Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee. It's an honour to appear today before this committee to discuss the needy and the greedy. Hundreds of thousands of workers in the retail sector across this country have lost their $2 pandemic pay as a result of the greedy, namely Metro, Sobeys and of course Loblaws and Galen Weston, with his personal wealth of $8.7 billion. I want to say to Galen Weston that he should be ashamed of himself.
My name is Jerry Dias. I am the national president of Unifor, Canada's largest union in the private sector. Unifor represents 315,000 workers, including thousands on the front line in this pandemic. That includes transit workers, telecommunications workers, food processors, health care and long-term care workers and of course retail workers. More than 20,000 Unifor members work in supermarkets, pharmacies and food distribution centres across the country at Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Rexall and others.
I am joined today by Carolyn Wrice, a supermarket worker for Loblaws in St. John's and president of Unifor Local 597, and Gord Currie, a food warehouse worker in Toronto and president of Unifor Local 414. I speak for both Carolyn and Gord when I say our union is proud of the workers who bravely and selflessly stepped up during this pandemic. We want to thank this committee for taking quick action to pull together this hearing today.
It is a matter of national interest whether Canada's biggest retailers conspired to cut pandemic pay premiums for their workers. In March, I applauded these retailers for establishing enhanced pay protections for workers who were off sick or in quarantine. Shortly after, they unveiled wage enhancements that totalled about $2 extra per hour. This move made good sense. On the one hand, it recognized the enormous safety risks these workers were taking by going to work. On the other hand—and let's be frank here—it recognized that the majority of these workers earn very low wages. Who in their right mind would risk contracting COVID for, in some cases, $11.32 an hour?
The sad truth is that wages and benefits of retail workers have suffered a downward spiral over the past 30 years. At one point not long ago, a supermarket job was a ticket to the middle class. Now most supermarket work is part time. In some discount stores, for instance, 90% of all jobs are part time. These folks mostly earn minimum wage, and most minimum-wage workers are women. They have no set schedule and many can't access benefits.
Despite this, retailers are consolidating, getting richer. They're turning out record profits, increasing shareholder dividends and doling out huge executive bonuses. Last year alone, Loblaws, Empire and Metro together cranked out $2 billion in bottom-line, after-tax net profits. Loblaws CEO Sarah Davis took home $6.7 million in total compensation, yet front-line workers are barely scraping by. Some are working multiple jobs, and others are leaning on food banks. This is the tragedy underlying today's discussion.
Unfortunately, I can't provide you with any concrete proof of collusion, but to be candid, that's beside the point. This pandemic is not over. The number of COVID cases continues to mount for workers in essential retail shops and warehouses, including in Unifor. Just last week, Canada's public health officer told a Senate committee to be prepared for a “possible return” and “even bigger wave” of COVID at any time. Workers deserve better.
Do I think big grocers should reverse course and reinstate these pay premiums? Damn right I do. In fact, some smaller retailers have committed to keeping them in place. Do I think this fixes the rampant inequality in this industry? Absolutely not. What is needed is a permanent readjustment, a realignment of wages, equal pay, scheduling protections and access to benefits. I encourage you to consider this in your final report, and I encourage you to recommend a more sweeping committee study on declining working conditions in the retail industry.
I couldn't imagine us having this conversation a generation ago. What we're dealing with today is an outcome of neglect and lack of oversight. It is about declining work standards and inadequate labour laws. Let's not waste this moment to get at the heart of this problem.
Carolyn, Gord and I look forward to your questions.