Winnipeg Retail

[cllew]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

Superstore Charleswood was Loblaws in the 1970s.

Was there a Loblaws in Assiniboia (Westwood, Crestview) area?

There was a Loblaws at 2555 Portage Ave (NE Corner Portage @ Moray) in a Free Press Ad from March 1960.

In July 1984 Free Press ad I see that it had been converted sometime in the past to an EconoMart as the only Loblaws mentioned in that ad was at Polo Park

I'm not sure when the grocery store finally closed and turned into the lot where the Keg is now located.

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Loblaw Expands in Winnipeg Under No Frills Banner

The retailer makes history with a new first-of-its-kind store, betting on consumers’ love for low prices…

by Maggie Mead
Monday, March 25th, 2019

Come for the poutine; stay for the, well, everything else that’s great with Canada—including an arch-social media savvy discount grocer’s growing presence. Loblaw has announced further Canadian expansion under its No Frills banner, making the company one of many retailers looking to expand in the Great White North.

In the same fashion that Sobeys’ parent, Empire, revealed plans to expand its Farm Boy brand into the Toronto and Ontario area, Loblaw is targeting expansion in its own key regional market: Winnipeg. The company’s No Frills banner has been around since the 1970s, reports The Winnipeg Free Press, but Loblaw has recently found a new home for the chain in Winnipeg, opening its fifth store in the city this week.

...

The new store will occupy 32,000 square feet and will be located at 1500 Plessis Rd. Winnipeg. It is anticipated that the new store will need a workforce of around 75 full- and part-time employees who will be unionized with collective bargaining agreements with the United Food Commercial Workers defining benefits, wage rates, and pensions.

"This one will be the first purpose-built new structure just for No Frills, and that’s very exciting in and of itself," Pierce said.

...

https://www.delimarketnews.com/quick...2019-1059/7502

More be like Transcona.

Also I'll bet that prices at No Frills would be even cheaper than Superstore if Loblaws did not allow unionization No Frills stores

[bomberjet]

Transcona is part of Winnipeg.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Transcona is part of Winnipeg.

What? Since when?

[bomberjet]

Since they took down all the pink flamingo's lol

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

Also I'll bet that prices at No Frills would be even cheaper than Superstore if Loblaws did not allow unionization No Frills stores

That is a highly uninformed statement.

I have actually seen union contracts for some retail and they pay very close to minimum wage.

Keep in mind union contracts aren't always about higher wages. Things like number of shifts, who gets preference for days off and how internal promotions are handled are all things I have seen covered in those same contracts.

ie the store manager can't hire their neighbours kid and start giving maximum part time hours with all the prime shifts.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by CoryB

That is a highly uninformed statement.

I have actually seen union contracts for some retail and they pay very close to minimum wage.

Keep in mind union contracts aren't always about higher wages. Things like number of shifts, who gets preference for days off and how internal promotions are handled are all things I have seen covered in those same contracts.

ie the store manager can't hire their neighbours kid and start giving maximum part time hours with all the prime shifts.

ehhhh, it's a safe statement. Generally speaking, unions equal higher cost. If higher costs are attributed to the owner/operator, then those naturally get passed onto the end user.

I'm sure there's tons of nuance and a few exceptions but still.

[SpongeG]

I worked at a grocery store in a union and the wage was 50 cents above minimum, in my just over one month there the provincial minimum wage went up 50c yet the union wage stayed the same so people were making less than minimum when you deducted the union dues. You would think the union would work that into the contract that if the minimum wage went up so would their wage equal to the general min wage increase

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I worked at a grocery store in a union and the wage was 50 cents above minimum, in my just over one month there the provincial minimum wage went up 50c yet the union wage stayed the same so people were making less than minimum when you deducted the union dues. You would think the union would work that into the contract that if the minimum wage went up so would their wage equal to the general min wage increase

Many CAs do have clauses about minimum wages.

e.g., from a library's collective agreement:

"In the event that the provincial minimum wage rate is increased during the
term of the Collective Agreement, then the Step 1 rate for Student Assistants,
Clerical Assistants and Library Assistant 1 and 2 shall be increased by an
identical cents per hour effective as of the date(s) of the provincial wage
increase(s)."

[Hecate]

When the extra foods in Selkirk was converted to no frills they basically fired all the old staff and said they would rehire them for $12 an hour. Some of these people were making $20 an hour or more working for extra foods, only to be let go and offered $12 an hour working for the same company.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

ehhhh, it's a safe statement. Generally speaking, unions equal higher cost.

I know of other examples of union contracts with professional staff where the salaries are less than market rates for the same people. The challenge is when an employer puts forward a proposal to limit costs as a "final offer" if the group covered under a collective agreement is large enough they will almost always accept it no matter how bad it is.

Think about this, in recent times the U of M profs went on strike for several weeks to accept a contract with a 0% salary increase.

[vjose32]

If I am not mistaken wasn’t the Moore Centre on McPhillips formerly a Loblaws?

[cllew]

Your are correct on that location.

The Fort Rouge Leisure Center on Osborne, the building on the south west corner of Pembina and McGillivery and the site of the River East Access on Henderson were old Loblaws sites

Those 3 sites are no longer grocery related. The Loblaws at 177 St. Annes Rd is now a SuperStore location and the one at Main and Inkster has been through a few formats and is now a No Frills.

[StNorberter]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

ehhhh, it's a safe statement. Generally speaking, unions equal higher cost. If higher costs are attributed to the owner/operator, then those naturally get passed onto the end user.

I'm sure there's tons of nuance and a few exceptions but still.

Most people that complain about the costs of unions, etc. Tend to have had absolutely no experience with unions and don't know anyone who is a union member.

[Winnipeg Grump]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I know of other examples of union contracts with professional staff where the salaries are less than market rates for the same people. The challenge is when an employer puts forward a proposal to limit costs as a "final offer" if the group covered under a collective agreement is large enough they will almost always accept it no matter how bad it is.

Think about this, in recent times the U of M profs went on strike for several weeks to accept a contract with a 0% salary increase.

I'll use Hydro as an example, since I know a lot of people there.

If you're a professional there, you're making less than you would in the private sector except you have a DB pension and all of the other perks of working at a Crown.

If you're doing Joe or Jane Desktop work, with no real certification required (other than your uncle works there!), you are making WAAAY more than you would outside the union environment.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by StNorberter

Most people that complain about the costs of unions, etc. Tend to have had absolutely no experience with unions and don't know anyone who is a union member.

As I mentioned before, unions historically had an important role in labour movements, wages, rights, etc.

I personally know one union head (family member) and know many unionized workers through the construction industry. In today's world, 'it's not my job man' is the overwhelming tone of unions. People will literally stand there as opposed to doing something not in their narrow job description.

Example: Pick up a shovel to move that dirt. Sorry I'm not a labourer, I'm a machine operator.

It us vs them. Management vs worker. That does not lead to a good working environment. This is the problem with unions.

Next, fear mongering. Police union is extr4emly good at this. "You must give us money or you will die" is what they say publically. Bullshit.

Look at the bus drivers!

Should I continue?

I am extremely interested to hear of good union vs company relationships. There must be some. I was once a unionized employee and it was all about getting everything you can from the company. Right or wrong, just get all you can from them.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Grump

I'll use Hydro as an example, since I know a lot of people there.

If you're a professional there, you're making less than you would in the private sector except you have a DB pension and all of the other perks of working at a Crown.

If you're doing Joe or Jane Desktop work, with no real certification required (other than your uncle works there!), you are making WAAAY more than you would outside the union environment.

Exactly it.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by cllew

The Fort Rouge Leisure Center on Osborne, the building on the south west corner of Pembina and McGillivery and the site of the River East Access on Henderson were old Loblaws sites

Loblaws moved from River East Access Centre (which became a Penner Foods after they moved) to Gateway and Springfield but as a Supervalue.

The Moore's Centre on McPhillips converted from Loblaws to Supervalue and I think it transitioned to the RCCS name before moving to the former Co-Op site further north on McPhillips.

As for the Osborne Loblaws, not sure where that one went.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

As I mentioned before, unions historically had an important role in labour movements, wages, rights, etc.

I personally know one union head (family member) and know many unionized workers through the construction industry. In today's world, 'it's not my job man' is the overwhelming tone of unions. People will literally stand there as opposed to doing something not in their narrow job description.

Example: Pick up a shovel to move that dirt. Sorry I'm not a labourer, I'm a machine operator.

It us vs them. Management vs worker. That does not lead to a good working environment. This is the problem with unions.

Next, fear mongering. Police union is extr4emly good at this. "You must give us money or you will die" is what they say publically. Bullshit.

Look at the bus drivers!

Should I continue?

I am extremely interested to hear of good union vs company relationships. There must be some. I was once a unionized employee and it was all about getting everything you can from the company. Right or wrong, just get all you can from them.

Teachers union, firefighter union, nurses union, Manitoba govt. workers unions as well as the police unions all say everything is going to hell in a handbasket, pay us more, give us more trouble with that is that everyone else is getting less, more and more taxes and fees and just not a big enough private sector workforce to pay for the unions extravagance!

There is something wrong in salary scales in Manitoba when Hydro workers, the police, firefighters etc. make more than engineers, pharmacists, professional accountants, architects and other educated highly skilled people.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

There is something wrong in salary scales in Manitoba when Hydro workers, the police, firefighters etc. make more than engineers, pharmacists, professional accountants, architects and other educated highly skilled people.

Yet more uniformed posts about unions. Hydro employees a number of engineers in a union as does the province. Lots of pharmacists and accountants are in those unions too. There are even doctors and lawyers in the union.

In terms of health restructuring in Manitoba the plan is for seven unionized groups:

1. Doctors.
2. Interns (Doctors in Training).
3. Physician Assistants
4. Nurses
5. Other specialized health professions (pharmacists, mri, physio, etc)
6. Other facilities based workers (maintenance, food services, etc)
7. Community based workers (mostly home care workers)

Generally the bottom two groups are not especially well paid and have critical roles in the health care system. If you hear of someone getting an infection in a hospital chances are it is do to the facilities based workers being short staffed and needing to save time. The community based workers help get people out of the very expensive hospital beds and back into their own homes.

--

In terms of retail, if unionization has such a negative impact on the costs consumers pay how come Weston foods is consistently a low price leader yet also a significant employer of union labour?