SAFEWAY BARGAINING – We were expecting a fight and we got one…
Record profits vs. shameful proposals
Empire Co., the parent company of Sobeys, is raking in billions in revenue while Safeway workers like you keep the stores running, Anna.
Last quarter, Empire reported revenue of C$7.64 billion and net earnings of C$173 million.
Instead of sharing those gains with the employees who make this success possible, the company came to the table with a package tailor-made for rejection: full of concessions and takeaways, and offering nothing at all for workers.
No wage increases, no restoration of cuts, and no recognition of the essential work you do every day. NOTHING.
A POWERFUL FIRST DAY AT THE TABLE
Safeway Bargaining Committee members wearing orange shirts and accompanied by locked-out Sobeys warehouse workers at the beginning of negotiations.
The first day of bargaining made one thing clear: Safeway workers showed up strong and united.
By scheduling bargaining on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sobeys treated September 30 like just another day at the office. Business as usual.
For workers, however, it is a solemn day of remembrance and commitment to change. At the bargaining table, the contrast was striking.
Thirty-six Bargaining Committee members and 21 observers filled the space with energy and determination, while Sobeys sent five company representatives. The power imbalance wasn’t in numbers; it was also in spirit. Your Bargaining Committee is made up of Safeway workers just like you, standing up for every member at the table.
The room was filled with strength, solidarity, and the knowledge that more than 7,000 Safeway members stand behind their Bargaining Committee.
Our allies from Sobeys Warehouse Operations, currently locked out by Sobeys at the Rocky View warehouse, joined us at the table. Their presence was a living example of what solidarity means.
When one group of workers stands up to Sobeys’ corporate greed, others rise with them. Together, we send a message: this fight is bigger than one workplace, it’s about fairness for all workers.
Sobeys Warehouse workers, currently locked-out by Sobeys, attended the first day of Safeway bargaining in a sign of solidarity.
To honour the day, Indigenous union member, Ron Klassen, opened bargaining with a smudging ceremony, while union members wore orange shirts.
President of UFCW Local 401, Thomas Hesse, set the tone for negotiations by directly confronting the company’s lack of respect. Hesse reminded Sobeys that good corporations honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; they don’t bargain on it.
Hesse demanded that the company show genuine respect by embedding a land acknowledgment into the collective agreement and by committing to make September 30 a paid statutory holiday for Safeway workers.
But President Hesse didn’t stop there. He spoke to the heart of what this fight is about: people.
“People matter. People need to feel like they matter. And people just need to get by,” said Hesse, pointing out that Sobeys profits from selling the very essentials of life: food.
“You sell what makes us live. You sell food. You have a pronounced corporate responsibility to society, workers, and customers. This work is noble; it is essential. And when you have a union, the union matters.”
Finally, President Hesse drew a line in the sand.
If Sobeys thinks it can misrepresent what happens at the table through its Safeway Talks memos, or if it pushes workers to the brink, they will find themselves facing united resistance.
From the very first minutes of bargaining, the message was unmistakable: these workers are strong and will not be intimidated into concessions.
WHAT THE COMPANY WANTS
Sobeys came to the table with a list of demands that would cut pay, reduce benefits, and strip protections from Safeway workers.
Their proposals are 71 proposals in total that include:
- Slashing the stat pay from 2x to 1.5x.
- Extending probation from 200 hours to 320 hours.
- Increasing outsourcing, allowing five more vendors to stock shelves, meaning fewer hours for Safeway workers, or even job losses.
- Deleting the WCB top-up.
- Cutting benefits, including hearing aids.
- Introducing part-time co-pays for Health and Welfare plans.
- Excluding a long list of job positions from union protections.
When President Hesse asked the company representatives what business pressures or challenges triggered such a harsh offer, his questions were dismissed.
The company kept repeating their proposals without meaningful explanation, giving no real justification for these takeaways.
“We asked them straight: what’s driving this? Is there a business rationale, a financial necessity? They just kept spouting intangible terms like ‘competitive disadvantage’ and going on about their proposals. It’s clear that we’re focused on people, while they can only focus on their profits.”
UFCW Local 401 President, Thomas Hesse giving opening remarks at the Safeway bargaining table.
You can read the full Company’s offer currently on the table and judge for yourself.
Would you agree to this deal?
OUR PRIORITIES VS. WHAT THE COMPANY PROPOSED
Safeway workers’ priorities haven’t changed since December. They remain urgent, clear, and rooted in what members told us matters most.
At the heart of your proposals is fairness: fair wages that keep up with the affordability crisis, fair benefits that protect workers, fair and meaningful acknowledgement of Truth and Reconciliation with September 30 as a paid holiday, and a reminder that Sobeys’ massive profits should not come at the expense of the people who make their stores run.
We’re also fighting to lift the cap on full-time jobs so more workers can build stability, to make transfers and shift-picking fairer and more flexible, and to secure stronger benefits.
That means ensuring part-time and full-time members have equal access to the same high standard of benefits, eliminating caps on prescription coverage, and properly funding dental and health plans so they never fall behind or get cut back.
These proposals are about stability, fairness, and respect – about making Safeway a workplace where workers can thrive, not just get by.
Yet the company’s proposals ignore these priorities. There is no restoration of lost wages, no meaningful improvements to wage progression, and no commitment to fair full-time employment. Benefits remain underfunded, prescription coverage is still capped, and dental and health plans are not guaranteed.
This contrast highlights why solidarity is so important. Safeway workers know what’s fair, and your Bargaining Committee is fighting for every member’s future.
Want to see the full list of proposals your Bargaining Committee has advanced on your behalf?
WHERE WE STAND
The gap between what workers need and what Sobeys is offering makes one thing clear: this round of bargaining is going to be tough.
But UFCW Local 401 Secretary Treasurer, Richelle Stewart, reminded us why we can succeed:
“Now is the time to stick to one another. This is going to be the fight of our lives. The gap between what workers need and what this company is offering shows how tough this round is going to be. The only way we win is by uniting our membership and showing our strength, with strong, overwhelming strike votes. We see it everywhere: teachers, postal workers, flight attendants, government workers, and healthcare workers. People have had enough. Now it’s time for grocery workers.”
Your Bargaining Committee is ready to stand firm, fight together, and show strength at every step.
Next round of bargaining is set in Edmonton Oct. 21 – 23
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Safeway workers are strongest when we act together. Here’s how you can stay informed and get involved:
- Check the bargaining website for proposals and updates: gounion.ca/safewaybargaining2025
- Talk to your colleagues: stay connected, share what you learn, and build unity.
- Read the company’s proposal so you know exactly what’s at stake.
- Next week, you’ll be able to listen to our new podcast, Voices of 401, for a summary update from the bargaining table.
- Follow us on social media for real-time updates and solidarity stories.
- Come to the Bargaining Table! We believe in open bargaining, and if you are interested in observing the negotiations, contact your ULRO or send an email to ufcw@ufcw401.ab.ca
Together, we can show Sobeys that grocery workers won’t settle for less than what they deserve.
In Solidarity,
Your Union Bargaining Committee:
Adeel Kiani, Calgary, Store 8831
Mairi Kennedy, Grande Prairie, Store 8871
Charmaine Sealy, Edmonton, Store 8921
Fred Newbold, Edmonton, Store 8855
Nicole Johnson, Edmonton, Store 8891M
James Williamson, Wetaskiwin, Store 8899
Rose Ann Moreno, Chestermere, Store 8991
Carla Correia, Edmonton, Store 8879
Deborah Cadmus, Chestermere, Store 8991
Rose Boyd, Edmonton, Store 8891
Alasdair Gillespie, Calgary, Store 8916
Savannah Doherty, Canmore, Store 8919
Faith Bergman, Calgary, Store 8903
Kevin Ali, Calgary, Store 8842
Tracy Matheson, Lethbridge, Store 8854
Nate LeBlanc-Fortin, Calgary, Store 8823
Cameron Hemenway, Calgary, Store 8809
Dawn Ward, Edmonton, Store 8880
Harvey Carson-Guillery, Calgary, Store 8809M
Linda Travers, Hinton, Store 8887
Margaret Macaulay, St Albert, Store 8863
Moira Finnigan, Calgary, Store 8833
Sinisa Meic, Spruce Grove, Store 8897
Teresa Kuefler, Camrose, Store 8883
James Protsack, Edmonton, Store 8886
Matthew Fawns, Calgary, Store 8998
Justin Daenckaert, Brooks, Store 8896
Karamjit Ryan, Edmonton, Store 8906
Catherine Eden, Edmonton, Store 8895M
Blaine Desrochers, Hinton, Store 8887
Danielle Nanooch, Edmonton, Store 8900
Chris O’Halloran, UFCW Local 401
Aaron Goguen, UFCW Local 401
April Albrecht, UFCW Local 401
Posted on: October 15,2025