About 720 employees have been locked out since December 5th, after union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike.
Unifor picketers brought their strike to the Federated Co-op’s Corporate Saskatoon Office Thursday.
Picketers circled the block, leaving space between small groups, attempting to socially distance as they marched along the sidewalks. Security officers kept watch, but did not appear to be interacting with picketers. A line up of Unifor cars and supporters, honked along 4th avenue, and in front of the building itself on 22nd street, impacting traffic in some lanes.
Kevin Bittman, Unifor 549 President, says they have been all over Saskatchewan the last two weeks to let people know they are still locked out. Bittman says they’ve given the Co-op everything they’ve wanted, they’re still locked out and they’re asking the public to ask the question, why are they still locked out? Bittman says the message to Federated Co-op on Thursday is they’re not going away, they’ve all been locked out and are all going to go back to work. He says Unifor won’t accept 100 people being fired and it’s time to bargain the return to work. Bittman suggests that all concessions have been given to the Co-op, that have been asked for, and they are ready to get back to work.
(CJWW)