The Medicine Hat Mall Safeway will close on Jan. 15 to be converted into a FreshCo. That store is expected to open in the fall of 2023. (Photo Courtesy Derek Brade) 

By Chris Brown

To close on Jan. 15

Union says Safeway conversion unnecessary, causing stress for workers and customers

Jan 7, 2022 | 12:06 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The union that represents staff at the Medicine Hat Mall Safeway knew the store would be converted to a FreshCo this year.

But the timeline given by parent company Sobeys came as a shock and is taking a toll on workers and customers.

The store will close on Jan. 15 and the company expects FreshCo will open in the fall of 2023.

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Spokesperson Scott Payne of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 says they don’t think the conversion is necessary. He says they believe the Safeway brand to be strong and quite profitable.

“So it’s already a stressful process,” he says. “To then have that process stretch out that long in this particular instance only adds to the stress. It’s not the norm in terms of what we’re seeing with some of the other stores and it is definitely a surprise, absolutely.”

Since the conversion was announced in the summer, UFCW Local 401 reps have worked to mitigate the impacts of the move on staff. They’ve negotiated buyouts for some employees, some are moving to the Division Avenue Safeway and some will return to the converted store.

Payne says some will unfortunately be left jobless.

“Wherever possible we’re trying to make sure we can put them in touch with or make them aware of resources and services available to try and ensure that they don’t see a loss of income,” he says.

“But the company has really put everybody in a bind here. Sobeys is really creating a significant amount of stress for these employees because again the timeline is so long that many of the resources that we would normally make available to them, I mean they just can’t stretch out that far.”

The union is not only working to mitigate the impacts faced by employees at the mall location. They also need to consider how the employees going to the Division Avenue store will be deployed.

Payne says the goal is to find space for everybody. That usually involves reconfiguring the workforce, and some will see their roles or a fluctuation in hours.

“We’re pushing the company and pushing the local store management to make sure that they can accommodate everybody who is at an existing store and everybody who is looking to bump over to that existing store from the converting one,” he said.