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Strike a possibility at Port McNeill’s only grocery store

IGA’s unionized workers have authorized a walkout
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(UFCW 1518) UFCW union members may go on strike soon after taking a vote.

Residents of Port McNeill may soon be facing a challenge when it comes to putting food on the table.

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 — who staff the community’s only grocery store — are poised to go on strike.

More than 30 UFCW union members took part in a Dec. 1 vote where 73 per cent voted in favour of strike action, according to an online Facebook post made last night.

Negotiations are set to happen sometime this week, but if talks fail to progress union members are in a position to serve formal strike notice.

The employers heard “loud and clear” on the union’s intentions going forward, also having stated that the employees deserve “fair compensation,” the online post continued.

The IGA has been the community’s lone grocery store since the town’s Super Valu closed in 2015. Should operations be affected by a strike, the nearest gorcery store for the town’s 2,000 residents is about a half-hour away in Port Hardy.

RELATED: Port McNeill Super Valu set to close

UFCW is an international labour union representing roughly 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada. The union has employees primarily in the retail industry. In Canada, the private sector union represents a quarter of a million members across the nation.

The Port McNeill IGA remains open while negotiations continue.