UFCW locals merge into ‘superlocal’

Largest local in North America will have 60,000 members

Two Ontario locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers have voted to merge. Local 175/633 was already a consolidated local, and it is joining Local 1977 as of August 1, 2011.

The two locals already had a few employers in common, including grocery stores in the Loblaw’s chain.

The new organization is being touted as having several benefits: a more powerful position in negotiating with Loblaw’s, access to professional staff and lower dues.

In recent years, the UFCW has seemed to favour the amalgamation of several locals into a larger, province-wide local, as was the case with Local 1400 in Saskatchewan.

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