Over 900 Metro & Food Basics Grocery Distribution Workers Have Gone On Strike In Ontario

If your kale is looking a little wilted or your local Metro seems to be out of all your favourite crackers, you may want to give them some slack.

Over 900 full-time Etobicoke warehouse distribution workers that supply Metro and Food Basics across southern Ontario and into the Kingston-Windsor corridor went on strike on April 2, and negotiations will resume on Thursday.

On April 2, members of Unifor Local 414, who have been without a contract since October 2021, turned down a "tentative agreement" from Metro Ontario Inc., according to a press release.

"The members have final say on the tentative agreement and have opted to turn down this offer," said Chris MacDonald, Unifor Assistant to the National President. "The bargaining committee is ready to resume negotiations in the hope of bringing this strike to a speedy end."

However, a Unifor representative told Narcity, "negotiations between Unifor and Metro are ongoing today."

Will stores stay open?

Metro Ontario Inc. enacted its contingency plan on April 2, and despite the strike, stores will remain open according to a statement given to Narcity.

"Metro Ontario has activated its contingency plan on and remains focused on the continuing supply of products to our Metro and Food Basics stores which remain open to serve our customers."

"We are pleased to announce that both parties are going back to the table and negotiations will resume today. We remain committed to reaching a fair and equitable agreement," Metro Ontario told Narcity.

The settlement proposed on April 2 by Metro Ontario Inc. "provided significant increases for employees, including an increase of 6% on average to hourly wages in the first year of the agreement and a total of 14% wage increase over 4 years as well as pension and benefits improvements," according to a press release.