TORONTO – BUSINESS – More than 900 full-time workers at Metro’s Etobicoke warehouse distribution centre began strike action after voting to reject a tentative agreement with the company.
“The members have final say on the tentative agreement and have opted to turn down this offer,” said Chris MacDonald, Unifor Assistant to the National President. “The bargaining committee is ready to resume negotiations in the hope of bringing this strike to a speedy end.”
METRO says that the company has been negotiating with the union for the past few weeks and reached a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of our employees and our customers while ensuring that METRO remains competitive.
The settlement provided significant increases for employees, including an increase of 6% on average to hourly wages in the first year of the agreement and a total of 14% wage increase over 4 years as well as pension and benefits improvements.
“We are disappointed with the employees’ decision to strike but remain ready to go back to the table. We have implemented our contingency plan and our stores will remain open to serve our customers,” said Carmen Fortino, Executive Vice President, Ontario Division Head & National Supply Chain, Metro Ontario Inc.
The Metro Distribution Centre locations in Etobicoke, Ontario supply Metro and Food Basics grocery stores across southern Ontario along the Kingston – Windsor corridor. The Unifor Local 414 members have been without a contract since October 2021.
