Metro donates to food bank as workers facing 'affordability challenges' continue strike

A Canadian grocery chain donated perishables to a Toronto food bank on Tuesday as thousands of store workers facing "significant affordability challenges," according to their union, continued their strike for a fourth day.

Daily Bread Food Bank trucks collected food, mainly fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, from 11 Metro grocery stores. About 3,700 grocery store workers, members of Unifor, have been on strike since Saturday at 27 Metro stores in the Greater Toronto Area. All 27 stores are closed.

Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, told CBC News on Tuesday that the grocery chain and its workers are in a difficult situation but they agree that food should not go to waste.

"Both sides have said, fundamentally, it makes sense that all of the food, the fresh food...gets to people that need it. And right now, more than ever, the food bank needs food," Hetherington said.

Hetherington said the food bank saw 270,000 client visits in June, a number that compares with 80,000 in the June before the pandemic. He said the food bank is increasingly seeing working people turn to food charity.

He said the numbers reflect a lack of affordable housing, income security issues and precarious employment in Toronto.

"In a city, in a country as wonderful as ours is, that shouldn't be the case," he said. "We see food insecurity every single day."

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As for the Unifor workers, they rejected a tentative agreement reached last week. Unifor says frontline grocery workers need Metro to come back to the table with an improved wage offer.

In a statement on Tuesday, Local 414 of Unifor said picket lines have been set up at the 27 stores from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"Members remain focused on achieving a fair collective agreement that addresses the significant affordability challenges they face. Frontline grocery workers need Metro to come back to the table with an improved wage offer so they can get back to work doing what they love, supporting their communities," the union said in the statement.

"Members simply cannot accept an agreement that leaves them scrambling to make ends meet."

Metro 'extremely disappointed' by strike

In a news release on Friday, Metro Ontario Inc. said it was "extremely disappointed" a strike went ahead despite Unifor's initial endorsement of the proposed deal.

"The Company has been negotiating with the union for the past few weeks and reached a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of our employees and our customers while ensuring that Metro remains competitive," the company said in the release.

"The settlement provided significant increases for employees in all four years of the agreement, as well as pension and benefits improvements for all employees, including part-time employees."

Maria Guardado, a student whose apartment is across from a Metro grocery store, said she has sympathy for the workers and said they have a right to earn a decent living.

Stores affected by the strike include locations in Toronto and its suburbs, Brantford, Orangeville, Milton, Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga.

Metro says the affected stores will be closed for the duration of the strike, but pharmacies will remain open.