Members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1518 were locked-out by Fletcher's Fine Foods--a pork processing plant in Vancouver--in August. Since then they have maintained picket lines and recently began leafleting supermarkets urging people not to buy Fletcher's products. Workers voted down a contract 345 to 13 that included a 40 percent wage cut, mandatory overtime at management's discretion, the elimination of negotiated scheduled hours of work, and docking workers' pay at regular rates for using the washroom. If using the washroom for more than 20 minutes per week union members would be deducted at twice their pay rate and if they use the washroom more than 20 minutes per week over a 12-week average, they would be deducted at triple their rate of pay.

At shopping centers around the area, members of the local received a warm response from other working people. Some gave examples of concession demands by bosses at other companies. Unionists from the Canadian Auto Workers and the International Association of Machinists said they would tell others about the boycott of Fletcher's products. UFCW members on strike against Superior Poultry in nearby Coquitlam have also carried out a leafleting campaign against Costco, which agreed to stop carrying Superior Poultry products in its stores.

Management at several supermarkets tried to intimidate Fletcher's workers from distributing leaflets in front of their stores, saying it was private property and threatening to call the police or go to court to get an injunction. UFCW members stood their ground and showed them a copy of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that upholds the right of unions to distribute truthful information at secondary targets during a strike or lockout.

The locked-out Fletcher's workers have also received support from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents federal meat inspectors. PSAC regional executive vice president Patty Ducharme condemned the concessions around washroom breaks as having "the effect of discouraging workers from using proper hygienic practices, such as removing their outer work clothing prior to using the washroom (section 56 (2) of the Meat Inspection Regulations) and it would undoubtedly lead to improper washing and sanitizing of hands after use of the facilities (Section 56 (1) of the Meat Inspection Regulations."

Bob Jackson, regional vice president of the agricultural component of PSAC added, "It will be federal meat inspectors who will then have the additional burden of monitoring this situation created by a cheap employer." Both urged the public not to purchase Fletcher's products until the lockout is settled.

In a statement expressing appreciation for PSAC's support, UFCW Local president Brooke Sundin stated, "The downward pressure that food processing corporations put on wages and working conditions have very real consequences for not only workers, but the general public. In the last year or so there's been an e-coli outbreak at Fleetwood Sausage in Surrey and at Lakeside Packers in Alberta. When a company like Fletcher's makes such demands, it's not just a matter of a few workers being affected. These issues can affect us all in a very real, very dangerous way."

Workers on the picket line are buoyed by the fact that the company has withdrawn the provisions around bathroom breaks, but remain determined not to accept the boss' demand for wage cuts.

Beverly Bernardo is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 locked out by Fletcher's Fine Foods.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home