THE LATEST SAFEWAY BARGAINING NEWS

Safeway EXPOSED. Union forces Sobeys to reveal who they really are.

As your union prepares and finalizes its notice to commence bargaining with Sobeys for Alberta Safeway stores, Sobeys is boxing themselves in and revealing their real intentions, CAM HOA.

When bargaining commences under the Labour Relations Code, employers are required to disclose their plans for the business. Feeling the squeeze, Sobeys has not only announced the conversion of two stores next March, but they are also talking about converting eight more stores into discount FreshCo’s.

Disturbingly, just yesterday Sobeys wrote to employees talking about their commitment to the Safeway brand in Alberta. This announcement just one day later does not instill confidence in that commitment.

Consequently, it is of little surprise that union polling reveals job security as a key issue for Safeway workers. What good is a raise if your store is converted to a FreshCo?

It is also no surprise that over 90% of senior employees are looking for a buyout that is unqualified and without restrictions. Why do they want to get out? They don’t trust Sobeys anymore and have no confidence in the Company’s ability to operate the premium banner for which they have long worked.

It is now little wonder why a majority of Safeway employees rejected the Company’s offer to maintain an arbitration-won wage increase. They rejected the Company offer because it promised no job security.

Again, a wage increase is of no value if your store is closed or converted to a discount FreshCo with much lower terms of employment.

In the coming days, we will provide you with a copy of our notice to commence bargaining with Sobeys. The stakes are going to be high as employees confront the affordability crisis, their economic well-being, and apparently the future of their jobs.

Your union will offer every support throughout this process.

If stores close or are converted, there are special provisions in your contract to offer options for your future. At places like Zellers and The Bay, employees are simply walked out the door. They have no options and no opportunity to fight back.

Some employees who voted no to the Company offer may feel vindicated by this recent announcement. But this is not a time to say I told you so. It is a time to build solidarity for the fight ahead.

That is a fight we can win together.

If there is one thing you will know from the last number of months, it is that Local 401 is a fighting union. We will stand our ground and will not back down.

We are confident that loyal Safeway customers will not go to discount FreshCo stores if they believe that Safeway workers have been treated unfairly or sold out by the Sobeys Family.   

Click here to read Sobeys’ communication.

It is unfortunately true that the discount market has grown as most customers struggle with the affordability crisis. But we firmly believe that Sobeys can find a balanced approach to their business where higher-end stores like Safeway stores can prosper.

Sobeys’ history of business decisions has been questionable, and their current approach is deeply out of balance. There is a more sensible path forward available.

Your union looks forward to advancing our arguments and attempting to steer toward that path at the bargaining table.

Local 401 launches new television advertising campaign for Safeway workers…

Union keeps up public relations pressure on Sobeys ahead of bargaining.

Local 401 will be serving Sobeys with a notice to bargain very soon. In anticipation of that bargaining, your union has launched a new television advertising campaign to keep the public relations pressure up on Sobeys.

“These ads are running to send a message to Sobeys about the elephant in the room,” says UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “When it comes to their Safeway stores, the Company’s business model is out of balance and headed in the wrong direction.”

“Sobeys needs to restore the trust of their employees and customers alike,” adds Hesse.

The campaign is a multi-week, high-budget advertising initiative designed to keep talking to customers about the challenges that Safeway workers face as we prepare for formal negotiations with Sobeys. Unlike last year, those negotiations will be subject to the requirements and obligations of the Alberta Labour Relations Code.

As the ad notes, Sobeys has a history of questionable business decisions. In 2016, the Financial Post wrote a scathing review of Sobeys’ purchase of Safeway:

Secretary Treasurer Richelle Stewart clarifies that the new ad is for more than just the union’s Safeway members.

“The ad sends a strong message to all the employers with whom we negotiate that we will advance the case of workers in the court of public opinion,” concludes Stewart. “Whether you work at Superstore, Cargill, Olymel, JBS, or elsewhere, your union will leverage our bargaining strength through public relations wherever necessary and appropriate.”