Directions Newsletter Vol. III No. 6
In this issue:Our union's dealings with Canada Safeway in recent years have been difficult, to say the least. Another aspect of the 16-months labour dispute, that wasn't apparent at the strike by 400 members in Thunder Bay, Ont., was Safeway's refusal to submit pension contributions for part-time employees' vacation pay, and the employer's refusal to sign the Canadian Commercial Workers Industry Pension Plan (CCWIPP) master pension agreement like other retailers such as Westfair and A&P. Earlier this year, UFCW Canada finally got Safeway to sign the master pension agreement and to remit contributions on vacation hours paid to part-time employees. After the beginning of the strike in Thunder Bay in October 2001, Safeway had reneged on its agreement to pay higher negotiated rates to CCWIPP on behalf of thousands of members in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northwestern Ontario. The amount, to most bystanders, might not at first have appeared significant, and perhaps the issue being fought was simply on principle. We were only talking a few cents per hour, after all. But when all the calculations were in, CCWIPP received three payments from Canada Safeway last month of $115,374.00, $346,821.55, and $2,528,228.65 - just shy of three-million dollars that Safeway had attempted to withhold from UFCW Canada members' pensions. Since the decision and Safeway finally made good on its payments, I am happy to report that the employer is now paying the full agreed amount to the pension plan, in line with the rest of the industry. We must always be on guard in dealings with employers, especially with multinational corporate giants like Safeway, where shaving mere pennies can so quickly multiply into millions of dollars in hidden profits. Employers like Safeway are interested only in the bottom line - making higher profits, without regard to the consequences to our members' well-being or future security. In solidarity, Michael J. Fraser National Director |
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Labour magazine has special subscription offer for UFCW Canada members![]() |