February 17, 2009 – Following a return to conciliation on Feb. 16, UFCW Canada Local 503 announced on Feb. 17 that a tentative agree¬ment had been reached with Maxi supermarkets at 10 locations in eastern Quebec.

Details of the settlement were being presented to the individual bargaining units in areas from the Quebec City region to Sept-Îles and Rimouski to the east. Voting will take place on a regional basis, concluding on March 9. Two other stores involved in the strike are slated for closure. Maxi is a division of Loblaw Cos. Ltd.

“This is a vital step in returning to normalcy for workers in these stores,” says Louis Bolduc, UFCW Canada executive assistant to the national president. “Some of these workers have been without contracts or improvements for as long as six years. They deserve much better treatment and respect.”
 
Meanwhile, during Quebec’s Winter Carnaval (and under the watchful eye of Bonhomme du Carnaval, the festival’s official mascot pictured on signs above), a traditional Carnaval “Brandy Breakfast” organized by the CRQCA-FTQ (regional labour council for Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches) yielded proceeds of $16,000 for Maxi strikers.

“Thanks go to the organizers of the event and to all the sponsors,” says Bolduc. “This gesture of solidarity is gratefully appreciated by all the strikers who have been on the picket lines since last October.”