After 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations and two overwhelmingly supportive strike votes, Extra Foods workers took to picket lines at 7 a.m. on Thursday morning (Nov. 16), leaving only one open grocery store in town.
"We just couldn't make a deal," said Extra Foods owner/operator Craig Woida.
Numerous negotiation attempts were unsuccessful and both sides remained "far apart" despite mediation at the B.C. Labour Relations Board Thursday (Nov. 9), according to Tom Cameron-Fawkes of the United Food and Commercial Workers' (UFCW).
The Extra Foods union announced a 72-hour strike notice on Friday (Nov. 10), allowing the employer to dispose of some perishable food stock.
The employer quickly responded with a lock-out notice.
Workers are requesting the same compensation package as was recently granted to Park Royal Extra Foods staff following their seven-month strike.
That action ended Aug. 18 with the help of mediator Vince Ready. Park Royal staff successfully rebuked proposed concessions on benefits and received wage increases, according to the UFCW website.
Cameron-Fawkes' said he anticipates another lengthy walkout locally.
"It is clear that this employer has no interest in negotiating a collective agreement without first punishing our members with a very long lockout," he said.
Residents expressed concerns that the grocer may close permanently, but Woida said he has no plans "at this point" to shut down his operation.
"Hopefully at some point we can come to a collective agreement," he said. "I'm sure that's everybody's goal."
The Extra Foods closure follows on the heels of the selling of IGA to Nester's, which has a tentative opening date set for early December. The knock-on effect leaves Save-on-Foods as the only choice for Squamish shoppers.
Save-on manager Randall Bamford said the store is attempting to brace for crowds by hiring as many Extra employees as possible.
"We're going to have to sharpen up," said Bamford. "We are trying to get another till up here by the weekend, and other than that it's just pretty much staffing. We're set up to do a large volume of business here with our orders coming in. We're just hoping to get some staff."
Bamford said residents hoping to avoid crowds should shop during the quieter early morning period on Tuesdays to Thursdays - from 6 to 9 a.m.
Shopping pressures may ease once Wal-Mart opens on Wednesday, Nov. 22, despite District-imposed restrictions on the store's size and stock of grocery items. Council allowed the Wal-Mart provided it limited its grocery items to dairy products, frozen food and dry goods only, said Mayor Ian Sutherland.
"We wanted the Wal-Mart but we didn't want, at that time, a fourth grocery store in the community," he said. "I still think we don't want a fourth grocery store in the community."
