After close to three and a half years on the picket lines, the employees of Extra Foods in Maple Ridge are finally going back to work.
The picket line in front of the store came down at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to the cheers of striking workers after employees at the store voted 93 per cent in favour of accepting a new six-year contract with Loblaw Companies Limited, the parent company of Extra Foods. Under the new contract, workers at the store will get a small bump in pay, retroactive to 2004.
In December 2008, 75 employees at the store went on strike after rejecting a contract offer from Loblaw that would have seen their wages cut nearly in half.
United Food and Commercial Workers union members had been working at the store under an expired contract since 2004, with long-time workers making in the $20-per-hour range, with benefits. The contract Loblaw had initially offered would have seen most workers would top out at $11.90 per hour, with no benefits.
Dan Goodman, secretary treasurer for UFCW Local 247, said progress came at the bargaining table after the employees of Maple Ridge Extra Foods teamed up with seven Super Valu and Extra Foods stores across B.C.
“I think a big part of it was we had eight stores bargaining together,” he said. “They couldn’t pick off the stores one by one.”
The seven remaining stores will vote to ratify the contract over the next two weeks.
Goodman said he expects the majority of striking workers to come back to work at the store.
“We had a very good turn out for the vote, so I think that means there’s a real interest to come back to work by the employees,” he said.
Ernie Boast is the shop steward at the Maple Ridge Extra Foods, and sat on the bargaining committee. He said the contract is a big win for the workers, and is looking forward to heading back to work after years on the picket line.
“Most of our membership was quite happy with what we got and we’re quite excited to go back to work,” he said. “Three and half years is a long time. It’ll be nice to get back in there and have a job.”
Store owner Doug Bell said he was happy to be back in business, but declined to comment on the contract negotiations until the other stores have ratified the agreement.
Bell said there is no exact date for the re-opening of the store, but it will likely take three to four weeks to get staff in place and restock the store.
For seniors living in the area, the reopening of the grocery store is welcome news, said Heather Treleaven, coordinator of the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Katzie Seniors’ Network.
“[Before the strike], seniors living on 224th would walk down to the Extra Foods, because it was the closest grocery store,” she said. “It’s good for their mobility, and they’ll be able to do that again.”
Many seniors have had to resort to taking public transportation, cabs, or using the seniors’ ride share program to get their groceries. As a result, many seniors were walking less, and shopping less during the strike.
“There hasn’t been easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Treleaven. “This is a good thing for the health of our local seniors.”
