Safeway Talks Q&A

Q: Why is Safeway rolling back my wages?

A: No matter how you look at it, they are greedy, and they don’t care about you. They are a very wealthy company worth billions of dollars. They can afford, at the very least, to pay you what they have been paying you.

Due to your union’s efforts, raises started to flow to top-rate and overscale employees in the summer of 2023. The Company has been paying them ever since. To take them away now is mean-spirited and cruel.

Q: Has Safeway engaged in bullying?

A: Yes. To use an example we’ve seen on the news, Donald Trump said he was going to impose 25% tariffs on Canada to cause chaos, anxiety, and pain. Then he retreated, trying to extract things from Canada.

Sobeys managers and others said your wages would be garnished. Now you’re going to receive a letter in the mail that will say no such thing. It will say that Sobeys is now prepared to wait, but still indicate you owe them money.

Like all bullies, they want you to live with fear and anxiety. They want to let you know who is the boss and who has power over you.

Q: Do I need to support my coworkers and my union right now?

A: Bargaining will start again. Sobeys created a cloud of confusion. They like to talk about labour relations technicalities and get you to turn on each other and your union.

But you know that when push comes to shove, none of that matters. What matters is that you need a raise. What matters is that you deserve a raise. And what matters is that they can afford to give you a raise. But you’re going to have to fight for it.

The best way to do that is with each other through your union. Candidly, if you think you can get a better deal as an individual, then send an email to Sobeys and ask them for more money. Please let us all know what the response is!

But, seriously, it’s time for unity. Just as Canadians need to be more unified than ever in global trade negotiations, workers need to be more unified than ever in fighting to ensure that workplaces are fair.

Q: Will my union recommence an advertising and public relations campaign?

A: Yes. Through our polling, Safeway members have told us by a 90% margin to do so. In one of the biggest lies that Sobeys tells you, they say they have no choice but to roll back your wages. They had a choice to give you pandemic pay. And then they had a choice to take it away.

Your union contract says that your wages are minimums. The Company can and has paid over and above that if they choose to.  There is no legal decision or rationale for them to attack the livelihood of you and your family during an affordability crisis.

If someone is left without a choice, it is you. That’s why you have asked your union to fight back. Our new campaign will be even harder hitting now.