uncharted.ca

Loblaw Co. workers in Ontario have overwhelmingly voted in favour of giving their union authority to call a strike against Canada's largest grocery chain if negotiations don't improve after months of stalled talks.

Over 97 per cent of members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents nearly 30,000 employees at stores under names such as Loblaws, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstores and Fortinos, have voted in favour of a strike.

The labour dispute at Loblaw (TSX:L) could potentially send those 30,000 Ontario workers to the picket lines if talks fail, said Scott Penner, president of UFCW Local 1977, headquartered in Cambridge, Ont..

The strike vote came after talks between the union and Loblaw that were overseen by the Ontario Ministry of Labour broke off.

“We haven't been able to make any headway,” Penner said, adding that a strike could close all of the chain's stores in Ontario.

Loblaw Companies, Canada’s biggest supermarket chain, said first-quarter profit rose almost 26%, though the food market remains “wobbly” with unemployment and high household debt weighing on consumer spending habits.

The company had net earnings of $137 million, compared with $109 million in the year-ago period. Sales rose 3.1% to $6.9 billion, it said. The acquisition of ethnic food chain T&T Supermarket, which was completed in the third quarter of last year, added 2% to sales, it said.

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UFCW Local 832 endorses Greg Selinger as leader of Manitoba NDP. ... February 22, 2009. Safeway members vote 97% in favour of strike action. ...

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The union cannot force you to strike. A strike is a decision voted on by ... Ninety-Seven percent (97%) of all UFCW contracts are settled without strikes. ...
www.ufcwlocal152.org/employertactics.html - Cached

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home.earthlink.net/~lrgoldner/supermarket.html

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31 Oct 2003 ... In its flyer, the union notes that 97% percent of members of UFCW Local 770, ... California grocery workers, voted to authorize a strike. ...
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In Houston, where 12700 workers are involved in negotiations with Kroger, UFCW members turned out in droves to vote by over 97% to authorize a strike ...
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Safeway members vote 97% in favour of strike action. | Facebook
1 post - Last post: 22 Feb 2009
... vote 97% in favour of strike action. Back to UFCW Local 832 ... down the offer and handed the negotiating committee a 97% strike mandate ...(emphasis mine)

97%....

I tried to get a "peak under the covers"

Workers are frustrated over company proposals that would cut wages by up to 25 per cent, increase waiting times for benefits eligibility and reduce full-time jobs [along with massive pension reductions]. Workers at those stores make between the minimum wage of $10.25 and $25 an hour, plus benefits.

The union executive is gauranteed there cushy job with mutipal pensions lavish cars and other perks no matter wich way the strike turns out.
If the membership wants effective bargaining than they must hold the executives feet to the fire over the issue of succession rights.