Wynyard Advance Gazette

Serving Wynyard, the Quill Plains, Touchwood Hills and Last Mountain Regions
Wynyard Co-op workers go on strike
Volume 103
Printed at Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Monday, September 9, 2013
Number 33
RWDSU members walked the picket line in front of the grocery store on Wednesday, September 4. Left to right: Joanne Bolt, Donna Deeg, Melanie
Karakochuk, Albert Hawerychuk, Brenda Petersen, Leela Kulhawy, and Shirley Johnson. RWDSU members at all three Wynyard Co-op locations are
currently on strike, fighting mostly for higher wages.
By Denise Mozel
Wynyard’s Co-op workers began walking the picket
line on Wednesday, September 4.
The members of Local
S955 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store
Union went on strike in an
attempt to fight for higher
wages for workers in the
three Wynyard Co-op store
locations – grocery, C-store,
and Farm and Ranch.
According to union representative Trevor Miller the
local Co-op workers believe
they are underpaid.
“They are looking for a
more substantial wage increase… What the Co-op
is offering economically,
and what the union members here want to see are
obviously not on the same
page,” said Miller, who de-
clined to divulge the type of
wage increases being sought
by union members.
Miller did point out that a
local clerk/cashier at the top
of the wage scale in Wynyard earns $14.15 an hour.
Currently the Co-op is offering the workers the same
wage increase package that
has been settled upon in Coops in the rest of the province – a four year deal with
increases of 3 percent, 2 ½
percent, 2 ½ percent, and 3
percent.
Local workers hit the
picket lines, because they
feel this four-year deal does
not make enough of an impact to their wages.
While Miller said it is
fairly uncommon for Co-op
workers to go on strike, the
local workers will continue
to picket outside the three
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Wynyard Co-op stores,
and the new food store’s
construction site until their
needs have been addressed.
“They will be out there
as long as it takes to get a
fair settlement, based off
of what is fair for the Wynyard Co-op, not based off
of what’s fair for Federated,
based out of Saskatoon,”
said Miller.
In the early stages of the
strike the public appeared
to support the RWSDU
members, honking their
horns as they drove past the
picket lines, and shouting
out words of encouragement. Others brought food
and drinks for the striking
workers.
“We have got a lot of public support, but there will
always be some that cross
the picket line,” said Miller,
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who is encouraging the public to shop elsewhere.
“The less people shop at
the Co-op or C-store, the
sooner this will end,” he
stated.
Mike Isaak, who is the
general manager of the
Wynyard Co-op, was contacted for comments about
the strike. Isaak elected to
write the following letter
which is addressed to Wynyard Co-op members.
The letter is reprinted in
its entirety within this article:
Attention Wynyard Coop membership,
Collective
bargaining
process has many aspects
to it. We are saddened the
union has decided to take
strike action.
Compensation consists
of two elements, salary and
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benefits. Our salary offer is
fair, and reflects positively
in our local market. We offer a benefits package that
at par or better than many
other companies.
If the union is willing to
go public with the current
pay ranges and proposed
pay ranges, plus sick and
dental benefits, holidays, etc
we would be more than willing to confirm. We believe
package is a fair one for this
market.
We have engaged security to ensure we protect our
member’s capital assets and
the safety of customers and
those working in the stores.
We continue to operate
as close to normal hours
as possible. Yes, the level
of service may be impacted
and hope our customers we
have patience during this
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time. We will monitor hours
of operation and adjust accordingly based on resources available.
The new hours are listed
below as well as the services
that will be temporarily suspended:
Gas Bar C-Store – 7 am –
7 pm from Monday - Sunday
(self-serve gas station)
Grocery Store – 9 am – 6
pm from Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays)
-Our food store will have
to stop the carry-out service.
-Grocery delivery service
will be suspended
Farm and Ranch – 8 am
– 5 pm from Monday to Friday (closed Saturdays and
Sundays)
Co-operatively yours,
Mike Isaak, general manager, Wynyard Co-op
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