Unionized employees at Sobeys’ Rocky View Distribution Centre near Balzac could serve a 72-hour strike or lockout notice as early as Monday, Sept. 15, as they push for higher wages and changes in workplace conditions, Teamsters Local 987 said in a Sept. 9 release.
The union said 251 employees at the facility — formally [sic] the Sobeys Capital Inc. Rocky View Retail Support Centre — cast ballots Sept. 9 on possible strike action, seeking “more competitive wages along with the resolution of non-monetary grievances in the workplace.”
“Our members are looking for more competitive wages and an overall better work environment. Over the past nine years, through the past collective agreement, these employees have been pushing for a better workplace. Today, they are casting their vote to show how serious they are about change,” said Brock Penner, business agent with Teamsters Local 987.
The distribution centre supplies major grocery stores, convenience stores and independent grocers across central and southern Alberta.
The union said members voted down an offer presented Aug. 11, 2025, and rejected the same offer again in a board-supervised re-vote the following week.
“Our members want to do their very best, as their jobs help ensure food items and goods reach store shelves for Albertans. We believe that every worker is entitled to positive conditions in the workplace, as well as the opportunity to earn a competitive wage. We will always stand up for our members,” Penner said.
Ballots from the Sept. 9 vote were to be counted after polls closed that evening. The release stated, “If in favour, a 72-hour strike or lockout notice could take place Monday.” As of Sept. 15, the union had not confirmed whether notice was served.
Teamsters 987 represents more than 5,000 workers across 13 industries and 40 collective agreements in Alberta.
Empire Company Limited — operator of Sobeys and Safeway — reported first-quarter net earnings of $212 million, or $0.91 per diluted share, on sales of $8.26 billion for the period ended Aug. 2, 2025. That compared with a profit of $208 million, or $0.86 per share, on sales of $8.14 billion a year earlier, the company said in a Sept. 11 release. Empire did not address the union’s position in its Sept. 11 release.
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