*Grocery workers to hold strike vote*

By Bruce Constantineau
The Vancouver Sun

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

The union representing more than 10,000 Lower Mainland Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and Safeway workers will hold a strike vote next week to back contract demands.

Negotiations between United Food and Commercial Workers' Union Local 1518 and Overwaitea Food Group and Safeway affect 82 stores from Squamish to Hope. The contract expired on March 29.

Union representative Andy Neufeld said wage increases are a big issue, along with a union desire to get rid of a two-tier wage system that pays lower wages and benefits to newer employees.

"There's a common perception that most union members in grocery stores make more than $20 an hour when, in fact, 60 to 70 per cent of them make from $8 to $12.15 an hour - with very little opportunity for advancement," he said in an interview.

Neufeld noted Safeway recently settled a contract in Alberta that provides for wage increases of $2.65 an hour over three years and feels B.C. workers want something "at least comparable" to that.

Workers at six former Save-On-Foods stores now operating as PriceSmart stores will also be affected by the negotiations, as they will inherit any changes to wages or benefits in the new contract.

Certain workers retained their original hours and benefits even though the stores converted to PriceSmart, which operate with lower-cost union contracts. The union doesn't want any more full-size stores like Save-On-Foods converted to PriceSmart outlets.

The strike vote will be held from April 8 to April 10 and union members from throughout B.C. will also participate in a mail-in ballot on a measure to temporarily hike union dues to support a strike fund, if necessary.

Neufeld said the temporary increase would likely start at one per cent of wages and rise to five per cent if a strike occurs, so striking workers can receive up to $300 a week.

Overwaitea Food Group said Tuesday it is "very disappointed" the union has decided to hold a strike vote.

"We feel this action is unnecessary as we've told them repeatedly that we want to bargain a fair renewal collective agreement that works for our team members and for our company," it said in a statement. "We have not asked to take anything away from any existing team member in any of our discussions."

The company said it wants the "operational flexibility" to meet customer needs and keep costs competitive so it can provide the best possible prices.

Overwaitea Food Group has suggested a mediator could help both sides reach a new deal by April 30 but Neufeld said it's "way too early" to bring in a mediator.

"We have about 120 proposals left to deal with and that's far too many for a mediator at this point," he said. "A mediator typically comes in when you're down to just three or four key issues so the suggestion is premature to put it mildly."

Talks between the union and the two grocery chains are expected to resume later this month.

© The Vancouver Sun