401 MEMBERS AT CANADA MALTING STAND UP AND VOTE 97% IN FAVOUR OF GOING ON STRIKE!
UFCW Local 401 members at Canada Malting have delivered a clear mandate: 97 % in favour of a strike authorization. This overwhelming result sends a strong message: our members are united, serious, and ready to press for a fair deal.
Who are the workers behind Canada Malting?
Located in Calgary, Canada Malting is one of the country’s largest malt producers, supplying the essential ingredient that gives beer its body and flavour to breweries across Canada and around the world.
UFCW Local 401 members at the plant handle everything from grain inspection and quality control to processing, packaging, and shipping, ensuring the smooth transformation of prairie barley into malt that fuels one of Canada’s most iconic industries. Their skill, precision, and commitment keep the brewing industry thriving.
A company with deep pockets and global backing
Canada Malting is now part of Malteries Soufflet, which became the world’s largest maltster following its $1.5 billion acquisition of United Malt Group in November 2023. Malteries Soufflet itself is owned by the French agricultural giant InVivo Group, a cooperative with annual revenue of nearly $14 billion.
Backed by powerful financial partners who have collectively invested over $1.15 billion in the malting business, this is not a company struggling to make ends meet. Canada Malting’s parent company clearly has the financial capacity to offer fair wages and working conditions that reflect the value of its workforce.
When workers at the Calgary plant ask for a contract that respects their labour, they ask a global industry leader with deep resources and ambitious expansion plans to share success more fairly with the people who make it possible.
What does a strike vote mean?
A strong strike vote doesn’t necessarily mean a strike will happen. It’s a show of strength that tells the employer our members are united and serious about achieving a fair contract.
“When workers stand together and vote overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate, it gives the bargaining committee the power to negotiate from a position of strength,” says President Thomas Hesse of UFCW Local 401. “It’s about respect, fair wages, and ensuring the company’s success is shared with the people who make it possible.”
“Your union is proud of the solidarity shown by Canada Malting’s employees,”adds Secretary-Treasurer Richelle Stewart. “Your unity is your power, and your message is being heard loud and clear.”
The bargaining process so far
We will be returning to the bargaining table with the assistance of a federal Conciliator on October 15th and 16th. When that Conciliator is appointed, we will enter a 21-day period during which we cannot strike, and the employer cannot lock out the membership.
This means the earliest that strike action could occur would be around the start of November. We hope to have an improved offer for the membership to vote on following negotiations on October 15th and 16th. Certainly, this strong strike vote will be useful as a demonstration of our unity as we go into those sessions.
If members at Canada Malting feel that the offer coming out of those negotiations will not meet their needs, we will work with them to time and plan the start of strike action.
A bit of history & strike precedents
Employers who have behaved unfairly have faced strong labour resistance in this industry before.
In August 2010, for example, 69 UFCW Local 1118 members at a Canada Malting facility in Calgary went on strike after rejecting the company’s final offer. Similarly, in December 2010, 22 UFCW Local 832 members in Winnipeg, working at a malting plant, struck in defense of contract terms.
Those past strikes remind us that when workers are organized, we can resist concessions and defend standards.
Mobilized, united, and ready to go
This 97 % vote isn’t just symbolic. It shows Canada Malting’s workforce is mobilized, united, and ready. It gives the bargaining committee a rock‐solid mandate to bargain tough and to prepare our members for whatever comes next.
A strike vote is not a decision to walk off tomorrow. It’s a preparation, a warning, and a demonstration of strength. The employer needs to know: we’re serious. We’re watching the company’s books, and we know how value is built. If they don’t show willingness to make real improvements, our members are ready to stand firm in solidarity.
In Solidarity,
Your Union
UFCW Local 401
Posted on: October 17,2025