Safeway workers in Manitoba voted overwhelmingly March 25 to ratify a new four-year contract with Sobey's, the owner of the supermarket chain.
A press release from United Food & Commercial Workers Local 832 said the new agreement protects non-wage items such as no-cost benefits, a dental plan and seniority rights, while also offering wage increases in its last years.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our bargaining committee and our members for giving us such a strong strike mandate that made this deal possible,” said UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traeger. “This is our first full round of negotiations with Sobey's since they took over ownership of the Safeway brand in Western Canada, and they were pushing hard for major concessions since day one, it wasn’t until the final hours of bargaining that we were able to make serious movement and come up with a tentative agreement that works for both sides. Knowing the realities that the company faces, our bargaining committee got the best contract possible."
Safeway has about 2,200 workers in Manitoba, with stores in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, Dauphin and Neepawa.
