Safeway employees across Alberta are ready to hit the picket line, if needed. The United Food and Commercial Workers (CFCW) Local 401 union posted the results of a strike vote on Friday, with more than 90 per cent of polls in Edmonton, and 87 per cent of polls in Calgary, showing support for a strike. The union said the vote followed a “long-running” fight over wages. In 2023, Sobeys filed a judicial review after an arbitrator’s decision to take the union’s last offer. The review ruled in favour of Sobeys, but the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned the decision and reinstated the arbitrator’s deal in February. The union’s bargaining committee will return to meetings with Sobeys from Tuesday to Thursday. It said it is “committed to reaching a negotiated settlement.” “[Workers] are seeking wages that keep pace with inflation, better benefits, improved job security, safer stores and respect for the work they do. Many say they are struggling to afford the groceries they help sell — and that isn’t right,” the union said in a Friday media release. In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, a Sobeys representative said its goal was to reach a fair agreement for Alberta Safeway workers. “Safeway is an important part of many communities in Alberta,” the statement read. “We’ll continue to bargain in good faith towards this goal. Grocery retail will always be a competitive industry, and Alberta customers have a lot of choice for where to shop, so each Safeway store needs to be able to compete for the long term.”
