These low-wage, essential workers in Ottawa are getting organized By Michelle Paquette and Doug Yearwood After large private sector grocery retailers introduced pay increases for frontline workers, Herb & Spice—a locally owned and operated grocery store in Ottawa— announced that its employees would receive a $1.50/hour hazard pay increase. Unlike other grocery stores who have Continue readingGrocery workers talk poverty wages and pandemic profits
UFCW
By Emily Leedham Workers reveal fear, frustration, and doubt in Cargill’s ability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak at the High River meatpacking plant in a recent Telephone Town Hall. RankandFile.ca obtained an automated transcript of a Telephone Town Hall between members of Cargill plant management, the Alberta Government, Alberta Health Services, and Cargill plant workers Continue readingCargill workers’ frustrations revealed in telephone town hall
Workers in the “gig economy” are organizing to transform the precarious working conditions in their sector. On November 6, Foodora couriers and Uber drivers hosted a morning rally outside of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to draw attention to their respective union drives with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and United Food Continue readingGig workers rising: Foodora couriers and Uber drivers organizing for justice
Kevin Bittman from Unifor 594 in Regina, Saskatchewan discusses impending lockout for Co-op refinery workers. www.unifor594.com/ Mike Espenell, from IBEW 2034 discusses how Brian Pallister’s cuts to Manitoba Hydro have impacted Hydro’s ability to respond to last week’s snow storm, which knocked out power for nearly 50,000 Manitobans. www.ibew2034.com/ Jeff Traeger, President of UFCW Local Continue readingBuilding worker solidarity across sectors
The party that wins the Manitoba election on Sept. 11 will prove crucial to ensuring unions in the province can defend the rights of their workers. Changes have occurred under the Pallister government that has negatively affected many of UFCW’s members, Local 832 president Jeff Traeger said. The current Labour Relations Act, Employment Standards Code, Continue readingManitoba election results critical to unions
By Bianca Cunningham “Three years ago I was at a union meeting and a member stood up and asked why we got such good pay and benefits as Saskatoon Co-op employees,” said Jodi Smith, a member of Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1400. “Grant Wicks, now the general manager of the co-op, answered that Continue readingSaskatoon Co-op strike didn’t beat two-tier
Editor’s Introduction The Saskatoon Co-op strike has been on since November 1 with strikers fighting against an increasingly ugly employer that wants a two-tier contract that would sell out all future hires. Recently, the case for backing the strikers was made by Andrew Stevens and Charles Smith. A new opinion piece with a different view Continue readingSaskatoon Co-op Strike: Reply to Pohler
By Haseena Manek Employees of a Your Independent Grocer franchise in Cornwall, Ontario have been on strike since November 23 as employer and franchise owner John Baxtrom and bargaining agent of parent company Loblaws Companies Ltd., refuse to return to the table. RankandFile.ca spoke with Roland Lapins, Eastern Region Director of Local 1006A of the Continue readingCornwall grocery workers strike: “You don’t need a union to bargain for minimum wage”
By Emily Leedham Host of Rank and File Radio – Prairies Edition On February 8, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix wrote a feature on Keesan Corey, a 19-year old business student and strikebreaker at the Saskatoon Coop. Hundreds of UFCW Local 1400 members have been on strike at the Saskatoon Coop for over 3 months since November Continue readingThe scab, his mom, and the soul of the Coop
Rank & File Radio – Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by listeners like you through Patreon, and UFCW Local 832. —Support via Patreon!— www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie Thanks to everyone who has supported this show since Continue readingStella’s workers unionize | SK Co-op workers strike through Christmas | Crashing Liberal parties
By Daniel Tseghay On Monday, November 26, Maple Leaf Foods announced it would be closing three poultry facilities in Ontario employing hundreds of members of both United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 175 and Local 1006A. By 2021, the St. Marys plant, employing 485 Local 175 members will close. And by 2022, the Brampton Continue readingMaple Leaf Foods closing three plants, 1500 jobs lost
by Emily Leedham The Co-op is the only grocery store in Martensville, Saskatchewan, population 10,000, and its workers have been on strike for almost a month. The Martensville Co-op workers are in the same UFCW Local 1400 bargaining unit as the Co-ops in Saskatoon, where hundreds of workers are also on strike fighting a two-tiered Continue readingThe Co-op Strike: Big Solidarity in Little Martensville