GTA Metro grocery store workers reject tentative settlement, begin strike action

TORONTO, July 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Frontline grocery workers at 27 Metro stores in the GTA will begin strike action on Saturday, July 29, at 12:01 a.m., with picket lines forming at each store at 8:00 a.m. 

Strike action comes after Unifor Local 414 members voted to reject a tentative collective agreement.

"This decision to go on strike comes after years of these workers being nickelled and dimed while facing increased precarity and eroded job quality. It comes after having pandemic pay stripped away. It comes at a time of record profits and soaring CEO compensation. It comes at a time when life has become simply unaffordable for so many of these workers who risked their health and safety during the pandemic," said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. "We brought the tentative agreement to our members because it contained considerable gains, but our members are clear that it simply isn't enough."

Metro stores impacted by the strike will include those in Toronto, Brantford, Orangeville, Milton, Oakville, Brampton, North York, Islington, Willowdale, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Newmarket, and Scarborough.

Unifor Local 414 represents 3,700 Metro workers who are full and part-time store clerks in all departments, including cashiers, as well as department managers, pharmacy, and Starbucks staff.  

"You know the system is broken when frontline workers can't afford food, rent, or gas," said Gord Currie, Unifor Local 414 President. "Frontline grocery workers at Metro deserve the utmost respect, especially after working tirelessly through the pandemic."

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor

For media inquiries, don't hesitate to contact Unifor Communications Representative Paul Whyte at [email protected] or 647-549-6546 (cell).