Union members make preparations for strike
The statement was attributed to Kevin Groh, vice-president of corporate affairs.
The statement did not mention how many stores could be affected or where they are located.
The union did not immediately return calls or emails for details.
A list of Loblaw Great Food stores and also the Superstores the local represents can be found on its website.
Strike preparations were underway with picket captains being trained this week, according to the union local’s website. The local also said it would be “reaching out to the company . . . to seek a return to the negotiations table.”
The membership voted to reject the deal during ratification meetings held from June 14 to 20, the union said in a statement late Sunday night.
The six-year deal offered full- and part-time employees at the “end rate” of the pay scale a $1.70 an hour increase over the lifetime of the contract, according to documents posted on the union website.
Part-time clerks who work the fewest hours will remain at minimum wage throughout the life of the contract. Ontario’s minimum wage is currently $11 an hour.
Final vote results were not immediately available “but the fact the tentative agreement was rejected won’t change,” the local stated.
The union leadership reached a tentative agreement with the company on June 1. From the start, the agreement appeared to be the subject of some controversy.
Partway through the ratification voting process, the union took the unusual step of posting the contents of the agreement on its website “in an effort to dispel the rumours and misconceptions” about the offer, the union said on its website.
Two days later, the union extended the ratification polling dates by two additional days in response to what it said was a very low turnout up to that point.
The tentative deal included improvements in scheduling and limits on outsourcing, the union said.
As well, the union said it fought off company attempts to put new hires on a defined contribution pension plan, instead of the existing defined benefit plan.
The membership voted 97 per cent in favour of giving their leaders a strike mandate on May 26.
The previous contract, negotiated in 2010, was for five years and gave the supermarket chain more operational flexibility to convert many of its “conventional” stores to new lower-cost formats.
Wages and benefits at the newer formats, which operate under the names Great Food and Real Canadian Superstore, are lower than at traditional Loblaws stores. The company won the right to operate 24-hour stores and schedule mandatory Sunday work, for example.
Loblaw has been in a prolonged battle to become more competitive with non-union employer Walmart as the general merchandiser added more food to its stores.
Loblaw last faced a strike at its Alberta stores in the fall of 2013. It lasted two days.