‘We’re just looking for good-faith bargaining’: Halifax Pete’s Frootique workers near one month on strike

Pete’s Frootique and Fine Foods workers have been on strike for nearly a month, but they say their spirits are still high. 

On Saturday, groups of striking workers stood outside Pete’s Frootique in Bedford and several Sobeys locations in Halifax Regional Municipality to bring attention to their situation. 

Their actions were supported in other provinces as well as other members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) did the same outside local grocery stores in Ontario and British Columbia. 

Tina Oh, an organizer with SEIU, said the union made up of nearly 100 workers has been doing what it can to have Sobeys come back to the table for negotiations. 

This past Monday, workers took a bus to Stellarton to visit Sobeys’ head office to try to deliver letters written by members of the community and striking workers. Oh said Sobeys declined to receive the letters. 

“We just want to see a little good-faith bargaining to see a new wage offer be offered at the table. An offer of just five cents above minimum wage is a slap in the face,” Oh said. 

Oh said the union has two main demands: paid sick days and a reasonable pay increase. 

“They’re all being paid minimum wage, including supervisors and those who have workers here for 10 years,” she said.

And according to Oh, workers at other Sobeys and retail locations have a competitive wage offer that isn’t being offered to the downtown Halifax Pete’s Frootique workers. 

Tyson Boyd, a strike captain for SEIU Local 2, said the union is willing to strike “as long as it takes.” 

“Our options are we can accept what we all know is an insultingly low offer from our employer, who made record profits from our blood, sweat and tears or we can stand up for ourselves,” Boyd said. 

As Boyd passed out leaflets, that encouraged people to not shop at Sobeys over the holiday season, people voiced their support for the striking workers. Boyd said the support from the community has been incredible. 

Oh said the workers have been appreciative as many have dropped off soup and coffee to the striking workers or stopped to talk with those who are on the picket line every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oh acknowledged they have been on strike for 28 days as of Saturday, which has been tough at times.

“The weather has been really cold and we’re coming up on the holiday season and that has always been really hard financially on a lot of folks, so the pressure is on these workers,” she said.

“We’re just looking for good-faith bargaining at this point.”