Strike averted for Metro grocery workers

Metro grocery workers will stay on the job after their union came to an agreement with the Canadian-based grocer as the strike deadline loomed.

A settlement was made not long after midnight on July 19, keeping around 3,700 workers representing 27 stores in and around Toronto from taking to the picket line, reports the Toronto Star.

On June 26, the group had voted 100% to strike if a deal was not reached by 11:59 p.m. on July 18. Unifor Local 414, the union representing the Metro workers, will now use the settlement as a blueprint for other grocery employees. It expects to negotiate over a dozen collective agreements with significant grocers over the next two years.

“Frontline grocery workers, at Metro and beyond, face immense challenges — from not being able to afford food or rent to having unpredictable schedules that prevent them from being with family — which is exactly why members were willing to fight in order to improve their working conditions,” Unifor Local 414 president Gord Currie said in a statement.

Details of the agreement will not be released until it is formally ratified by Unifor members.

Wages were the main sticking point in the negotiations. Unifor claims Metro grocery has been rolling in record profits since the COVID-19 pandemic and members want equal financial compensation. The union also wanted greater access to improved benefits, more secure, stable work hours, and full-time job availability.

Related:Metro sales were on the rise in Q2