Article content

Striking employees of Saskatoon Co-op have rejected the most recent contract offer from the organization, according to a company news release.

Members of the UFCW Local 1400 voted on the newest offer on Friday. According to the news release sent out shortly after midnight Saturday, the offer was turned down by around 60 per cent of voting union members.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Saskatoon Co-op strike continues after union votes against newest offer Back to video

Saskatoon Co-op CEO Grant Wicks said in the news release he was “disappointed” with how the vote turned out, but said the close vote seemed like progress.

Photo by Liam Richards / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“Given how close the vote was, we’re still optimistic that we can work with the union and our employees to reach an agreement,” Wicks said.

Saskatoon Co-op employees have been striking since Nov. 1, with one of the main points of contention being a tiered pay system that would start new hires at a lower wage.

UFCW Local 1400 spokesperson Rod Gillies said the company brought the offer to them to pass along to the union membership. He said three meetings were held on Friday in an attempt to reach as many union members as possible to answer questions and give them all a chance to vote.