Vanessa Mouriopoulos has seen many deals with workers over 28 years working for Metro.
The Davis Drive Metro meat chief clerk said the latest deal the company had on the table was better than what has come before.
But she said as many workers are struggling, and some even relying on the food bank, the deal seemed like a “slap in the face.”
“It wasn’t even close to being enough. With the company making $1 billion in profit in the last fiscal year, I feel like we need to get a bit of the slice of the pie,” she said. “We just want a little bit more. To have enough to be able to go on vacation, maybe even enough to pay our bills and mortgages. A lot of us are going cheque to cheque to cheque, and it’s not fair.”
The ongoing strike of Metro workers reached its fourth day Aug. 1. Both Davis Drive and Yonge Street Metros in Newmarket are part of the 27 stores represented by Unifor that remain on strike after workers rejected a negotiated deal last week.
Workers said they are ready to hold on the picket line.
“We feel good. The company doesn’t feel good. They’re losing so much money every day,” Newmarket resident and worker Ted Sipidias said. “We’ll stay here as long as it takes.”
Metro had approximately $922.1 million in net earnings in 2022, according to a company financial report.
The strike has no end in sight, with Metro expressing disappointment and saying it had negotiated a fair deal that the union recommended to its members. Ultimately, the members rejected the deal and pushed things to strike action.
Meanwhile, the food has left the stores, with anything that can be sold going to other Metros that remain open. Produce and products that can’t be sold but are still good for consumption are being donated to food banks.
“We have been partnering with the food banks for years through our food recovery program with unsold products in participating stores in both provinces where we operate,” Metro vice-president of public affairs and communication Marie-Claude Bacon said.
Mouriopoulos confirmed donations were shipped out of the Davis Drive Metro yesterday. The Newmarket Food Pantry confirmed it received more than 2,000 pounds of food from the Davis Drive Metro, including meat, produce, dairy and bread.
As she held a sign along Davis Drive, worker Brenda Megill said she remains optimistic.
“We’re hoping that with all the support we’re getting from all the people, Metro will come back to the table,” she said.
Not everyone in the public is supportive. Some workers said they were heckled and told to get back to work by passersby.
To those opposed to the labour action, Mouriopoulos said they should walk a mile in the workers' shoes.
“We can’t even fill the position we have available right now within the grocery chain, and with the low-balling wages they continue to think that we deserve, you’re never going to find anybody,” she said. “A lot of us are overworked.
“I’m glad we’ve all come together and decided to strike,” Mouriopoulos added. “We’re going to go for the long haul.”
