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“It’s not been a secret that we’ve already offered a version of a second tier that is formatted based on the employer’s proposed offer to us. There’s been movement on our side,” Flack Figueiredo said.

Around 900 UFCW Local 1400 members, who have been without a contract for more than two years, went on strike on Nov. 1 after voting down the co-operative’s final offer by a margin of about 65 per cent.

The dispute hinges on a proposed lower wage tier for new hires, which Saskatoon Co-op says is necessary to ensure long-term sustainability; the union contends the proposal is unfair to its future members.

Last month, the union took the unusual step of releasing summaries of both parties’ bargaining positions at the time, which showed a $3,750-per-year wage gap for full-time workers between the two proposals.

While the strike does not appear likely to end before the February, Wicks said the 60-per-cent margin in the union’s last contract vote and a growing number of picket line crossers signals frustration.

“That would suggest to me that there are people that are losing patience with this strike and want to come back to work,” Wicks said, adding that 184 employees had returned to work as of Monday.

Flack Figueiredo took a different view.

“The same members who didn’t want to accept the employer’s offer from the beginning still don’t want to accept the employer’s offer with a second (wage) tier,” she said.

UFCW Local 1400 is understood to be maintaining its own count of members who choose to cross the picket line, but Flack Figueiredo was unable to provide it on Monday.

amacpherson@postmedia.com

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