National

Workers at Hudson's Bay store in Kamloops on strike

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Dec, 2023 10:59 AM

Workers at the Hudson’s Bay store at Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops, B.C., have walked off the job after their union and the company were unable to reach a wage agreement.

United Steelworkers union Local 1-417, which represents the workers, says talks have been ongoing since July without success.

It says it met with Hudson’s Bay and a mediator at the B.C. Labour Relations Board on Tuesday but could not reach an agreement, adding that the company didn't budge on its proposal of a one-per-cent wage increase for each year of the contract.

The union says it issued a 72-hour strike notice to the company on Wednesday and the job action officially began at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Hudson’s Bay says in a statement that it appreciates the hard work of its store associates and remains committed to the bargaining process and reaching a resolution.

The union is encouraging the public to avoid shopping at the store until the labour dispute is resolved.

Jordan Lawrence, USW Local 1-417 financial secretary, said the job action comes at the busiest holiday time for the business and aims to "send a message loud and clear that this is unacceptable."

“Our members will not put up with these bullying tactics from the company any longer,” Lawrence said in a news release.

“We encourage customers to shop at the mall but respectfully ask that they honour our legal picket line and find their gifts elsewhere."

The picket lines will only be set up outside the Hudson's Bay entrances at the mall, Lawrence added.

"We regret the disruption in our Kamloops store and hope to return to serving our customers as soon as possible," Hudson's Bay said in its statement.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

The glitch-prone app touted as an efficient border tool early in the pandemic has become a punching bag for critics who question its utility ⁠ — but ArriveCan may be here to stay. The government insists it's a useful tool. Critics say it has outlived its use, if it ever had one.

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'

Earlier, British Columbia's Environment Ministry had said that only one wolf was still missing at the zoo, located about 55 kilometres east of Vancouver in the community of Aldergrove. It did not say how many had escaped at the facility, which says it has nine adult grey wolves and six cubs.

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'

String of overnight fires being investigated by Surrey RCMP, fires started deliberately

Based on the initial information it appears that the fires were deliberately started. Due to the short time frame and close proximity of the fires police believe that they are likely related.

String of overnight fires being investigated by Surrey RCMP, fires started deliberately

10,000 drug deaths since B.C. emergency: coroner

New data from the coroner's service says at least 1,095 residents are believed to have died from January to June this year, at an average of six deaths per day. The report found more than three-quarters of the those who died this year have been male, and most were between the ages of 30 and 59.

10,000 drug deaths since B.C. emergency: coroner

Border officers cite discrimination by colleagues

The figures are drawn from a survey conducted as part of an internal Canada Border Services Agency evaluation that looked at how the agency processed travellers, using a lens of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability, and the interaction between these factors.

Border officers cite discrimination by colleagues

Inflation slows to 7.6% in July as gas prices fall

The inflation rate hit a nearly 40-year-high of 8.1 per cent in June, but economists were widely expecting inflation to have since slowed. In its latest consumer price index report, Statistics Canada said the July saw the smallest monthly gains since December 2021.