Not that I doubt the ofg group looks mighty fine on paper, what with the major labour concessions, who wouldn't want it?
Correct me if I'm wrong - I seem to recall rumours about a possible sale circulating during the last negs and during the 96 lockout. Well actually each and every time a significant distraction was needed to take the focus off some other shit that was going down.
Scare members good enough and new banners with lesser cba's may look and feel mighty fine. And if I'm wrong - well one employer is no different than another when you've got a jelly union.
New Speculation of Grocery Chain Sales in Western
From www.ufcw1518.com....rumours about both Save On/Overwaitea AND Safeway's Western Canadian division.
February 1, 2006
Speculation Continues On Sale Of Western Canadian Grocery Chain
Canadian Grocer magazine has published another story on the possibility of eastern Canadian grocery giant Metro Inc. looking to take over a western Canadian grocery company.
Metro Inc. President and CEO Pierre Lessard was quoted as saying, "if an opportunity arrived in Canada I think we'd be quite interested in looking at any acquisition." Canadian Grocer says Lessard has indicated Metro has its eye particularly on western Canada.
Canadian Grocer went on to report that, "Expansion in the West would help the Montreal-based company become a national chain. Metro's first-quarter profits came in at $32 million, or 28 cents a share. That compares with $38.6 million, or 40 cents, in the year-earlier period. The company chalks its drop mostly up to the costs of integrating its 236 newly acquired A&P and Dominion stores. Metro sales for the quarter, meanwhile, rose 74% to $2.52 billion."
There has been major media speculation in previous months that Metro may be interested in acquiring Overwaitea Food Group, and also that Safeway could put its western Canadian operations up for sale, making Canada Safeway another possible company about to go on the market.
ed=L/fix
Right on the 1518 webpage itself no doubt...nothing like scaring the members into excepting the next contract right away.
1518 is pathetic. We have members out on strike against one store in a unionized chain of 8 or 9. 1518 has provincial jurisdiction in the retail ring and it does shit. It's using 100 members to make it look like a fighting union.
It announces that the employers are bad, controvening cbas - the employer is breaking the law. So off to court we go to make them stop.
ufcw 1518 whines and lip services the bastards. It has done shit to even rally support for the striking members among other members - nada!.
They're certifiable f'tards. sundin could shut the friggin' province down and call it self defense. If there's going to be a court battle then here's the op to break the chain of abuse.
Thanks IWW for the strike support.
Wow Sig, are you sure that is 1518 and not 588 ?
There's pattern bargaining and then there's pattern ufcw. The same crap coming out of 588 flows from 1518. The same rhetoric, non-support, election irregularities, poor representation and above all - concessions.
Retail people across two countries took a shit kicking in the care of ufcw. Whether it's incompetence or unwillingness to defend an already established decent standard of living - retail people took a boot to the face..
So no I'm not at all sure Grumpy.
Source: http://bc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/11416/index.php
IWW Vancouver Strike Support Committee Report - January 28, 2006
Current Lower Mainland Disputes
1. 100 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 have been on strike at the Super Valu/Extra Foods store at the Park Royal Mall in West Vancouver since January 13, after Extra Foods/Westfair persisted in demanding concessions during negotiations for a new collective agreement.
Picket support is needed, especially since at least 26 Westfair security goons showed up on the picket line late at night on January 25-26, and union members were assaulted.
Further information can be found at http://www.ufcw1518.com/view.php?id=1483 ,
or by phoning the local at 604-434-3101.
2. The 600 members of UFCW Local 1518 who work at various Shoppers Drug Mart locations in B.C. Shoppers Drug Mart voted in September to reject a mediator's proposal for a new collective agreement, and so due to company intransigence, they are still seeking one.
The members continue to ask that people shop only at their unionized stores. A complete list of these unionized stores, that can be printed out and posted, is available at http://www.ufcw1518.com/print.php?id=916 .
For more information go to http://www.ufcw1518.com/news/update/013_update.htm or phone 604-434-3101.
_________
3. The never-ending Unstrike that the members of CAW Local 3000 commenced against Starbucks on May 13, 2002 continues. The major issues are job security, concessions, and seniority, and Starbucks still has no interest in negotiating. Further information can be obtained by phoning 604-516-8030.
The Unstrikers are asking that we patronize only their unionized Starbucks locations:
2531 East Hastings, 1702 Robson St., 811 Hornby St., #150-1055 West Georgia St. (Royal Centre Vancouver), 1752 Commercial Dr., 1015 Denman St., 3451 Kingsway, 1095 Howe St., 1641 Davie St. and 1395 Main St., all in Vancouver; plus #222-3645 Gossett Rd. in Westbank, BC.
Please use up any Starbucks card you may receive at one of the unionized Starbucks.
For further evidence of Starbuck's anti-union ways, and stories of IWW Starbucks organizing in New York City, go to: http://www.starbucksunion.org/ & http://www.iww.org/en/node/1846 .
"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS CROSS PICKET LINES"
IWW IU 450