Grocery chain demands 2-hour shifts - CP/CBC News Canada
The B.C. Federation of Labour said workers earning a starting wage of $8.50 per hour would be hard pressed to get by making $17 a day with two-hour shifts.
Shortly after coming into power in 2001, the Liberal government changed the provincial minimum shift from four hours, said federation president Jim Sinclair.
'The idea was that if you got called to work by your employer, you got a minimum of four hours work. That, at least, paid for your bus fare, your transportation, your gas to get there, and maybe helped cover the daycare costs if you happen to have a kid, so that you didn't go home with less money in your pocket than when you went to work,' said Sinclair.
The union also says Overwaitea wants union members to pay part of their own benefits, and the grocery giant wants to be able to convert any store to a PriceSmart outlet— with the matching reduction in contract language.