More than 900 Metro warehouse distribution workers in Etobicoke on strike

More than 900 full-time workers at Metro's Etobicoke warehouse distribution centre began strike action on Saturday after voting to reject a tentative agreement with the company.

The full-time employees work at a distribution centre that supplies products to grocery stores across southern Ontario along the Kingston-Windsor corridor, Unifor Local 414 said in a statement.

"The members have final say on the tentative agreement and have opted to turn down this offer," Unifor assistant national president Chris MacDonald said in the statement.

"The bargaining committee is ready to resume negotiations in the hope of bringing this strike to a speedy end." 

Unifor Local 414 did not release the details of the agreement, but said its members have been without a contract since October 2021. 

In a statement on its website, Metro Ontario Inc. said it is disappointed with the employees' decision to strike considering the fact that the union bargaining committee unanimously recommended the settlement.

"The settlement provided significant increases for employees, including an increase of six per cent on average to hourly wages in the first year of the agreement and a total of 14 per cent wage increase over four years as well as pension and benefits improvements," executive vice president Carmen Fortino said.

"We have implemented our contingency plan and our stores will remain open to serve our customers."