URGENT UNION SURVEY… ON STRIKE AT SAFEWAY?
Safeway asks to go to the bargaining table early. What should your union do?
Sobeys/Safeway has written to Local 401 saying they will take away the Wage Reopener raises for top-rate and overscale employees on January 26, 2025, unless negotiations commence early.
It seems as though they are also threatening to try to recoup the money. They are not promising to keep the wage increases in place if we agree to early bargaining.
Safeway indicates that they want to extend the union contract and have a narrow focus in negotiations. We are left with many questions and concerns.
Click here to take our survey on early bargaining and a potential strike
More threats and intimidation
Safeway is threatening you. They promise nothing.
There is nothing wrong with meetings to discuss workplace issues. But Safeway wants to hold a gun to your head to get an early deal without you having the right to strike.
In Alberta, the right to strike does not occur until a union contract has expired and you are in the actual process of bargaining. Safeway wants to skip that process and coerce a deal before then.
Some will argue that we should go to the table early to commence discussions and that no deal can be concluded without ratification. If a deal is not concluded, then we can simply proceed to normal bargaining next year.
President Hesse responds
There are a lot of questions and a lot of maybes. Yesterday, Sobeys sent you a letter they submitted to your Union President.
Local 401 is proceeding with a variety of legal actions against Sobeys.
We are challenging their threats and intimidation against you, reviewing options to appeal the judicial decision reversing the Wage Reopener award to preserve and protect those increases, and challenging their inaction on customer rudeness and abuse, among other issues.
We will continue updating you on developments around these issues as they unfold. While there are many complicated moving parts to our legal efforts and the outcomes we may realize are uncertain, our commitment to being transparent and making sure you know where things stand will not waver.
But the question still needs to be asked: should we meet with Sobeys before the contract expires?
Under Alberta law, we can give notice to commence negotiations next February and normal bargaining would commence after that.
We will do what you instruct us to do.
Your opinion matters very much. Your anxiety must be through the roof.
For many of you, the wage increases you fought for and won are being jeopardized as your bills keep piling up.
It would seem that there is no clear strategic advantage to any course of action at this point.
Weighing our options
Some members would be understandably nervous about going to bargaining early without being able to threaten a legal strike and without knowing what Sobeys has up its sleeve.
Others might be anxious to go to the table to have employee demands heard as soon as possible and to put workers’ issues under Sobeys’ nose promptly.
It is important to note that Sobeys has offered nothing in exchange for going to the bargaining table early.
They have not said they will raise wages for workers who did not receive a raise. They have not said they will increase wages for top-rated or overscale employees, or even allow those employees to keep what increases they have already won.
Sobeys has not said they will give employees the hours they need in order to make a living. They have not offered to improve funding for benefit plans.
There will be unknowns in bargaining next year. There are unknowns if we engage in early bargaining as well.
Anger, fear, and frustration
We are unsure what Sobeys is hinting at. However, there is no guarantee that raises for top-rate and overscale employees won’t be gone on January 26, 2025, or earlier no matter what course we pursue.
Some employees want to tell Sobeys to get lost simply because they are angry. This approach is understandable as Safeway has engaged in a pattern of threats and intimidation.
In fact, some believe that Safeway officials are acting like terrorists, and we should not agree to their request for early bargaining with a knife to our throat. As the saying goes, you don’t negotiate with terrorists.
Bargaining strong together
All of this being said, there continues to be one important guiding principle we must bear in mind. Whether you ask us to go to the bargaining table early or not, it is critical that we bargain from a position of strength.
Many employees have asked us to ensure that when we walk into any meetings with Sobeys management, the solidarity of Safeway union members is clearly behind union negotiators.
As such, we will be asking you two questions in our survey:
- Should we make efforts to go to the bargaining table early?
- We will also be asking if you are prepared to take a strike vote and, if necessary, strike for a fair contract.
It is crucial that you answer these two questions for us.
Click here to take our survey on early bargaining and a potential strike.
Before you take our survey, we again urge you to read President Hesse’s response to Sobeys’ letter.
President Hesse’s response is a careful and considered reply to Sobeys’ threats and he hopes it will help to give you some reassurance as we navigate this difficult circumstance.
Click here to read President Hesse’s letter.
“Our union does what our members tell us to do,” says Secretary Treasurer Richelle Stewart. “You are the union, and you direct our most important decisions.”
If you ask us to attempt early negotiations, and even if you don’t, we will nonetheless continue preparing for bargaining. Soon we will be asking you for your proposals for a new union contract.
Regardless, know that your union has your back. We will keep fighting to protect your interests from Sobeys’ continued arrogance and shameful behaviour.
In solidarity,
Thomas Hesse, President
Richelle Stewart, Secretary Treasurer
UFCW Local 401
Posted on: November 04,2024