About 6,000 Safeway employees across Alberta have approved a new five-year contract with Sobeys, with 91 per cent voting in favour. UFCW Local 401 posted the results Saturday, four days before a strike was scheduled to begin. The vote followed a 10-day period, and the agreement expires in September 2030.

Wages were the main point of contention in the lengthy negotiations, according to the union. The contract includes wage and benefit improvements, along with cross-training changes that UFCW Local 401 says will make more hours available to part-time employees.

Workers will retain a 10 per cent wage increase negotiated after an arbitrator accepted the union’s last offer. Sobeys challenged that decision through a judicial review filed in 2023, but the new agreement requires the company to withdraw its action against the workers at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Most employees will receive a $2,000 signing bonus, while junior employees will receive $500. The agreement also provides new funding for union dental, health and welfare benefits. Most workers are set to receive a cumulative wage increase of 18 per cent over the five-year term.

If Sobeys’ corporate offices consider closing an Alberta location, the company must consult a committee of Safeway workers and UFCW Local 401. The contract also includes a guarantee that stores will not be converted to a discount banner with reduced service. “Additionally, and importantly, the company has guaranteed that no Safeway store will be converted to a discount banner with diminished service,” the union said in a news release.

Other provisions include a new Employee Assistance Plan, paid time off for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and protections for freedom of expression in the workplace. The plan also guarantees access to free period products, a benefit currently guaranteed by law only in Manitoba.

“This deal is an expression of the value of collective action and having a union,” UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse said. “There will be no strike at Safeway, but it is certainly worth noting that employees’ united voices led to higher wages, better benefits and real job security.” CTV News Edmonton said it had contacted Sobeys for comment. The report included files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brittany Ekelund.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.