Posts Categorized: UFCW Canada

Over 300 members of UFCW Canada Local 500 who work at the Voilà by IGA centre in Quebec, Canada, recently ratified two first-time contracts that include significant wage increases and benefits. This Ocado-powered automated grocery delivery center is the first of its kind in Québec and was launched in January 2022 by the parent company of Sobeys, Empire Company Limited.

Both contracts include significant salary increases with hiring wages at $18.20 for distribution center members and at $19.20 for delivery drivers. Members will see raises of $0.60 for every 1,000 hours worked, which means that a full-time worker will obtain up to two raises in the same year. The contracts also allow members to reach the maximum rate in the wage scale much more quickly than before they were unionized.

The contracts also include several wage premiums: $1.50 per hour for a team leader, $1 per hour for night or freezer shifts and for trainers, and $0.50 per hour for the fork-lift workers. Finally, another major gain is the UFCW dental plan, which is fully paid by the employer and reimburses 80 percent of dental fees.

Over 200 workers at CBI Health in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, recently joined UFCW Local 832 for a better life.

These new members of our union family are employed as direct support professionals and team leads that support individuals living with disabilities or illnesses, which can be related to cognitive challenges, physical health or mental health. They joined UFCW Local 832 because they were concerned about scheduling changes, workplace health and safety issues, and favoritism.

The campaign to organize these workers included handing out information about the UFCW at CBI Health, and reaching out to workers via Facebook and other social media platforms. CBI Health workers voted electronically to join UFCW Local 832 on Oct. 6 to 8. However, due to a dispute over voter eligibility, the workers had to wait and wonder about the outcome. On Thursday, Oct. 27, the union received the certificate from the Manitoba Labour Board, and the workers were thrilled to hear that they had officially unionized their workplace with the UFCW.

“Our new union members at CBI Health have gained a strong voice at work and support when they need it most,” said UFCW Local 832 President Jeff Traeger. “We look forward to diving deeper into the issues they face and working with them to develop a fair contract with their employer that addresses those issues.”

This new unit will join almost 17,000 active UFCW Local 832 members in Manitoba, with more than 1,400 of those members in the assisted living sector, working at over a dozen similar agencies.