Sobeys Liquor Leduc: Case of the Missing Wage Increases…

The union will be going into mediation with the company soon for a new and improved offer!

The reason for this is quite simply that the last offer the company provided was missing something very crucial: wage increases. To put it more precisely, the offer barely addressed the issue and in doing so proposed wage increases that were shockingly small, totaling no more than $0.65 per hour for top-rate employees by the 2024 anniversary of the present agreement’s ratification. For non top-rate employees, the most on the table was to be credited with enough hours to move to the next-higher rung on the current wage scale.

Needless to say, the Bargaining Committee cannot accept this stance. Any new agreement reached must take into account the realities of the affordability crisis that each of our members face every day.

“Frankly, it’s nothing less than an insult to call what was in the company’s last offer by the name of ‘wage increases,'” said President Thomas Hesse of UFCW Local 401. “This is especially true now that we find ourselves in the midst of an affordability crisis. That crisis is very real, its impact on our members’ physical and mental health and well-being is very real, and Sobeys needs to put real money on the table to address it.”

“We are fighting for all our members to have wages that meet their needs in the current environment,” added Richelle Stewart, Secretary Treasurer of Local 401. “When we say we’re trying to ‘stop the squeeze,’ that isn’t just a slogan. It is a firm commitment that governs how we tackle bargaining and mediation with employers.”  

The first session of mediation with the Company will take place in Calgary from October 8th to 10th. 

You can click here to see a video about the mediation process.

We will keep you updated as the process continues!

In solidarity,

Your Union
UFCW Local 401

Posted on: September 24,2024