Business

Metro grocery workers strike through weekend after rejecting tentative deal

Published

1 year ago

July 31, 2023

Lana Payne, the Unifor National president, shouts alongside workers at a picket line outside a Metro grocery store in Toronto as workers rejected a tentative deal triggering a strike of nearly 3,700 grocery store workers in the Greater Toronto Area, on July 29.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press

About 3,700 grocery workers in the Greater Toronto Area set up picket lines outside Metro Inc. stores this weekend after rejecting a deal that the union’s president says didn’t adequately address wages and working conditions.

The company closed 27 of its stores on Saturday. However, pharmacies remain open through the strike.

The strike by members represented by Unifor Local 414 comes amid concern among workers that their wages haven’t increased much over the years while big grocers have seen large profits. The Competition Bureau said in a June report that the country’s largest grocers – Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Sobeys Inc. and Metro – reported more than $100-billion in sales in 2022 and earned more than $3.6 billion in profits.

Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president, said in an interview on Sunday that any agreement reached with Metro’s striking employees will set a “very important pattern” for the grocery sector, where other union locals will be negotiating. Workers at Metro rejected a tentative deal, the union said on Friday.

“They know that they’re not just fighting for themselves. They’re fighting for every grocery store worker and every retail worker out there,” Ms. Payne said.

Outside a Metro store in east Toronto on Sunday, about two dozen striking workers cheered as drivers honked their cars.

Eman Chaudhry has worked part-time as a cashier for four years. She and her family struggle to make ends meet to live in the city. As a part-time worker, she doesn’t receive any sick days. Ms. Chaudhry characterized the deal that was presented to members last week as “unfair.” She had hoped that the company would at least reinstate the $2-an-hour pay premium that workers temporarily received in 2020.

“They make millions of dollars every year … and they can’t afford to give their workers a couple of extra dollars to keep them living in their homes,” she said.

“We can’t even shop at our own grocery store. We can’t afford to,” Ms. Chaudhry added.

Marie-Claude Bacon, spokeswoman for Metro, said in an e-mail statement on Sunday that the grocer was “committed” to negotiating.

During the strike, perishable products that can still be sold would be transferred to other stores outside the Greater Toronto Area, Ms. Bacon said. Products that can’t be sold elsewhere but can still be consumed are donated to food banks.

Ms. Bacon said that the two sides had reached a “mutually satisfactory agreement that they unanimously recommended to employees” last week. The four-year agreement proposed wage increases above inflation. She also said that part-time employees who want a full-time position have “opportunities.”

But workers were not satisfied with the agreement. Responding to an offer that included wage increases above inflation, Ms. Payne said workers have fallen further behind in their earnings over the last few years, while inflation has steadily increased. About 70 per cent of striking members work part-time.

The workers want “decent pay and decent work hours to be able to support themselves,” she said.

Further, “this loss of the pandemic pay is something that is not sitting well with our members. They really felt that they went above and beyond during the pandemic to make sure that these stores could stay open,” she said, adding that grocers earned “historic profits.”

“We’re in a moment when working people really recognize their value to society and the pandemic did that for us,” Ms. Payne said.

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Business

Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

Published

1 day ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

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Business

Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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Business

Transat AT reports $39.9M Q3 loss compared with $57.3M profit a year earlier

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

Anne Joseph

MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.

The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.

The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.

Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)

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