Latest news with #UFCW
Fast Company
a day ago
- Business
- Fast Company
‘Please don't abandon us': Kroger store closures spark outcry from workers and shoppers at doomed locations
Community members whose local Kroger stores are on the chopping block are urging the company to reconsider. Residents in cities impacted by the grocery chain's recent announcement of store closures, including in Abingdon, Virginia; Kingsport, Tennessee; Gassaway, West Virginia; and Charlottesville, Virginia, have started petitions in hopes of convincing the company to reverse course and keep the stores open. In its Q1 earnings call last week, the grocery retailer announced that it would be closing 60 stores in the next 18 months. Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) expects a 'modest financial benefit' from this decision, but community members losing their stores are concerned about these closures' impact on employee livelihoods and food access. 'Krogers, if you leave you are creating a huge hole in our community,' one signatory commented on a petition with over 1,500 signatures. 'We shop with you specifically and have supported you for decades. Please don't abandon us.' Other signatories cite their positive experiences with store employees as a reason to want the stores to remain open. Kroger has stated in its earnings call that affected employees would be offered jobs at other locations. When contacted by Fast Company, a spokesperson declined to comment more specifically on the fates of employees or on the petitions from community members. Food workers' union involvement Many of these petitions have been started or are supported by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 Union, a local union chapter that represents Kroger workers in six states and Washington, D.C. Four stores whose employees are represented by the union are planned to close later this year. Through these petitions, the union hopes to show the company that union members and affected communities are united in opposing the closures. 'Let's be clear: Kroger is abandoning our communities just so their Wall Street investors can make an extra buck,' UFCW Local 400 wrote in a statement to Fast Company. 'We think our jobs and our access to fresh food are worth more than that and we shouldn't be paying the price for Kroger's decisions.' In some areas, the union notes, the local Kroger store is the only traditional grocery store left. The problem with food deserts The USDA estimates that 18.8 million people—6.1% of the U.S. population—live in low-income areas more than one mile from a grocery store, or in 'low-access tracts' more than 10 miles from a grocery store. Studies have linked limited access to fresh and nutritious food to negative health outcomes, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and obesity. Kroger has not provided a full list of the 60 stores that will close. However, many of the doomed locations have been revealed by local media reports. 'We urge Kroger to reverse course and continue to operate these much-needed stores for the benefit of our members and the customers who depend on them,' wrote UFCW Local 700. Kroger's stock price jumped from $69.43 to $72.00 between the start of its Friday Q1 earnings call and start of trade the following Monday but has since been slightly trending down.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
The Beer Store closing Manotick outlet this summer
The Beer Store says its location on Carling Avenue, across the street from Carlingwood Mall, will close on June 15. (Andrew Adlington/CTV News Ottawa) The Beer Store location in Manotick is closing in August, the fourth store to close in Ottawa this year. The Beer Store announced 10 stores will close across Ontario on August 24, including the store on Beaverwood Road in Manotick. 'Closing a retail store is never an easy decision - our stores and employees contribute to communities in many ways and provide easy access to empty returns throughout Ontario,' Ozzie Ahmed, vice president of Retail at the Beer Store, said in a statement. 'We are modernizing operations and focusing on what we do best, selling ice cold beer, great customer service and a world leading recycling system that gets customers their deposit money back.' The Beer Store on Bank Street near Holmwood Avenue will close on July 20. The Beer Store on Carling Avenue, across from the Carlingwood Mall, closed on June 15. The retailer closed the Beer Store on North Side Road in Bells Corners in February. The decision to close Beer Store outlets comes after Ontario expanded beer and alcohol sales to big box stores, corner stores and gas stations last year. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union told CTV News Ottawa earlier this year that the Beer Store is allowed to go down to 300 stores by the end of this year under an early implementation agreement. The Beer Store has locations on Terry Fox Drive, Ogilvie Road, Fallowfield Road, 1680 Bank Street, Baseline Road, Montreal Road, and Somerset Street West.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Union says lawsuit over federal pesticide safety rules aims to protect agricultural workers
A union representing agricultural workers across the country says the information workers get when handling pesticides is insufficient. It is suing the federal government with the aim of forcing it to enforce rules, it says, already exist. "It's high time for the federal government to do what it's already committed to do and that's what this case is about," Derek Johnstone of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said. "It's also another opportunity for us as Canadians to look at something as basic a food worker knowing what he or she or they are handling and not having that information, so how did we get here?" The union held an information session about safety sheets in Leamington, Ont., on Sunday. Thousands of workers come from countries such as Mexico and Guatemala to work in greenhouses in the southwestern Ontario community each year. The UFCW launched its lawsuit against the federal government in federal court last week. It argues that safety information including "material safety data sheets" are a condition of registering pest control products and that those sheets must be provided to workplaces that use the products. The application by the union states that the government has taken the "unreasonable position that the provision of material safety data sheets to workplaces is voluntary" and that by not enforcing the requirement, it is failing to protect agricultural workers. "It's unfortunate that the government has taken to using the term voluntary when it comes to providing basic information about chemicals and pesticides that workers handle," Johnstone said. "This is not a choice. This is not a recommendation by government. This is a right enshrined in health and safety law. The right to know is the first step when it comes to a worker's health and safety rights." Health Canada refused comment to the CBC on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. Sean O'Shea of Ecojustice, an environmental law charity whose lawyers are listed on the application, says data sheets provide information about possible risks of pest control products and protective measures one should take when using them. "It might require you to wear (personal protective equipment) to discard of any clothes you're wearing before you return to your home," he said. "It might say that it shouldn't be mixed with another chemical or another pesticide because it's not just the use of one pesticide. The problem is the use of several pesticides can have cumulative effects when chemicals are mixed together."
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Union sues Health Canada over alleged failure to protect agriculture workers
Migrant workers gathered on Sunday in Leamington to learn about a new lawsuit filed against Health Canada. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) A new lawsuit filed against Health Canada alleges the agency has unlawfully failed to protect agricultural workers from the harms of pesticides. Complainant United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW) alleges Health Canada's reported failure to enforce safety data sheets for pesticides leaves workers unable to protect themselves from hazardous materials. Migrant workers sue Health Canada Leamington June 2025 The UFCW has launched a lawsuit against Health Canada, alleging they are failing to ensure workers are informed about the pesticides they are using. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) On Sunday afternoon, the UFCW held workshops in Leamington to inform workers of the lawsuit. Due to the heavy presence of farming and greenhouse businesses, the region is known to have a higher population of migrant workers. 'Look, the fact of the matter is that what we're calling on the government to do are obligations,' said Derek Johnstone, special assistant to the president of the UFCW. Johnstone said the issue has plagued workers in Leamington for years and exists in the agriculture sector across Canada. Through the safety data sheets, workers can better understand how to safely use pesticides and respond to any prolonged exposure and side effects. Under the federal Pest Control Products Act, the sheets must be provided at workplaces. 'We are denying them something as basic, as fundamental as knowing what chemicals they're handling,' Johnstone said. One worker agreed to speak with CTV News on the basis of anonymity, out of fear using their name would result in disciplinary action by her employer. Migrant workers sue Health Canada Leamington June 2025 A farm worker in Leamington agreed to speak to CTV News anonymously out of fear her employer would be punished by their employer for speaking out. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) Originally from Mexico, the farm worker in Leamington said there's no trust with employers, and they worry that asking about the harms of pesticides will be seen as complaining. She said the company does not provide any training or information on how to use pesticides. 'We desperately need this information because if we are exposed to it and we are poisoned, we don't know what to do about it,' the worker said through a translator. The worker added working in Canada is the best opportunity they have to support their family. A request for comment was denied by Health Canada because the litigation is pending. Sean O'Shea, a government relations and campaign specialist for Ecojustice, told CTV News the lawsuit is seeking a court ruling to ensure Health Canada fulfills its responsibility. 'They're being exposed to dangerous pesticides that a lot of workers in other industries would be protected from, and that is not fair, it's not legal,' O'Shea said. O'Shea added they will now await the federal government's response to determine their next steps.
CBC
09-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Union says lawsuit over federal pesticide safety rules aims to protect agricultural workers
Social Sharing A union representing agricultural workers across the country says the information workers get when handling pesticides is insufficient. It is suing the federal government with the aim of forcing it to enforce rules, it says, already exist. "It's high time for the federal government to do what it's already committed to do and that's what this case is about," Derek Johnstone of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said. "It's also another opportunity for us as Canadians to look at something as basic a food worker knowing what he or she or they are handling and not having that information, so how did we get here?" The union held an information session about safety sheets in Leamington, Ont., on Sunday. Thousands of workers come from countries such as Mexico and Guatemala to work in greenhouses in the southwestern Ontario community each year. The UFCW launched its lawsuit against the federal government in federal court last week. It argues that safety information including "material safety data sheets" are a condition of registering pest control products and that those sheets must be provided to workplaces that use the products. The application by the union states that the government has taken the "unreasonable position that the provision of material safety data sheets to workplaces is voluntary" and that by not enforcing the requirement, it is failing to protect agricultural workers. "It's unfortunate that the government has taken to using the term voluntary when it comes to providing basic information about chemicals and pesticides that workers handle," Johnstone said. "This is not a choice. This is not a recommendation by government. This is a right enshrined in health and safety law. The right to know is the first step when it comes to a worker's health and safety rights." Health Canada refused comment to the CBC on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. Sean O'Shea of Ecojustice, an environmental law charity whose lawyers are listed on the application, says data sheets provide information about possible risks of pest control products and protective measures one should take when using them. "It might require you to wear (personal protective equipment) to discard of any clothes you're wearing before you return to your home," he said. "It might say that it shouldn't be mixed with another chemical or another pesticide because it's not just the use of one pesticide. The problem is the use of several pesticides can have cumulative effects when chemicals are mixed together."
