Union Steps In After Safeway Fails to Pay Promised Wage

A Safeway member who was promised a wage increase after being promoted to acting Floral Manager was not paid the wage promised – until her union got involved on her behalf.

The member was hired by Safeway in July 2009 to work as a Cashier, as well as a Clerk II in the Floral department.

In September, the member was approached by Safeway to become acting Floral Manager. However, two weeks later management told her the rate they said they would pay was too high, and they would only pay her at a rate $1.30 per hour less than what she was originally promised.

The member, who works at Safeway in Richmond, was also told by management that rather than increase her pay retroactively, Safeway would only leave it as a flat premium adjustment, because it wasn’t clear whether the position would be temporary or permanent.

When combined with all the PeopleSoft payroll mistakes, the member was left with no idea at all as to how Safeway was calculating her paycheque, nor when the transition to a lower pay rate had taken place.

The member’s Union Representative got involved, and Safeway has now re-paid the member back pay to reflect the original promised wage.