Last week, Local 401 of the United Food & Commercial Workers published an update regarding contract negotiations for Edmonton meat processing workers.
The union represents nearly 200 workers employed by Sofina Foods at their turkey butchering plant in Edmonton, formerly a Lilydale plant. These workers include processors, drivers, receivers and shippers, forklift operators, equipment operators, and maintenance workers.
Their most recent collective agreement expired in March 2024; although bargaining for the new agreement didn’t begin until May.
In their latest update, Local 401 claims that they have a new offer for these workers, one they say the company has positioned as their final offer.
The union had originally pushed for 10% increases every year of a new 4-year contract, but the new raises presented in the tentative agreement fall short of that goal.
Workers are set to $2.40 per hour in wage increases over the life of the new contract, with 75¢ per hour retroactive to 1 April 2024 and 55¢ per hour retroactive to 1 April 2025.
A $2.50 an hour raise will work out to between 5.68% and 12.79% over the 4 years, depending on the position. That comes to between 1.42% and 3.19% per year, on average.
Workers received a $1.55 increase over the course of their previous collective agreement, so this is a significant improvement. As well, by the end of the agreement, there will be no workers making under $20 an hour.
Had the workers received the initial 40% increase proposed by the bargaining committee, the would’ve received a raise of between $7.80 and $17.60 an hour, depending on the position, over the life of the contract.
Workers with a dual ticket will now get a premium on top of their base pay rate, something that wasn’t available in the previous collective agreement.
The tentative agreement also includes a pathway to guaranteed hours for any workers hired after 2020.
There will also be improved vision care coverage, and the boot allowance will increase.
The bargaining committee for these workers will how a question and answer meeting for workers this afternoon at the Chateau Nova Kingsway, 159 Airport Road NW.
Voting on the tenative agreement will begin tomorrow in person in the main lunchroom at the worksite, and online voting will occur tomorrow and Friday for those who can’t attend in person.
Should the workers reject the tentative agreement, there will be a strike vote held next week.
Update (16 May 2025): Following ratification votes held on 15 & 16 May 15 2025, workers voted 86% in favour of accepting the company’s final offer, narrowly avoiding a strike. Also, according to a recent ALRB new applications report, the employer had applied for a lockout poll, so this ratification also prevented a lockout from the employer.
