Safeway Continues To Wage War Against Its Own Employees

It’s a sad truth.

Safeway, once a dignified and iconic Alberta brand, continues to pursue high prices for its products while taking the lowest road possible with its own employees.

It’s commonly understood that we are in the middle of an affordability crisis. Many Albertans can’t even get by on a month-to-month basis. These challenges are translating into a mental health crisis as well.

As you know, your union fought for a fair and reasonable wage increase for all employees at Safeway. In response to our efforts and arguments, an arbitrator awarded you those reasonable increases.

However, only top-rated and overscale employees were included. Other employees were left out because Safeway would not agree to extend fair compensation to them.

Since the award, Safeway has fought tooth and nail to challenge the fair compensation ruling. Your union struggles with why they continue to wage this war against their own hardworking employees.

The only thing that appears to stand between some measure of fair play and Safeway’s greed is employees’ commitment to having a strong union.

Why can’t Safeway just let it go? Why can’t they just be kind and generous?

In the communication Safeway distributed on Friday, they even acknowledged the stress that they are causing. Unfortunately, they just don’t seem to care.

Safeway argues that fair wage increases make them uncompetitive. And yet, every Canadian knows they are part of an oligopoly that has driven grocery prices through the roof and is enjoying massive profits.

Safeway seems unhappy that Superstore might pay its employees a little less. However, Superstore is not comparable to a conventional supermarket like Safeway.

In recent times, Safeway has moved upscale. Sobeys has a discount retailer called FreshCo. The only argument that might be made is that Sobeys’ FreshCo stores are now comparable to Superstores that operate in the same discount market.

Incidentally, Local 401 is in the process of pushing Superstore to raise wages and, like Safeway, Superstore could soon face a strike as employees need higher wages to survive during this affordability crisis.

Grocery store economics are in flux. Arguments made today might change in a month.

But one thing is certain, workers in Alberta face the worst version of the affordability crisis in Canada. They need and deserve higher wages — and big corporations can afford to pay.

Ultimately, it seems clear that Safeway doesn’t care about logic. They only care about profits, money, greed, and numbers.

The brutality of threatening and frightening their own employees at a time when workers and society are looking for decency in a very troubled world is startling.

Has Safeway no heart? No sense of decency?

Safeway needs to stop engaging in this kind of behaviour. We really hope they will realize that.

Click the blue button below to see what’s coming.

It is our union’s continued intention to be completely transparent. It’s time to speak truth to power.

Please click here to see Safeway’s recent communication.

This union communication is authored by your union leaders and the union’s Communications Department. We stand by our communication and take responsibility for it.

Who wrote Safeway’s communication? Corporate executives should reveal themselves and face their employees.

The billionaire Sobeys Family — “a family nurturing families”. Do you feel nurtured yet? We are confident they are not feeling the effects of the affordability crisis the way you are.

Posted on: October 20,2024