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UFCW 1518 Files Unfair Labour Practice Against Sephora

Today, UFCW 1518 filed an Unfair Labour Practice (ULP) with the BC Labour Relations Board against Sephora in Kamloops, the first unionized store in Canada.

UFCW 1518 has been negotiating with Sephora for over a year to make significant wage improvements not only for union members but all Sephora workers in BC. The union has received reports that Sephora workers were feeling threatened by management and were at risk of losing wages and benefits.

The Kamloops store became the first unionized Sephora in Canada in the summer of 2022 when workers organized to seek greater respect, equity and wage fairness in their workplace. After forming their union, the workers successfully fought for compensation for time spent waiting for bag checks, which sometimes forced workers to wait up to 30 minutes without pay after their shifts. The paid bag check time became company policy at all Sephora stores in Canada following the union’s advocacy.

“We are extremely disappointed to hear from our members that Sephora is using these tactics,” said UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak. “We expect better from this company. That means Sephora coming to the bargaining table with an offer we can bring back to our members that includes significant wage increases, better flexibility and respect for the work they do. We are ready and willing to work with Sephora–but we need to see respect for our members in the process.”  

The union is fighting for significant wage increases, assurance of health benefits, retention of store bonuses, and more at the bargaining table. Once negotiations are complete, all workers at the Kamloops Sephora store will have the opportunity to vote on the tentative contract. From there, the Sephora Kamloops union can fight for further wage and workplace improvements in their next collective agreement.

If you are a Sephora worker and would like to know more about the benefits of joining a union, you can reach out at [email protected] or go to ufcw1518.com/join.

Preparing for a Strike Vote at Safeway and FreshCo Pharmacy

For over eight months, UFCW 1518 has been in bargaining with Sobeys—the corporation that owns Safeway. In over 36 days of bargaining, Sobeys has barely moved on their wage offer, which is less than 1% in some years of the proposed contract.

Escalation may be necessary to fight for a fair deal. What are the next steps in preparing for a strike vote at Sobeys/Safeway, and what does this mean for members? Click on the items below to learn more.

A strike authorization vote authorizes the union to have the option to serve strike notice if we are unable to reach an agreement. It is also a strong show of solidarity for the bargaining committee, helping them to return to the bargaining table with a strong mandate from members. The bargaining committee can then push Sobeys to make a better wage offer.

No, a strike authorization vote is a step in escalation and does not mean we will automatically issue a strike notice. Ultimately, our committee is fighting for a fair deal for Safeway members. After the strike authorization vote, we will return to the bargaining table to show Sobeys we are serious about fighting for a fair deal—but our goal is to reach an agreement without having to serve strike notice.

Yes, UFCW 1518 members will receive picket pay in the event a strike, so long as they show up to their picket shifts:

  • $450 per week for 24 hours of picketing
  • $350 per week for 16 hours of picketing

While there is a required minimum number of hours to receive picket pay, members are encouraged, where reasonable, to contribute more hours on the picket line ­‑­ roughly the number of hours they would typically work when possible.

Alternative duties may be available for members who are unable to walk the picket line.

Our union will coordinate other ways for members who can’t formally strike to get involved and show their solidarity through other kinds of actions. 

If another union (such as UFCW 247 or the Bakers Union) serves strike notice in your store, UFCW 1518 members would not cross this picket line, and would receive the equivalent picket pay. We will keep you informed if this happens in your store.

We are forming a new Contract Support Team that can help coordinate members and keep them updated in the event we need to prepare to take job action

If you are interested in joining our Contract Support Team, click here.

Make sure you are receiving communications from your union and don’t hesitate to be in touch with your union rep to make sure you know the latest information.

Wear your Respect Retail Workers pin at work

No, for international students, there will be no impact. If there is a dispute, you are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week but not required to do so. You would be entitled to up to 20 hours of picket pay a week.

If you hold a work permit and there is a dispute, there is no impact on your work permit if you are on strike or locked out. You would also be entitled to receive picket pay. Depending on the nature of your work permit, you may be able to work for a different employer during any labour dispute.

The bargaining committee has unanimously agreed that NOW is the time to take a strike authorization vote. They are calling for members to vote before the committee returns to the bargaining table on September 20 and show Sobeys that they are united in fighting for a fair contract.

The strike authorization vote will be held online from Tuesday, September 12 at 9 am PDT to Thursday, September 14 at 3 pm PDT.

You will receive your voting credentials to your email address on Tuesday, September 12 at 9 am PDT.

Anyone who does not receive their voting credentials on September 12 can call the union office at 1-800-661-3708 during our extended office hours to request them, after verifying their identity.

Anyone requiring in-person assistance to vote can come to the UFCW 1518 office at 350 Columbia St. in New Westminster. The office will be open from 8:30 am to 7 pm PDT on Tuesday, September 12 and Wednesday, September 13. Regular office hours resume on Thursday, September 14—you can come vote at the office until 3 pm PDT.

All UFCW 1518 members who work at Safeway stores and FreshCo Pharmacies in Zone 1 (Lower Mainland to Whistler) will have the right to vote. Voting YES means that you support your bargaining committee’s recommendation to authorize a strike and demand a better contract than what Sobeys is offering.

Due to existing language in your collective agreement, members outside of Zone 1, won’t be able to participate in the current strike authorization vote. However, you will have many opportunities to support fellow union members, who will rely on your solidarity to fight for the best possible deal for all Safeway and FreshCo Pharmacy workers. We will share more details in the coming weeks. 

A strike is when union members collectively withdraw their labour. Rather than going to work, union members will form a picket line outside of their workplace and refuse to return to their jobs until the employer puts forward a fair contract offer.

As workers, our labour is our power. An effective strike shows our power to the employer and puts pressure on them to negotiate fairly and meet our demands.

We don’t know exactly how long a dispute could last—no one does. But we are several steps away from this.

Ultimately, bargaining ends with an agreement—one that both sides can ratify (that means the Employer and the Union members). And if that happens before a dispute… great! If not, a dispute may be necessary, but it will ultimately end when both sides reach a tentative agreement that ratifies.

If our strike successfully shows the employer that we will not back down until we get what we deserve, the hope is that the strike will end with a better contract that addresses members’ priorities.

We will provide members with all of the information they need to make an informed decision well ahead of job action.

Union representatives will make frequent store visits to keep members updated and answer your questions, and as always we will continue to keep members updated via emails, telephone town halls, social media, texts, and the Sobeys Bargaining Page.

Ensure that your contact info with us is up-to-date. You can update your info with union reps or members of the bargaining committee when you see them in-store, or you can send your full name, workplace name and number, Employee ID, email address, and cell phone number to [email protected]

No! Your vote is confidential! So unless you share how you voted, no one will know.

A strike authorization vote authorizes the union to have the option to serve strike notice if we are unable to reach an agreement. It is also a strong show of solidarity for the bargaining committee, helping them to return to the bargaining table with a strong mandate from members. The bargaining committee can then push Sobeys to make a better wage offer.

No, a strike authorization vote is a step in escalation and does not mean we will automatically issue a strike notice. Ultimately, our committee is fighting for a fair deal for Safeway members. After the strike authorization vote, we will return to the bargaining table to show Sobeys we are serious about fighting for a fair deal—but our goal is to reach an agreement without having to serve strike notice.

The bargaining committee has unanimously agreed that NOW is the time to take a strike authorization vote. They are calling for members to vote before the committee returns to the bargaining table on September 20 and show Sobeys that they are united in fighting for a fair contract.

The strike authorization vote will be held online from Tuesday, September 12 at 9 am PDT to Thursday, September 14 at 3 pm PDT.

You will receive your voting credentials to your email address on Tuesday, September 12 at 9 am PDT.

Anyone who does not receive their voting credentials on September 12 can call the union office at 1-800-661-3708 during our extended office hours to request them, after verifying their identity.

Anyone requiring in-person assistance to vote can come to the UFCW 1518 office at 350 Columbia St. in New Westminster. The office will be open from 8:30 am to 7 pm PDT on Tuesday, September 12 and Wednesday, September 13. Regular office hours resume on Thursday, September 14—you can come vote at the office until 3 pm PDT.

All UFCW 1518 members who work at Safeway stores and FreshCo Pharmacies in Zone 1 (Lower Mainland to Whistler) will have the right to vote. Voting YES means that you support your bargaining committee’s recommendation to authorize a strike and demand a better contract than what Sobeys is offering.

Members not in Zone 1 will have many opportunities to support fellow union members, who will rely on your solidarity to fight for the best possible deal for all Safeway and FreshCo Pharmacy workers.

A strike is when union members collectively withdraw their labour. Rather than going to work, union members will form a picket line outside of their workplace and refuse to return to their jobs until the employer puts forward a fair contract offer.

As workers, our labour is our power. An effective strike shows our power to the employer and puts pressure on them to negotiate fairly and meet our demands.

Yes, UFCW 1518 members will receive picket pay in the event a strike, so long as they show up to their picket shifts:

  • $450 per week for 24 hours of picketing
  • $350 per week for 16 hours of picketing

Alternative duties may be available for members who are unable to walk the picket line.

We don’t know exactly how long a dispute could last—no one does. But we are several steps away from this.

Ultimately, bargaining ends with an agreement—one that both sides can ratify (that means the Employer and the Union members). And if that happens before a dispute… great! If not, a dispute may be necessary, but it will ultimately end when both sides reach a tentative agreement that ratifies.

If our strike successfully shows the employer that we will not back down until we get what we deserve, the hope is that the strike will end with a better contract that addresses members’ priorities.

Our union will coordinate other ways for members who can’t formally strike to get involved and show their solidarity through other kinds of actions. 

If another union (such as UFCW 247 or the Bakers Union) serves strike notice in your store, UFCW 1518 members would not cross this picket line, and would receive the equivalent picket pay. We will keep you informed if this happens in your store.

Union representatives will make frequent store visits to keep members updated and answer your questions, and as always we will continue to keep members updated via emails, telephone town halls, social media, texts, and the Sobeys Bargaining Page.

Ensure that your contact info with us is up-to-date. You can update your info with union reps or members of the bargaining committee when you see them in-store, or you can send your full name, workplace name and number, Employee ID, email address, and cell phone number to [email protected]

We are forming a new Contract Support Team that can help coordinate members and keep them updated in the event we need to prepare to take job action

If you are interested in joining our Contract Support Team, click here.

Make sure you are receiving communications from your union and don’t hesitate to be in touch with your union rep to make sure you know the latest information.

– Wear your Respect Retail Workers pin at work

IGA #11 Celebrates Wages Increases and More

After a strong show of solidarity, workers at IGA 11 in Vancouver have ratified their newest Collective Agreement, ushering in improvements that will make their life in the city more affordable and the downtown store fairer.

The agreement features wage increases over three years, including a significant boost to the starting rate that will improve recruitment and staffing. Other changes to the wage grid will see members rewarded for their dedication sooner, reaching top-rate wages after only four years. It used to take workers six years of service before they earned top-rate.

Other notable improvements include better sick time and a paid, statutory holiday for September 30, in honour of National Truth and Reconciliation Day.

This Collective Agreement is reflective of a larger movement that’s growing across BC’s grocery stores, where workers are fighting for the respect that they deserve and dignified wages. After keeping businesses running through fires, floods and a pandemic, retail workers should be rewarded for their services, and UFCW 1518 is ensuring this happens by shoring up power in workplaces and building solidarity with the public.

Find out more about our fight for retail workers at the Respect Retail Workers homepage. If you’re interested in building power at your workplace, learn more about joining a union at ufcw1518.com/join-us.

Baristas & Bakers at “Grounds for Coffee” Unionize with UFCW 1518 

Positive change is brewing at Vancouver’s own Grounds For Coffee, where staff have joined forces across two locations and organized with UFCW 1518.

“We are very excited to welcome the newest members of our union from Grounds for Coffee,” says UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak. “They were clear and focused on why they wanted to join a union—stronger workplace protections and recognition for the work they do.” 

One of the staff’s main motivations for joining UFCW 1518 was to win real health & safety protections. The Alma St. Location functions as both a café and production centre, where staff make the pizza dough and cinnamon buns that launched Grounds for Coffee into local stardom. The production centre requires using specialized skills and equipment, for which staff want to get appropriate training and improved procedures so that they can do the job safely. 

“We realized we were working really hard for below industry standard wages, under less than ideal working conditions,” says one worker. “We’re also constantly short-staffed, so taking sick days or general time off becomes really hard to do, often because of how our shifts are booked…if any one person drops out, it makes hell for whoever is left over that day.” 

High turnover is a problem at the cafés, and the new UFCW 1518 members are determined to better their working conditions and improve workloads by prioritizing recruitment and retention. This initiative will include pushing for wage increases, but ultimately, it’s the staff’s commitment to respect and fairness that will win them a strong contract. The workers united on these two fronts, despite differences between the Commercial Drive and Alma St. locations.

At the Commercial Drive Grounds for Coffee, for instance, staff earn slightly more money on average than their Alma coworkers because a larger portion of their work is front-of-house, which is where the tips are made. But that didn’t stop them from showing solidarity with their sister location.

“These progressive workers, many of them young workers, are committed to building a stronger workplace for themselves and their coworkers,” says Novak. “And as their union, we are looking forward to working with them to do just that by amplifying their voices in the workplace to address concerns, make improvements and help build a better workplace for our members working there now and in the future,” says Novak. 

UFCW 1518 comprises tens of thousands of workers in BC’s retail sector. The Grounds for Coffee workers join Matchstick staff in the fight to improve morale and working conditions in BC’s cafes. If you are a cafe worker and would like to join a union, check out ufcw1518.com/join.

Unionized Pharmacy Workers to Receive Pay Increase

But the real cure for short-staffed counters is permanent wage increases

If we want to fix understaffing, we need fair wages for the important work Pharmacy Assistants and Registered Techs do everyday. After many discussions, UFCW 1518 and Sobeys have finally agreed to a $2/hr premium increase for ALL Sobeys Pharmacy members in BC.

“Competitive start rates are a good thing, don’t get me wrong,” says UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak, “They can certainly attract more resumes, but alone, they don’t guarantee long-term stability—and they don’t recognize the hard work of ALL employees who are working hard every day. To combat turnover, companies must promise their employees a good future so that they stay. And that means fair increases for all employees.

Just as pharmacies will benefit from new staff, they also need seasoned staff with a wealth of experience and knowledge that they’ve built on the job.

During the pandemic, pharmacy assistants’ workload exploded, as the public rushed to get vaccines, leaving UFCW 1518 members who work behind the counter emotionally and physically burnt out.

The new temporary premium that UFCW 1518 negotiated is a good first step towards fairer pay for these highly specialized and educated members. All pharmacy assistants and regulated techs at Freshco/Chalo and Safeway stores are set to receive the $2/hr top-up starting January 1, for all work hours worked between that date and March 31, 2023.

“We are pleased to see that Sobeys has finally agreed to recognize ALL pharmacy members with this program—now we need to push for permanent increases for all employees at the bargaining table,” says Novak.

Bargaining is set to begin between UFCW 1518 and Sobeys later this month. All staff across departments—including the pharmacies—will band together to push for better working conditions and compensation. President Novak says that bargaining is the Pharmacy members’ big chance to make wage increases and other recruitment and retention initiatives permanent.

“This is where our members can win real and lasting protections,” says Novak. “I hope Sobeys sees that these efforts will ultimately benefit their customers, who depend heavily on our members for so many of their needs.”

Source Office Furniture Ratifies New Contract

UFCW 1518 members employed with Source Office Furniture have ratified a new collective agreement thanks to the support members showed for their elected bargaining team. For the next three years, staff at the Vancouver store will benefit from several improvements to their working conditions.

Their monetary wins include:

  1. Wage Increases of 2.5% in years 1, 2 & 3.
  2. Increase in Forklift Trainer Premium from $1.00 to $1.50 per hour
  3. Increase in First Aid Premium from $20.00 to $30.00 per week
  4. Increase in Island Meal Allowance from $20.00 to $30.00
  5. Increase in Safety Footwear from $150.00 to $200.00 annually
  6. Increased Bereavement Leave

More and more retail workers are joining UFCW 1518 in the wake of COVID-19 to seek recognition for their specialized knowledge and to gain real protections in return for serving the public under challenging conditions. Do you work in a store and want to know how you and your coworkers can advocate for yourselves? Contact us at [email protected].

Yukon Save-On-Foods Ratifies Reopener Contract

Reopener ends with a successful ratification

Grocery workers employed at the sole Save-On-Foods in the Yukon secured significant improvements to their working conditions last week, after concluding a contract reopener with the west-coast grocer.

This is the first reopener since the contract was first established and included big gains: 

  • Significant Wage increases for all staff, including:
    • A big bump to starting rates
    • Increases to top rates for part-time and full-time workers
    • A new and improved wage grid for pharmacy assistants
    • A single wage grid for all employees
  • Improvements to vacation.
  • Night shift premium ($2.50)
  • Options for lunch breaks (either 30 minutes or 60 minutes)

Established a pathway to cross classification so employees are able to work across areas and capture more hours. 

As more and more UFCW 1518 collective agreements near expiry, workers at major grocers across the mainland and the Island are building capacity. At Save-On-Foods stores in BC, staff are working together and completing their bargaining surveys, where they are telling the employer what they need in their respective communities to make grocery jobs better and fairer.

Unionized Cannabis is Not Just a Phase

Latest BC Budtenders contract shows how the green movement has matured 

When the frontline budtenders at Seed & Stone ratified their first collective agreement last week, they didn’t just introduce impressive wage increases and improvements to one store. They brought radical change to three stores! As a result, all workers, present and future, who pass through their doors from here on, will benefit from this deal, which they can continue to improve in subsequent rounds of negotiations.

Some of the significant wins in the agreement include:

  • Higher starting rates (an increase of about 15%) 
  • Hourly scale with guaranteed wage increases
  • Improvements to breaks and scheduling
  • A grievance process and shop-steward language

One staff member, who was a leading voice in the first Seed & Stone organizing drive (at the Victoria Fort Street location), credits their incredible contract to the diversity of voices at the table. He said it was a big “morale boost” when the workers from the Delta location joined the union and sat with them at the bargaining table.

“They came to the table with their own energy and their own solidarity,” he says, “which kind of decentralized our movement and made things more threatening for the company and easier, from a solidarity standpoint, knowing that we were independently on the same page.”

By combining forces, workers from the Fort St., Gordon St., and Delta locations maximized their power. But this consolidation only worked because of the mobilizing that each store had done on its own prior to bargaining. In this way, The BC Budtenders Union, while still relatively young, is returning the labour movement to its roots. By decentralizing power, they’ve strengthened their unity and crystalized shared goals.

This power is evidenced in the high engagement at these shops. More dialogue and idea-sharing from everyone fosters community consciousness. What will raise everyone up, equally? This question was at the heart of the Delta organizing drive.

“What personally kept me going was the fact that many of my coworkers depend on this job to be able to afford food, housing, pay bills etc.,” says one member on the mainland. “Seeing how hard each of them work day in and out, I knew we needed things to change.”

Survival instincts often kickstart organizing drives. However, with widespread unionizing, workers can attain the resources that they need to push for more than the bare minimum (and win). One Seed & Stone budtender, who sat on the bargaining team, calls this phenomenon the “leapfrog effect.”

When a new worksite negotiates a contract, “we don’t get a lap around everyone but a few more steps [ahead],” the worker says. “Then the next contract, for either us or another company, gets a few more steps, and with more and more staff who are actualized, activated, and caring about their rights, organizing, and agitating…the quicker we’re all going to improve our industry.”


This change isn’t just theory. It’s happening. Almost three-quarters of the private cannabis retail shops in Victoria are unionized, and now that the Seed & Stone deal is complete, all boast a worker-centric collective agreement – each one better than the next.


Now that the workers at Seed & Stone have a deal with their employer, the next phase of their mobilizing begins. As one budtender puts it, “A contract is great, but it really takes them getting to know that contract and know what their rights are so that they can use it.”


Typically, workers who are the most adept at leveraging their contract have done deep organizing. This is a type of organizing that takes patience and relies on more than just meeting quotas (i.e. simply signing enough union cards to certify with a union). Deep organizing is about ensuring that workers fully understand that they are the union. What they get out of it depends on what they put in.


The Seed & Stone workers, for example, did not look to a UFCW 1518 staff representative to catalyze the change they desired. “I ended up hosting a meeting at my house last year where we discussed what we needed to change – what we wanted out of union representation,” says one of the worker organizers. “Then we had a union rep show up and give us the spiel about the process.” Early dialoguing and consensus-building were key to their success, and it’s this highly localized approach to activism that’s allowing the union to grow provincially.

If you are a budtender or work in a grow-op and are interested in joining a union, learn more at ufcw1518.com/cannabis or contact an organizer today.

UBC Students Unionize with UFCW 1518 to Reclaim Campus Grocery Store

VANCOUVER – After sparking a fast-paced organizing drive, workers at Grocery Checkout are preparing to negotiate their first collective agreement and resurrect the community-focused model that attracted them to the jobs in the first place.

On Dec. 4, the BC Labour Board confirmed that employees at the workplace, located in the Students Union Building, are now members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1518. Most of the staff are students, whose frustration with the business reached a tipping point when the new owners bulldozed its “by students, for students” design.

“Part of what we loved about Grocery Checkout was that it was committed to hiring students, who need the work and know the campus community,” says one of the workers. “We got to choose what merchandise was sold, how the business was run…we chose the music — it was a lot of fun. And we were all in it together. The new owners abandoned that vision.”

Grocery Checkout started hiring from outside the student body, even cutting students’ hours to accommodate new full-time employees who were not properly trained by the employer or even selected through a rigorous, standardized hiring process. Nepotism was running rampant, and the dedicated staff knew that they had to act—talking to the employer individually was not working, and the situation was dire.

“People need this money to survive,” says one Grocery Checkout employee, “students are getting screwed over.”

In addition to inflation, students also contend with crushing tuition fees, which the UBC Board of Governors just voted to raise. The new UFCW 1518 members at Grocery Checkout need better compensation, more in-line with the other on-campus private businesses that provide higher wages, extended health benefits, and even meal vouchers. The Grocery Checkout staff want to prioritize guaranteed hours, guaranteed discounts, and a ban on non-student hires moving forward. These asks were a long time coming; even before the new owners took over Grocery Checkout, their employer was not fulfilling their promises.

“A lot of us were hired under false pretences,” says one of the workers. “We were told we would have a certain number of hours every week. That didn’t happen. We were told that we’d get raises based on performance. That didn’t happen.”

With a union, the workers can infuse the store with its old grassroots spirit and finally hold Grocery Checkout accountable. Most importantly, they can face the employer together. Unionizing “is the only thing we can do to get power back into our own hands,” according to one worker. Another bonus, they add, is that a union will outlive their employment and continue “protecting students of the future.” The young workers say they hope that their action inspires more student-run organizing drives. “It’s about setting a precedent for the other private businesses on campus and saying ‘No you don’t have to sit around and take this.’”

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For more information, contact:

Celia Shea, UFCW 1518 Digital Organizer at 604-250-6483