Printers are standing by for the order to churn out the on strike signs, as negotiations between the United Food and Commercial Workers and two of British Columbia’s largest grocery store chains seemingly go nowhere.
The existing contract between the two sides expired at the end of March with little progress said to have been made towards a deal. Among the talking points that haven’t been resolved between the two sides are wage increases and a single wage grid for all workers, bringing an end to the policy of the two tiered wage system.
Negotiators for Overwaitea are said to be seeking the right to convert any store in the province into a PriceSmart outlet, a controversial changeover which would bring chances to the contracts in place at the existing store. The PriceSmart debate was examined in a previous Podunkian posting.
A move to redefine the workweek by the Overwaitea chain is also one of the concerns of the union movement, which is a little suspicious of some of the options that were recently floated by the grocery store chain.
With negotiations at a standstill of sorts the UFCW Local 1518 posted a notice on its website advising of the dates that the strike votes for the Southern reaches of the province will take place. Unionized members of Local 1518 will be voting yea or nay on job action from April 8 to 10 at various locations around the southwest.
The existing contract between the two sides expired at the end of March with little progress said to have been made towards a deal. Among the talking points that haven’t been resolved between the two sides are wage increases and a single wage grid for all workers, bringing an end to the policy of the two tiered wage system.
Negotiators for Overwaitea are said to be seeking the right to convert any store in the province into a PriceSmart outlet, a controversial changeover which would bring chances to the contracts in place at the existing store. The PriceSmart debate was examined in a previous Podunkian posting.
A move to redefine the workweek by the Overwaitea chain is also one of the concerns of the union movement, which is a little suspicious of some of the options that were recently floated by the grocery store chain.
With negotiations at a standstill of sorts the UFCW Local 1518 posted a notice on its website advising of the dates that the strike votes for the Southern reaches of the province will take place. Unionized members of Local 1518 will be voting yea or nay on job action from April 8 to 10 at various locations around the southwest.
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An earlier posting on the website explained in detail some of the frustrations of the negotiations so far, which led to the decision to seek out the strike mandate.
No details were released in regard to any possible expansion of job action moves or votes in the northern region of stores in Northwestern BC.
However all members at the Safeway and Overwaitea stores in the province will be sharing in a bit of financial pain, as they will all be asked to approve a dues increase to cover any possible job actions.
The Daily News had a small wire copy story on the issue in Tuesday’s papers.
Store workers consider strike
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Page three
Vancouver- United Food and Commercial Workers Union members at certain Safeway and Overwaitea grocery stores in B. C. will hold a strike vote next week.
Union local 1518 president Ivan Limpright says workers at the two grocery chains from Squamish to Hope will take part in the initial vote.
Contracts covering 20 thousand retail food sector workers in B. C. expired at the end of March and the union says there is no sign of a deal.
Limpright says the union is seeking a wage increase and single wage grid for all members.
He says Overwaitea wants the right to convert any store to a PriceSmart outlet, with the matching reduction in contract language.
In addition to the strike vote for south Coast members, UFCW members employed at Overwaitea and Safeway stores across B. C. will be asked to approve a dues increase to cover possible job action.
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