages and working hours, says the Alberta Federation of Labour.
Union leaders representing more than 250,000 Alberta workers say they will ask their members not to shop at Loblaws-owned grocery stories if a “reasonable” offer is not made to Superstore workers.
In a letter to Loblaws CEO Galen Weston Jr., presidents of the Alberta Federation of Labour, United Nurses of Alberta, Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees urged the grocery chain to present a reasonable offer to the 8,500 UFCW workers at the province’s Superstores, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers.
“In the event of a strike, we will communicate our concerns about your company’s labour relations practices to our members and actively encourage them to not shop at Superstore until a fair agreement has been reached,” said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
“In an economy as vibrant as Alberta’s, there is simply no excuse to shortchange the employees whose efforts make your business thrive.”
Members of UFCW locals in Alberta and Saskatchewan voted 97 per cent to approve an Alberta Superstore strike action after negotiations broke off in September. Loblaws was offering wage cuts up to 40 per cent and reductions in hours.
Superstore workers across the Prairies are set to walk off the job Sunday midnight if an agreement cannot be reached, according to the AFL.
Loblaws released a statement Sunday, saying it believes the two parties are making progress at the bargaining table and continue to negotiate in good faith. Loblaws noted that it has already reached tentative agreements with the leaderships of UFCW local 832 in Manitoba and UFCW local 1400 in Saskatchewan on Sept. 26, and on Oct. 3 respectively.
“We are hopeful of reaching a settlement in the near future that reflects a sustainable business model needed to support our colleagues and serve our customers,” the company said.
“We understand that the retail market is competitive, but it is also profitable – especially here in booming Alberta,” McGowan said.
“Instead of joining the pack in a race to the bottom, you can stand out from the pack by being a good employer and a better corporate citizen.”
At a press availability outside the Superstore at 4821 Calgary Trail N.W., Edmonton, representatives of the largest unions in the province noted that the Loblaws Corporation has enjoyed a banner year, has spent billions on growing their retail empire, but are being stingy with staff.
“My guess is that you and your senior management team have concluded that, order to maintain your market share and afford moves like your recent purchase of the Shoppers chain, you have no choice but to engage in the race to the bottom being led by companies like Walmart,” McGowan noted.
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