Thousands of customers respond to your union’s television ad campaign!
The number just keeps going up…
Thousands of Safeway customers are connecting with us as a result of the television ad campaign we launched yesterday. And they are expressing their support for you!
Click here to watch the television ad!
At FairCheckout.ca, customers are letting us know that they are seeing and hearing the voices of Safeway workers. Your ad campaign is gaining momentum as customers say no to grocery greed and yes to fair checkout for everyone.
(Click the image to see a larger version).
Not every customer who comes into your store is going to express support for your cause or appreciate things like union television ads. We all know there are anti-union people in Alberta and individuals who will not respect you or the importance of your fight.
But the feedback we’ve received is that they are in the minority! Most customers are just like you — struggling to get by and fed up with Safeway’s grocery greed.
80% of Safeway employees are telling us that they are going to say no to the Company’s offer.
In truth, the offer locks you into a four-year contract that will not meet your economic needs and drags you further into the ditch of the affordability crisis.
That’s not good enough and you deserve better.
What’s missing from the Company’s offer?
There are no raises at all for thousands of employees.
Economists say that senior employees need 5% per year over the next two years just to hold on to the standard of living they had in 2020. In-scale employees need 5% retroactively in each of 2023 and 2024 on top of that.
The Company is proposing a wage freeze for the next two years. Does that seem good enough?
After threatening to close stores or convert them to FreshCo’s, Safeway wants you to sign a deal that lacks any guarantee that your store will continue to exist.
Your union has asked the Company to guarantee existing Safeway stores won’t close or be converted. But that guarantee is not in their offer.
That’s the underlying theme of Safeway’s offer if you look at it closely. It isn’t about what’s in there, it’s about what isn’t.
There is no mechanism to increase hours for part-time employees who desperately need them. There are no real improvements or added funding for benefit plans to ensure they are secure and solid into the future.
The mental health crisis we all face is not addressed. Safeway’s EAP program has significant deficiencies that the Company refuses to address.
There is a growing worry and anxiety among Safeway employees that voting yes will result in another four years of feeling trapped in a deficient contract.
Click here to watch our television ad that is airing across the province right now!
Is it time to push back or time to surrender?
The wishes of those who want to vote yes must be respected. Many likely have valid reasons to vote in that fashion.
But your union understands that most Safeway workers are fed up with the Company’s bullying tactics. Many say they are not willing to accept Safeway’s offer and want to fight back.
And mounting feedback from customers is that they are tired of Safeway’s grocery greed as well. They support your fight for fair checkout that benefits everyone.
Weighing your options
It is important that you make a careful and considered decision on this vote. We urge you to listen to your union’s telephone town hall on January 20, 2025, at 7:00 PM before you make your decision.
If you live in Edmonton or Calgary, come out to the in-person meetings we’ll be having in those cities on January 18 and 19, 2025, respectively (more information to follow).
Click here to watch the television ad!
Reach out and connect with a union representative to have a full discussion about the issues you face. Talk to your coworkers and the Safeway members we will have coming to stores to give you information.
You should also read “Safeway Talks.” But do so with an abundance of caution.
Safeway wants to sell you on surrendering. That may be in their interest, but it is very likely not in yours.
Posted on: January 07,2025