After conversations with UFCW 832, Red River Co-op has also announced pay premiums for our members. The premium is $2.50 per hour and will be retroactive to March 8, 2020. Unlike Loblaw and Sobey’s West Inc., Red River Co-op has announced they will be reviewing their premiums every two weeks. Currently, these wages don’t include gas bar attendants and the Union will be pushing to ensure these workers receive their fair share.
“We all need to pull together right now,” said Jeff Traeger, President of UFCW Local 832. “Co-ops were built on the foundation of community, and we are glad to see that Red-River is adding extra compensation to support working union and co-op members. We will be in ongoing discussions to push for these wages to continue going forward for the foreseeable future.”
The Union has reached out to the Federated Co-op Warehouse and the rural Co-ops to have this matched at those locations as well.
Red River Co-op has also introduced a number of measures to keep our members safe. Our retail union reps are comparing each company’s safety practises and will continue to share the best ideas with other employers, so that all members can receive the best safety standards possible during this difficult time.
UFCW 832 continues to call on all employers to compensate the hard work that frontline workers do and ensure that members on the frontline are paid a least $15 an hour. The union also calls on employers to provide pay protection for those who are being laid off and to make sure safety is ensured for all workers.
UFCW Local 832 represents over 18,000 members working in food production, food distribution warehousing, grocery retail, hospitality, security, personal care, and assisted living.