March 20, 2007

Superstore backs off on another attack on employees ? but continues with outrageous demands!

Currently full?time Superstore employees enjoy the right to see their schedule two weeks in advance. Up until this week the Company has been trying to implement a system where full?time employees would only see their schedule one week in advance. Your Union has fought off this ridiculous demand!

Negotiations continued last week in Calgary for a new collective agreement for Superstore and Liquorstore employees. This was one of the things that your Union achieved but there is a building momentum among employees to defeat a number of other outrageous concessions sought by the Company. The Company continues to seek claw backs on vacation entitlement and pay. Further, the Company wants to cut back an important premium long enjoyed by Superstore employees. New employees, hired after the agreement is settled, would not receive a Sunday premium. This seems contradictory. On the one hand the Company is creating unfair premiums they say they need to attract and retain staff ? on the other hand the Company proposes the elimination of a long enjoyed premium by Superstore employees for the employees not yet hired.

Generally, the Company has acted in a confusing way at the bargaining table. On their own accord, and without negotiating with employees through their Union, they increase premiums. They claim that they do not have to negotiate with their employees, but then they propose premium changes at the bargaining table. Another aspect of the Company?s contradictory behavior has been their claim that they do not want any concessions from existing employees while leaving proposals outstanding for months that demand exactly that. Your Union has often faced a moving or unclear target! This is unlawful at worst and unethical at best.

The Company is clearly in a state of transition but so are its employees. Superstore and Liquorstore employees face skyrocketing costs in the Alberta economy. Loblaws, your parent company, has had a streak of profits for 19 years. They currently have what some analysts are saying is a short term economic problem. Their 2006 third quarter report to shareholders describes Loblaws as Canada?s largest food retailer with the number one food and grocery market share in every region of the Company. They say that they have great sites, a strong balance sheet and powerful brands. They say that they have all of the attributes to compete fiercely and successfully over the long term.

In Alberta, Westfair/Superstore is obviously doing well. During the term of your last Union contract they opened at least 6 Superstores in Alberta and a number of Extra Foods stores as well. Stores were renovated and population has grown significantly in our province, giving them thousands and thousands of new customers. Do not let any Company official tell you that they cannot afford to treat you well in Alberta!

The Company has said at the bargaining table that they may pursue a new cost structure for new employees in order to be more competitive. This Company which has been described recently as being badly managed, will not improve its fortunes by trying to imitate Wal-Mart. In fact, the Company does not need any sort of break on wages and benefits in Alberta. If they do advance this claim any further they should open their Alberta books to the Union to prove it. Company ill fortunes in Ontario and elsewhere due to bad managerial practices will not be the responsibility of hard working Superstore and Liquorstore employees in Alberta!

Recently, some new employees will have seen posters in their stores telling them they can ?Ask Galen?. He provides an email address and says that he will give you a confidential answer to your questions within 7 days. If you ask Galen Weston, you are in fact asking one of the wealthiest families in Canada to respond to you. The Weston family has only recently asked for your input. Unfortunately, many Superstore employees know and have pointed out, that the Weston family has never shown an interest in Superstore and Liquorstore employees? views before. It is as though they are trying to tell you that you matter now when they want take-aways from you!!

Bargaining continues during the week of April 16^th in Calgary. You are invited to attend. Please contact the Calgary Union office if you wish to do so.

By the way, the Company still hasn?t fairly addressed the issue of wages and benefits. They continue to pursue a policy of throwing quick cash at some new hires while failing to equitably reward more senior employees. Please try to avoid the conflict that this provokes. ?Divide and conquer? is clearly the Company?s strategy.