Sofina Calgary: Your Union Continues to Fight For You!
Disputes Are Ongoing at the Alberta Labour Relations Board; Here’s What You Need to Know
Dear Sofina Calgary Members:
We wanted to update you on how things currently stand between your union and the employer, and how we’re continuing to fight for you and the fair deal you deserve.
We have been in bargaining with Sofina Foods at your workplace since October of 2025. From the outset, we have made it clear that the company needs to address their workers’ needs and concerns, particularly in view of the extraordinary profitability of the poultry industry and the urgent affordability crisis that faces their employees.
THE FIRST TWO VOTES
Voting in February on what the company was then calling its “final offer.”
In February and again in May, we held votes on two offers from Sofina. The first one, which they were already calling their “final” offer even then, was rejected by 99% of voters. The second, despite some improvements, was rejected by a 93% margin.
The reasons for those rejections were simple: even the improved offer did not address all of employees’ concerns. The wage increase wasn’t enough — especially given the six-year length of the contract in a risky environment — and there were issues of union representation, scheduling, and adequate support for the Education & Training Fund that needed to be resolved.
Between the two votes, we had to campaign to get the employer back to the negotiating table after they prematurely requested a mediator — before they had made a real effort to negotiate with your union — and they even pointedly refused to assure your union that there would be no lockout. We began at that time to look carefully at strike preparedness and the possibility of taking a strike vote. That’s something that could still prove necessary in the future.
THE THIRD & FOURTH VOTES
Members at a pre-vote information meeting.
We went into mediation with the company and got a new offer from them in early June. That offer was largely the same as the previous one, with the exception that it removed a possible proposed Thursday to Saturday shift and some proposed changes to overtime that members had been concerned about.
The question remained as to whether this would sufficiently address member concerns to get the agreement ratified. But when we conducted our third vote, something very curious happened.
As we counted the votes, we could see that there was no clear outcome. We couldn’t say that the company’s offer had been either ratified or rejected. More disturbing, though, was that as we investigated events surrounding this vote, some Sofina workers told us that the Company had directly tried to influence the vote and get people to vote “yes.”
Even as many Sofina workers made it clear that they would support another vote away from the workplace and the eyes of management, the employer tried to simply press forward and implement a contract that they claimed was now ratified. They also went to the Alberta Labour Relations Board to try to block your union from taking another vote.
They lost, we held the vote, and the result was yet another decisive rejection of the offer. With about 350 people voting, Sofina workers voted NO by a margin of 76%.
Your union demanded that the company pay you the retro pay they promised: simply because this was the right thing to do and, frankly, it was the least they could do given the stress they had put employees through. We were very clear that this did not mean the offer was ratified. After four votes, the members’ answer remains clear: the company just needs to do better.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
Your union has filed several Unfair Labour Practice Complaints against the company for bargaining in bad faith, failing to make reasonable efforts to enter into a collective agreement, and interfering with your right to be represented by your union.
The Company has also filed a complaint against your union, attempting to claim that your union acted improperly and that their offer should be treated as ratified. Your union is strongly disputing that complaint, and the Alberta Labour Relations Board’s ruling will determine when (or if) we go back to the negotiating table, or whether we need to take a strike vote.
We will keep you up to date about that process as we have new information.
In the meantime, your union is still investigating the very disturbing reports of company intimidation that surrounded that strange third vote. If you felt intimidated by the Company — or that management tried to influence you or someone you know — you can still be part of that investigation. Just click here to fill out our investigation survey.
If you have other questions or feedback, let us know! You can contact your ULRO, Jeff Ible, at [email protected] or by phone at 587-583-1501.
In solidarity,
Your Union
UFCW Local 401
President Hesse and Secretary-Treasurer Stewart join members at Sofina Calgary.
Posted on: September 02,2026