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Superstore workers vote overwhelmingly in favour of a strike

Red Deer workers included in vote
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Red Deer Superstore workers voted in the UFCW Local 401 strike vote on Sept. 23, 2021. (Photo from Google Maps)

Alberta Superstore employees voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action.

Member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 casts their ballots over three days last week.

“Next week, we will go back to the bargaining table. We hope that the company is ready to listen to their employees,” said UFCW Local 401 president Thomas Hesse in a statement posted online on Sept. 24.

The union said the strike vote saw a strong turnout from members across the province, including Red Deer.

Under Alberta law, a strike vote is valid for 120 days, and a union is only required to give a company 72 hour notice of strike action.

The union said the bargaining committee will return to the bargaining table to negotiate and will push Superstore to improve its offer. Every Superstore union member will have a chance to vote on the company’s final offer before deciding whether or not to actually go on strike.

“Ironically, the point of taking a strike vote is to attempt to avoid a strike. A strike vote is a tool to tell the company that unless they bargain fairly, employees could withdraw their labour,” said UFCW Local 401 secretary treasurer Richelle Stewart.



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