Balzac, Alberta, September 19, 2025 – On Thursday, over 250 warehouse and distribution workers at the Sobeys distribution centre in Balzac, Alberta, were locked out by their employer. The workers, represented by Teamsters Local Union 987, are fighting for fair wages.
“Sobeys is putting profits before people and expecting workers to simply roll over. That’s a miscalculation. Everything is getting more expensive, and grocery workers shouldn’t have to struggle to afford food themselves,” said François Laporte, President of Teamsters Canada.
Currently, Sobeys warehouse employees earn up to $28.75/hour. By comparison, workers at Sysco doing similar work earn $37.62/hour, while employees at Federated Co-operatives are projected to earn $34.24/hour by 2027.
The union is calling on Sobeys to increase wages to approximately $35/hour by 2029, bringing compensation in line with industry standards.
“We know grocery chains have been price fixing and gouging Canadians. It should come as no surprise that they’re also trying to gouge their workers. It’s workers, not corporate executives or shareholders, who put food on Canadian tables,” said Jim Haryett, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 987.
“We need the company back at the bargaining table. Our demands are reasonable, based on prevailing market pay rates. Workers deserve better, yet this multi-billion-dollar corporation refused to make a single counteroffer during negotiations, preferring to simply lock us out,” added union committee chair and business agent Brock Penner.
Teamsters Local Union 987 is calling on Albertans to support locked-out Sobeys workers by avoiding Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Voilà, M&M Meat Shops, and Petro-Canada convenience stores.
Teamsters Canada represents close to 135,000 workers in Canada in all industries from coast to coast.
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Media requests:
Christopher Monette
Director, Public Affairs
Teamsters Canada
Cell. : 514-226-6002
[email protected]
