Pete's Frootique workers secure higher wages, paid sick days in 1st contract

Pete's Frootique workers at the downtown Halifax location have secured a pay raise and signing bonus in a first contract with parent company Sobeys.

Details about the agreement emerged on Monday.

This comes after the union representing the workers, Service Employees International Union Local 2 announced the ratification of the agreement on Friday, bringing an end to the nearly seven-week long strike by the workers.

"It was a really long, tough fight," said Nicholle Savoie, a cheese supervisor at Pete's.

"We were out here for seven weeks in the cold and in the rain and in the snow and I'm incredibly happy and excited to get back to work with all of our co-workers and to see our regular customers."

'The strike was never personal'

Pay was the main issue for the workers, who were all making minimum wage. Previously, union representatives said the last offer made to them by the company called for a wage increase of five cents per hour.

"You're always kind of hoping for more, but I think that we set a really good standard for now," Savoie said. "The strike was never personal. It was always about creating better jobs for everyone."

With the new agreement, most workers will see at least a dollar per hour raise ranging from hourly rates of $15.45 to $19.57, plus a signing bonus of up to $250.

"We had a lot of amazing support from the community," said Savoie. "We built a really solid kind of support amongst each other as workers. I think it feels worth it and feels good, overall."

Job protections

The deal also includes provisions for just cause — protections against unfair discipline and termination — seniority protections and paid sick days, among other changes.

Savoie said the workers were also able to negotiate wage relativity, meaning that if the minimum wage gets higher than the probationary wage at Pete's, the first three wage levels receive a relative increase as well.

No date for a reopening has been set, Savoie said, but it is expected soon.

In a previous statement to CBC News, a Sobeys representative said the company was looking forward to welcoming back its employees and customers to the Halifax branch of Pete's Frootique.

The union local said there were almost 50 employees that were on probation who have now passed that period and will go up a wage level.

The three-year deal expires at the end of 2026.