The union that represents Safeway workers in Manitoba says its members have voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate as negotiators head back to the bargaining table this morning in an attempt to reach a deal before the current contract expires March 17.

"This strike mandate result sends a strong message to Sobeys that the membership won't be bullied," stated United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832 president Jeff Traeger in a March 4 press release. "Sobeys purchased a good company and mismanaged it into the ground, ignoring their long-time employees' experience and advice. Now they want those employees to pay for their mistakes."

article continues below

More than 2,000 workers are employed at Safeway stores in Thompson, Brandon, Dauphin, Neepawa and Winnipeg and Traeger said in February that Sobey's had told them it plans to shut some stores in Manitoba down, though how many would depend on the contract employees agreed to. Prior to the strike vote, he likened the union's position as "bargaining with a gun to your head."

Talks between the union and the company began Jan. 15 and then stopped before resuming in early February, at which time the union broke off negotiations, saying that the company was refusing to budge on its initial offer, which included "massive concessions that would have a drastic impact on all of our members," said Traeger.

"I have never seen a company with such disregard for its workers," Traeger said. "The collective agreement expires in under two weeks. The company has only proposed conditions that gut the current collective agreement and only one other non-monetary item has been resolved in the five-hours of bargaining that has been accomplished so far."

A strike deadline has not been set, but the workers would be in a legal strike position as of March 18. Talks are scheduled to continue from now right up until March 17.