SHOPPERS DRUG MART UPDATE:

New Contract For Shoppers Members in Quesnel

UFCW 1518 members employed by Shoppers Drug Mart in Quesnel agreed to accept a new contract with the company on Monday March 24. Quesnel Shoppers Drug Mart members voted 93% in favour of the new contract. After more than six years without a contract, union members are pleased with the new agreement that follows the pattern set by the Union Negotiating Committee at the Davie Street location in Vancouver.

The new contract provides a signing bonus and wage increases, and fought off the company’s demands for concessions, all of which were key issues union members were fighting for. Shoppers members in Quesnel ratified the new contract on the recommendation of their Union Negotiating Committee.

Shoppers locations in Terrace and on Fraser Street in Vancouver are the only two remaining locations that have not ratified a new contract. Updates will be posted on the union website when bargaining dates have been scheduled.

Shoppers Members in New Westminster & Vancouver Ratify Contracts

Shoppers Drug Mart members in New Westminster voted 89% in favour of ratifying their new contract on January 23, while members at the Granville Street Store in Vancouver voted 87% in favour on January 24.

The New Westminster and Vancouver settlements follow the pattern set by the Union Bargaining Committees from White Rock, Cloverdale and Burquitlam, all of whom were forced on strike last year. Shoppers members in Richmond ratified a new contract in late December, without being forced into a labour dispute by the employer.

This new 2-year collective agreement includes wage increases, job-protection, better benefits and a $500 signing bonus for all members.

“After nearly 7 years without a contract, these members have finally got a contract that gives them wage improvements and maintains good benefits, and that means improving their lives and the lives of their families,” says UFCW 1518 President Ivan Limpright. “It was the hard work of the Union Bargaining Committees and the support of all of the members that allowed these new contracts to be established.”