In the face of stark affordability challenges affecting Canadian families, Unifor, the country’s largest private sector union, is advocating for higher wages and supporting the federal government’s efforts to stabilize food prices.
Unifor National President, Lana Payne, emphasizes the urgency of addressing the affordability crisis, which she identifies as driven by profiteering and interest rate hikes. She states, “Canadians are reminded every day of how unaffordable life has become. They are reminded every time they visit their local grocery store. Grocery barons cannot claim their margins are razor-thin while raking in historic profits and refusing to provide decent work and pay for grocery workers. We need to see some real action here from the federal government.”
Highlighting the struggle faced by workers to afford basic necessities such as rent, gas, and groceries, Unifor reports that more than 3,700 frontline grocery workers at Metro recently concluded a month-long strike. The strike centered on affordability concerns and the demand for equitable sharing of record profits with workers through substantial wage increases.
Gord Currie, President of Unifor Local 414, emphasizes, “It took one of the biggest strikes in the union’s history to force one of Canada’s richest grocery giants, Metro, to come to the table with a serious wage offer. We can’t rely on greedy corporations to address affordability when they stand to gain from higher prices and face no repercussions.”
Unifor is gearing up for contract negotiations covering an additional 6,000 grocery workers, including those at other Metro stores, Sobeys, and Loblaws. Dominion stores in Newfoundland, owned by Loblaw, are also set to bargain contracts for 1,400 workers this fall.
Carolyn Wrice, President of Unifor Local 597, underscores the need for solidarity and federal government support, stating, “We’ll be using the Metro agreement as a template but know that companies like Loblaw aren’t going to ante up willingly. We know it’s going to take an incredible show of worker and community solidarity to address the real affordability issues impacting families. We need the federal government to side with workers and families and take a real, actionable stand against Canada’s grocery barons.”
Unifor, representing 315,000 workers across various sectors of the economy, is Canada’s largest private sector union. The union is committed to advocating for workers’ rights, fighting for equality and social justice, and driving progressive change for a brighter future.
