SOME HORSES ARE TREATED BETTER THAN SAFEWAY CASHIERS

Did you know that horses in Stanley Park are treated better than our Safeway Cashiers at self-serve scanners?Good enough for a horse...

Even horse owners in Stanley Park know that standing on hard surfaces for long periods of time is bad for any body, and it is for this reason that horse owners supply fatigue mats for their horses in between carriage rides. If horses are authorized to stand on protective surfaces in order to keep their backs, legs, knees, and ankles healthy and in minimal pain, then shouldn’t hard working Safeway Cashiers at self-serve scanners receive the same care?

Fatigue mats are a necessity. The enduring effects of standing on hard surfaces can cause a great deal of pain for a person, as well as varicose veins. 

Horse owners don’t want to cause pain for their four-legged friends, so why would Safeway management want to for their employees?

Management at Safeway think these mats will interfere with customer interaction, and discourage mobility. However, it is very clear to the union’s members that what Safeway is really trying to do is wean customers away from full-service Cashiers. Regardless of the rationale behind this sad excuse, the result is Safeway’s bottom line benefits - at the expense of our Cashiers’ health and safety.

It’s an embarrassment that Safeway management have failed their workers in supplying them with this most basic equipment.

If horse owners understand that fatigue mats are a simple necessity that contributes to the health and safety of their horses, then you’d reasonably hope Safeway management would see that too.

Unfortunately this isn’t the case, and Safeway management could learn a lesson or two from horse owners in Stanley Park.