Safeway Canada Workers Approve Strike

BURNABY, British Columbia — Safeway workers who are members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 here voted 99% in favor of a strike if a new labor contract cannot be reached, the union said yesterday. Additional votes were scheduled for yesterday and today at Overwaitea’s PriceSmart and Sav-On-Foods chains. The union said, however, that “strike action is not imminent” and that negotiations with Safeway are set to resume on May 1, 2, 5 and 6. “There are a number of serious issues to address, including wage increases and getting everyone back on one wage grid, both of which would go a long way in addressing the problems that currently exist,” said Ivan Limpright, president of UFCW 1518, in a prepared statement. Safeway and Overwaitea have been negotiating for new contracts since January.

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