Calgary Loblaw distribution centre workers accept offer hours before lockout: union

By The Canadian Press on November 26, 2022.

CALGARY – Unionized workers at a Loblaw distribution facility in Calgary have accepted a contract offer hours before they were scheduled to be locked out.

Teamsters Local Union 987 says 66 per cent of its members who work at the Calgary Freeport Facility voted Friday to accept the employer’s final offer.

The union says 534 members had received layoff notices ahead of the planned lock-out.

The workers, whose previous contract expired in June, had twice rejected offers from the employer during what the union called a “difficult” bargaining process.

John Taylor, business agent for the Teamsters local, said last week that while the company had offered a decent wage increase, workers were looking for more guarantees around shift scheduling and seniority.

A Loblaw spokeswoman said last week that the company was offering “some of the most competitive” wages in the industry. The company did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday’s developments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2022.

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