On September 24th, 2021, UFCW Local 401, the province's largest private-sector union said that 97 per cent of their members who are employees of Superstore voted in favor of strike action.
 
Scott Payne, the Union's Labor Relations Officer, said that superstore workers have been at the bargaining table for several months and the offers that are being presented are simply unacceptable to the union members.
 
"During the pandemic, they [superstore employees] were deemed essential. They rose to the occasion, they went into work every day, they were dealing with the public," he said "They had to fight for minimal health and safety precautions to try and limit their exposure to the virus."
 
There are 40 Superstores in Alberta, and over 30 had COVID-19 outbreaks.
 
"We had some Superstore members who passed away as a result of being exposed to COVID," Payne said. 
 
Payne stressed that while there is no singular point of contention, there is a sense that superstore employees are simply not being recognized for the sacrifices they have made over the course of the pandemic. 
 
"In any negotiation, workers are always going to be looking for wage increases," Payne said. "There are issues around wage increases, issues around benefits, issues around scheduling, there are a variety of other issues that are department-specific."
 
Payne said one of the most frustrating things that have been born of the negotiations with Superstore, is that the company is not giving a sound reason for rejecting the demands of its employees.
 
"Frankly, they [Superstore] made money hand over fist over the course of the pandemic," he said.
 
According to a press release from February 24th, 2021, Loblaw's, the parent company of Superstore stated that "Revenue was $12,408 million. This represented an increase of $818 million, or 7.1% when compared to the fourth quarter of 2019." The report goes on to say that the company spent approximately $42 million in COVID-19 related costs, 'to ensure the safety and security of customers and colleagues.'
 
Payne said that increase in revenue was in part due to the fact that over the course of the pandemic, the public was urged to stay at home, therefore people spent less money on eating out and more money on groceries and online food shopping. 
 
"The argument around why they can't meet the very modest requests of their employees; they haven't given a good reason."
 
The strike action vote does not necessarily mean a strike will commence immediately. Payne explained that there is another round of negotiations scheduled for this week. 
 
"When the company makes its final offer, we'll put that offer in front of our Superstore workers and they will have a decision to make," Payne said. 
 
If workers do reject the offer, then it will be a matter of initiating job action. Payne added that under Alberta law, 72-hour notice must be given to the employer before any strike starts. He said that it is not yet certain what form this strike may take.
 
"I can tell you from a consumer perspective, it's going to be chaotic and it's going to have an impact on people's ability to get the groceries and to do so in an orderly fashion."
 
 
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