Workers at Coven Market join SEIU Local 2; Business owner proud of employees and looks forward to productive relationship
May 15 2024 - 8:15AM
In a world of Loblaws, be more like Coven Market, say the employees
of the small vegan bakery, deli and grocery store in Hamilton,
Ontario.
“We're really lucky to have a place where people
can come and shop for vegan goods that's not owned by some huge
greedy corporation,” said Sam Webster, one of the store employees
and a member of the Union bargaining committee. “When you come and
shop here, you're supporting a small local business.”
Webster is referring to Coven Market at 949 Main
Street East, near Gage Park.
After building a strong majority in support of
forming a Union, Webster and her co-workers filed an application
for Trade Union Certification at the Labour Relations Board on
April 9, 2024. The employer voluntarily recognized their Union the
following day. A month later, the workers had ratified their first
Collective Agreement.
“I have always been a staunch supporter of Unions,”
said KW Campol, one of Coven’s owners. “We have had a sign behind
our register since day one that reads ‘the weight of the world
rests on the back of its workers,’ and we believe that
wholeheartedly.”
“This is definitely a fantastic place to work,”
added Webster, “but we felt like there were a few tweaks that we
could make that would make it even better. A big part of it is just
having a voice, and we're very lucky that we have employers that
are very understanding and pro union.”
In a time when families struggle to put food on the
table, large Canadian grocers are making record profits. They also
fight their workers tooth and nail when they look to make
improvements. With soaring prices, largely due to the large grocery
chains’ “greedflation,” community food stores like Coven offer an
important and feel-good alternative.
“For all of the cries of attrition and turnover in
workplaces these days, the workers at Coven know that they now
share an agreement to making the business as successful as possible
and that they share in that success through future rounds of
bargaining,” said Anthony Marco, president of the Hamilton and
District Labour Council.
The two-year deal includes wages increases to $20
per hour, additional paid sick days, improved medical benefits,
paid bereavement leave, and more.
“We have always encouraged our staff to be on the
lookout for their best interests and their rights and when they
decided to unionize, we couldn't have been prouder,” said Campol.
“Coven, and all businesses, can thrive with the support of a
strong, unionized work force.”
“Any small to mid-range business who wonders only
about what the problems of unions might be for them, might consider
the continuity and security in workers who feel valued,” said
Marco. “Also, on behalf of the 50,000 affiliated, union members of
the Hamilton and District Labour Council, when we commit to "Buy
Union" we look to employers like Coven as best options for our
future business in Hamilton.”
SEIU Local 2 represents 20,000 workers in Ontario,
British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Alberta. We are
proud members of the largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic
union in North America.
For more information, please visit
www.SEIUlocal2.ca
Media Contact Diego Mendez |
416-476-7762dmendez@seiulocal2.ca