UFCW 247 and Sobeys-Safeway heading to FOS on FreshCo

As previously reported, the Union and Sobeys recently met to discuss the FreshCo banner and a collective agreement for UFCW 247 members who would be employed in these locations. Although we were able to resolve the majority of issues, the Union is not in agreement with the Company's position on the following items:

1) The proposed wage scales for part time employees
2) The absence of annual increases or payments
3) Health and Welfare benefits

We believe these issues should be resolved through a final offer process as set out in the Safeway BC­UFCW 247 collective agreement under LOU #12:

LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING NO. 12 – RE: NEW BANNERS

In the event Safeway decides to open stores operating under a new banner, that are different in size or type of operation from its conventional stores, the Employer will enter into negotiations with the Union to develop a Collective Agreement that is appropriate for the type of business contemplated.
Should a dispute arise as to the terms of the Collective Agreement, the items in dispute shall be referred to a final offer selections process.

We have forwarded these issues to our legal counsel and informed the Company we will be proceeding under this language. Once we have agreed on an arbitrator, and have dates and times set for a hearing, we will update members via the website. 

The first FreshCo location in Mission is set to open this weekend, and the parties agreed that the employees will be covered by the agreed-upon conditions to this point.