Saskatoon Co-op strike continues after latest rejection (original) (raw)

Saskatoon Co-op and the union representing its workers left the latest round of meetings without any agreements as the negotiation stalemate inches towards a fourth month.

A media release from Saskatoon Co-op says a meeting between the two sides last Tuesday was unable to bring the two sides any closer to ending the strike.

The meeting was to present a counter proposal to a Feb. 4 offer from United Food and Commerical Workers (UFCW) Local 1400.

“In spite of additional compromises included in Saskatoon Co-op’s offer, discussions broke down and it did not result in a vote from employees,” the media release stated.

The new offer included some revisions to the second-tier wage system, a point of contention that has been hampering negotiations since the strike began on Nov. 1, 2018.

Saskatoon Co-op acknowledged a Facebook post from UFCW Local 1400 that detailed the union’s desire to bargain for the wage system and said it adjusted its offer accordingly.

Rod Gillies26 minsPress Release – Bargaining UpdateAfter repeated requests from the Employees’ Bargaining Committee,…

Posted by UFCW Canada Local 1400 on Friday, February 8, 2019

“We were disappointed to see the union reject our offer as it includes significant compromises since our employees last had the opportunity to vote in early January,” Saskatoon Co-op CEO Grant Wicks said.

“We made these compromises because we want our employees to have an opportunity to vote and hopefully, end the labour dispute.”

Saskatoon Co-op pointed to wage increases for new employees in the new offer, saying a full-time clerk at the highest rate would make “between 3,500and3,500 and 3,500and12,500 more a year than a similar clerk working for our national competitors in Saskatoon.”

In the Facebook post the union suggested they move to binding arbitration.

“Their (Co-pp’s) repeated refusals to bargain once again leads us to invite management to participate in the process of binding arbitration,” the post read.