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Rod Short
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Always sad to see strikes, no one wins. I just wish negotiations would start back up and see if there wasn't something to tweak to get the contract signed. Only 58% wouldnt need much to bring it over to a yes vote.
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Joshua Landberg
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I work for Save on foods so I know that we will go on strike as Sunday June 29, 2008
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Nat
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I better go and stock up on all my favorites from Save On Foods.
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Duke
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With all the stores open still in the north, as well as the non save on foods banners in the lower mainland, the OFG has them selfs in a financial position to deal with a strike. We're only talking about 27 stores out of over 100.
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Rod
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Valid Point Duke, albeit most of the 27 stores are very high volume. Hopefully with a few minor tweaks a strike can be avoided. I'm afraid it's only wishfull thinking tho as "Ol Jimmy" has shown over the years he real doesnt care about his employees.
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voted yes
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Duke...you're not taking into account the cost of keeping 27 stores closed.The bills still need to be paid.Rent is huge,utility costs are still there also the cost of paying the non-union management team wages (store manager,assistant manager and 1-3 operation managers per store).
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Rod
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Also a good point "voted yes". My wife also voted yes to the contract. With the ratio of old empoyees to new lower paid going growing , save on management basically caused this disruption.
I personally cant believe any $8.75 -$12.00 range employees would have voted yes to the contract. With all the work thats available in vancouver at $12 + it's hard to believe management could hire anyone at the slave wages they do.
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Rod
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lets just hope something happens in the next few days. No one wins in a strike. It shouldnt take to much to tweaking to get a yes vote. Got my fingers crossed.
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voted yes
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Judged:
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The low $ employees don't really care if there is a strike..many of them are students and live with parents.Lots of jobs out there that pay the same or more for them.How many are going to come back to work for OFG. If and when we go back...imagine the staffing issues when the stores open if they move on.I don't see this working out very well for anyone..I've got a bad feeling about this. Hope I'm wrong.
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Rod
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good point "voted yes" if it's a long strike, you might be right about staff leaving and not coming back. I hope your bad feeling is wrong also.
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voted yes
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Judged:
1
FYI.....from ufcw1518 website President Ivan Limpright has been leading the Union Negotiating Committee through a review of the outstanding issues that have led us to strike Overwaitea's Save-On Foods stores in Zone 1. Limpright has made it clear to Overwaitea that there are a number of serious issues that are unacceptable, and that Overwaitea needs to address the issues identified by the members in the recent rejection vote. With picket lines scheduled to go up Saturday at 6:00PM, Limpright reiterated that the following issues need to be addressed by Overwaitea: 1. Term of Renewal Collective Agreement -- 4 year term 7b. Pharmacy Regulatory Changes -- Letter of Understanding Script Care Pharmacy -- Pharmacy Techs to receive General Clerk/Clerk Cashier rate of pay and have their hours protected. 11. Clerks Work --(A) There will be no Vendor Stocking in ANY store 12. Joint Union/Management Quarterly Reviews -- No store will be changed to a lesser agreement, converted or reduced to be less than the SOF/OFG agreement. 13. Job Security Guarantee -- All members in all stores previously converted, will be covered by their original agreement, and will remain under their original agreement throughout their career with the employer. 15. Conversion Restrictions -- There shall be no additional conversions, or new banners that impact members in the bargaining unit. 19. Junior Clerk/ Specialty Department Junior Clerk -- Maintain the current language on scheduling and maintain the proper application of that language. 20. Posted Classification -- The posting of Nightcrew General Clerks shall not result in the reduction of available General Clerk hours or other shifts. 21. Clerk Cashier and Scheduling -- Clerk Cashiers will continue to have the same core duties as defined by the current CBA. 22. Letter of Understanding #11 Key Personnel -- As a result of the changes, no current employees will lose hours due to the implementation of the positions." 26. Wages and Wage Rates 1. All members have a REAL opportunity to make a living wage 2. Relief rate for ALL dept. mgr and all Key Personnel an additional $1.00/hr 3. ALL members receive $1.00/hr wage increase retro to the first Sunday in April and $0.75/hr for each subsequent year of the contract -- Retro for ALL members 4. All career hours for ALL members will be recognized
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UFCW 1518er
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Judged:
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It's unfortunate that the negotiating comittee didn't have a better sense of the response to this offer by the membership. If the recommendation had been to reject it and the rejection had been significant then there might have been some improvement. At 58% all OFG really has to do is either sweat the members on the lines and shove the same weak offer back at them in a few weeks or add a meaningless signing bonus to the deal to buy the remaing 8% and get themselves what amounts to a revote. For the sake of our brothers at OFG, I hope you can avoid a legnthy strike or get a last minute deal. It's really too bad that the comittee could not come up with a single one of the main 3 items in their mandate.... good wage improvements, no conversions and eliminate grid B Best of Luck
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Rod
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Thanks for the posts. I agree with you "UFCW 1518er" 58% isn't a strong no. That said looking at the points above, most of them could be looked at very quickly. A strike could be avoided. Persishable notice being given doesn't mean you have to go out on Saturday. If negotiations start again can't that be put on hold? I've been through a lengthy strike and it's just not good for anyone. Employeees, customers, management, everyone takes a hit. I found it took years to get morale back up.
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Trisnic
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My husband works at Save on Foods and I have been watching the negotiations since the beginning. My husband gives me a detailed daily play by play of everything that goes on at his job so I know quite a bit about it.
Personally I didn't think the terms of settlement were too horrible other then the parts about the "cross classification" and the part about how if they close the store down they can tell you to work anywhere within 40kms. My husband started working at this store because it's within walking distance and driving to Abbotsford every day would not be possible with our one car family.
From what I've heard most of the lower paid workers here voted yes to the contract to get it over with and several of the higher paid workers voted no, although the overall turnout was really low here in Chilliwack.
I was hoping it wouldn't go to strike but what can you do. At least I earn enough to cover the mortgage and other bills although we won't have much left over for gas or food.
All of the student workers leaving could be a problem. My husband is only earning $9.50 at this time and we're going to stick it out since the store is so close to our home and the general hourly wage here in Chilliwack is not as high as Vancouver.
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Cindy
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Hmmm..if your husband is only earning $9.50 per hour then there must be something seriously wrong with this picture..lol. Come on people..you get what your worth and that is indeed the way it should be..period. I always laugh when people complain about not getting paid enough, or not being able to afford "housing" or not being able to afford gas..lolol..goodness me. There are always very viable positive solutions to these problems and in my experience they always begin and end with the individual. Good heavens..a healthy man, even an uneducated one, can always find good paying work..if he really wants to! I just did a very quick search on the HRDC web site..and found a cornucopia of employment posting from hear to kingdom come for crying out loud!
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Cindy
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Unions do nothing but breed mediocraty and disent...and the very, very, very best. Wake up and join the 21st century.
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Duke
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Thank you for that enlightening statement Cindy. Clearly you aren't speaking with much perspective of what it's like to work for a major retail company like the OFG. If they thought they could get away with it overwaitea would likely try to pay it's employees with save on more points and food stamps. The ufcw may not be perfect, but they're certainly looking out for the well being of members more than the company is. Perhaps you think wal-mart has the right idea?... GOODNESS ME!! lol
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Nat
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I'm sorry but all I see is help wanted signs in retail businesses.$9.50 per hour is a joke! The lowest paid person where I work is $12.00 per hour for a non-skilled entry level position. I can't believe OFG can find employees!
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Download This
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Judged:
1
So why is it that somebody makes over $20 bucks an hour, and someone else doing the same work makes $8.75 ? You can blame this on the union for agreeing to it in the first place (years ago). It stunk then, and it still stinks. Good on the workers, you've basically said FU to OW, and the Union. It's not a good deal! I hope you folks get a good deal. Jimmy can certainly afford to pay his workers a liveable wage and benefits package. It's pretty slimey, to close a store, re-open it under a different name, and hire anyone who wants to come back, for less money. Good luck, go for it, I support you.
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Download This
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I would like to add that it is a piss poor union
that has wage scales starting at $8.75 or $9.75 (with the raise)@ hour.
Sorta smells like collusion with the employer to me.
My advice would be to start a drive to get a different union. One that will represent YOU, not an OW puppet 'Union'.
Anybody from the CAW reading this? Go sign these workers up. It's an open period, raid them.
Get them a good deal!
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