UFCW Local 247 and Sobeys-Safeway will be meeting specifically to talk about issues facing members in the 5 Safeway stores Sobeys recently announced will be closing in the coming months.

With the first 3 Safeway stores scheduled to close May 25, the union sent the company a letter asking to meet and deal with the closures under the terms of Section 54 of the Labour Code.

The two parties are scheduled to meet February 28 and March 1 under the terms of Section 54, which deals with company closures and managing the impacts of closures on members.

Once the Section 54 negotiations are complete, the union is looking to move forward with negotiations for the full contract. No dates are set yet for contract negotiations.