Despite two rounds of negotiations Thursday and Friday (June 1 and 2), no progress has been made in contract disputes between Highlands Mall Extra Foods employees and parent company Westfair Foods Ltd.
Representatives for both sides, however, say they are receiving great community support.
Employees have been without a contract for more than a year and are holding an informational picket in front of the grocery store on their time off. They've been distributing leaflets asking that shoppers not buy at Extra Foods until management signs a new contract.
"That's our best tool as workers because it hits the pocketbook," said shop steward Fred Avis. "The community support is just incredibly overwhelming. People are saying 'We won't be back until you get a deal'."
Owner/operator Craig Woida would not say whether or not the store was losing money.
"Our customers have been very supportive," he said.
Employees have already voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike vote and must submit a 72-hour strike notice to walk off the job.
But that's not likely to happen, said Avis.
"Chances are that would never happen unless the company says you're locked out," he said. "Do we want it to get to that point? Absolutely not."
Negotiations are expected to resume next week, said Woida.
"I'm still optimistic that a deal can be made," he said. "It would be nice to get this thing resolved for both parties."
The union deems it unacceptable that the employer wants to change the junior clerk to senior clerk ratio from 50/50 to 25/75. Employees are also angry about the proposal to rescind the accumulated time off program the union negotiated as time off in lieu of wage increases over the past 30 years.
