UFCW Local Union 175 And 633 Strike - July 2016

In my hometown of Chatham, Ontario, I worked at the Real Canadian Superstore between October of 2014 and October of 2016. About halfway through my employment there, I encountered my first ‘political’ experience. In June of 2015, there was threat of an employee strike across “nine Zehrs and Real Canadian Superstores locations in Essex, Kent and Lambton counties,” (Layson, 2015). At the time, being sixteen years old, this meant little more to me than some time off from work. I was living at home and my wages were simply spending money, so the prospect of having a break from work was appealing. I actually had no idea what was going on behind the scenes, or what a strike really was. The strike deadline was set for Thursday, July 2, 2015 at 12: 01 am, (Layson, 2015).

I remember going to a union meeting with all of my colleagues, a few days before the strike deadline. At the UFCW Canada Local Union 175 & 633 meeting, a union representative read out the new contract that Loblaws had proposed. The main issues that the unionized employees wanted to come to an agreement on were, “wages, shift scheduling, benefits and limits on third party providers” (Flavelle, 2015). The proposed contract had slightly better conditions, but still not what the union, and the unionized employees, were hoping for, and so the contract was rejected. I voted to reject the proposed contract without fully understanding what I was voting for, but did it out of a sense of solidarity with my colleagues. Managers were represented by a different Union which meant they would still be working. Loblaws had to call in managers from other stores, not affected by the strike, to come and support those managers in order to keep the stores open, albeit with reduced hours. In retrospect, I now see that ensuring management and general staff have different unions allows companies to still have some ability to run their business without having to shut down entirely.

A deal was not reached by the strike deadline, and thus, the strike began. This meant that employees did not have to, but were advised to, show up for their scheduled shifts and sit at the picket line. We were set up at the main entrance, the main road leading to the store and truck entrance to block, but not stop, customers and stock trucks when entering the store. The reaction from customers was mixed throughout the course of the strike. Some were very supportive and did not cross the picket line; some even went to other stores and bought pop, water, snacks and sunscreen for us - it being the middle of summer - they didn’t want us to get sunburned or dehydrated. The other customers, who did cross the picket line had many reactions. Some made comments under their breath about us being ‘lazy’ or ‘greedy’; some looked guilty for crossing the picket line; and others avoided eye contact completely.

As previously stated, I didn’t really know what the underlying causes of the strike were, and I had never experienced a strike before. I simply saw it as a few days off where I got to hang out with some of the younger employees. We were getting paid strike pay, which worked out to be about half of what our regular wage was. However, I do remember feeling not like I was on strike for myself, because to me, it was just a part-time job during high school, but rather that I was striking in support of my older colleagues, whose job at the Real Canadian Superstore was their primary source of income. I didn’t have to worry about rent, or bills etc. , but for them, this was a very serious issue financially.

One event, over the course of the strike, stood out to me. On one of my evening “shifts”, after the managers closed up the store up early, they posted a security guard in the main lobby of the store. In all the time I had been working at the store, other than the store detective who walked around the store making sure nobody was shoplifting, there had never been an official security guard. It was quite a shock to realize that this security guard wasn’t there to keep customers out, but he was, in fact, there to watch us. It felt like, despite that some employees striking had been working for them for over 40 years, the company didn’t trust us.

Now, in retrospect, given the circumstances, I understand that it was just a safety measure, but then it almost felt like a knife in the back. It brought home the fact that we had “become the enemy” and, when it came down to it, everyone serves their own interests. My colleagues felt the same way; they voiced frustration, felt betrayed, and were offended. After the strike, when we all went back to work, there was an underlying tension and a sense of “Us and Them”. Analysing my feelings during the strike, I see I was supportive and happy to be standing up for my other colleagues who depended on this job. I felt the emotions they expressed, and understood the stress and frustration that they were going through at the time. Initially, I hadn’t given much thought to what it all might mean to others but once taking part in it, I realized that wages and working conditions were extremely important to others. At the time I wouldn’t have been able to articulate it, but it was one of the first times I became aware of the privilege I had at not having to depend on a living wage. I was supported financially by my family but others were dependent on their wages to support their families. As previously stated, this was my first ‘political’ experience in life. I didn’t have any previous experience to relate to this event, to shape or to change the way that I initially felt about the strike. However, after listening to the conversations of my colleagues on the picket line, seeing the fear and frustration they felt about their situation, I realized that employees are subjects of a power imbalance. Despite having the support of our union, we were ultimately at the mercy of our employer. Looking back at the strike and relating it to what we have learned in class so far, I’ve learned that politics isn’t specific only to governments.

There are politics, maybe not traditional politics, almost everywhere. One definition from Merriam Webster’s dictionary states politics can be competition between competing interest groups, or individuals, for power and leadership. The strike made me realize how many political factors play into a company, and how much goes on behind the scenes. Clearly the employer needs workers in order to make their business function but as labour is a plentiful commodity, the employers hold the power. However, Labour unions attempt to bring more balance into the relationship between employers and employees by forming large coalitions of employees who, by working together, can exert power of their own. (Boundless, 2018). Looking back, I better understand the importance of unions in helping redress the power imbalance. The union that Loblaws employees are covered by is the United Food and Commercial Worker union Local Union 175 & 633. The purpose of UFCW Local 175 and 633 is to “advocate for workers’ rights through political action at all levels of government” (UFCW, 2018). Over the course of this experience, I learned that unions are there to protect employees and that they do everything they can to help protect workers from companies who might take advantage of them. This is the contrary to some things I heard growing up, (although not from my immediate, left wing family)! Many friends, and parents of friends, have bought into the stereotypes that unions ruin everything. There is an understanding that high wages can have an adverse effect on the job market.

The thinking is that employers won’t be able to afford as many workers, thus resulting in unemployment. A look at the profit margins of most large corporations and bodies show that this is rarely the case. By their very nature, a company’s primary function is to increase their profit margins for shareholders or their owners. Unchecked, wages and working conditions are the first things to suffer. Trade unions exist to counter this power imbalance. Unfortunately, many people don’t see the larger picture and see that, as individuals, they hold very little power. This allows employers to intimidate their employees and use the fear of job losses to keep things like wages low. Unions recognize that collective power can keep the power that large companies and corporations hold in check. That is not to say, of course, that in certain instances, some unions become so powerful that the balance of power is shifted in their favour. I would be lying to say that I understood all of this as we were preparing for, and then taking part in, the strike. I hadn’t really thought about divided interests between the company and the individual; that profit margins are in direct conflict with higher wages and benefits. I also wasn’t at all sure what purpose a union served, other than taking a portion of my wages and sending a magazine through the mail a few times a year. I went into the strike willingly in support of my fellow coworkers, but that was largely because of my tendency to want to help others out and to “do the right thing”. What surprised me was the different reactions from members of the public, which made me question why some people were supportive and some weren’t. I also felt, in a naive way, betrayed by the lack of trust our employers had in us with the security guard instance.

Now, of course, I understand that they were simply protecting their interests and property. Age and experience has allowed my views to shift. While I was happy to strike to help my colleagues stand up for their rights, I now recognize just how important unions are. My co-workers and I were lucky enough to be unionized and could fight back until we came to a better agreement with Loblaws. Those not fortunate enough to have a union to protect them are at the mercy of companies and employers. It is clear how those with power have the ability to determine outcomes for those, certainly at an individual level, who don’t hold power. I would hope that this experience will help shape my views in the future. If I happen to end up in a working environment where there is a union, I will be grateful - and happily pay my union dues! If I am fortunate enough to find myself in a position of power, I would like to think that I wouldn’t abuse that power and would consider the importance of providing good working conditions and wages to my employees. One thing my experience has taught me for sure, is not to ever cross a picket line. If workers lose the right to strike, there is an unthinkable danger of what happens when rampant power goes unchecked.