Korea Food Trading workers vote to unionize

Twenty-five workers at Korea Food Trading, a Toronto-based food importing and distributing company, have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

No date has been set to sit down with the company, but union organizing co-ordinator Jonathan Lo told Canadian Grocer the union expect to hear from the firm soon. The union was certified at the end of June.

“We want to start negotiations as soon as possible,” Wayne Hanley, president of UFCW Local 1006A, said.

The workers are in purchasing, sales and warehousing and, said Lo, they reached out to the union. At issue are working conditions and salaries.

Lo said the increasing number of ethnic grocers and distributors and growing numbers of immigrant workers are not being specifically targeted by the union.

Korea Food Trading imports and distributes ethnic fare to Loblaw, Sobeys, and other retailers. It also owns  two Galleria Supermarkets in the Toronto area.

Lo said workers at the Galleria stores are not part of the bargaining unit. “Workers in those stores are probably waiting to see what kind of agreement (warehouse workers will) get,” Lo said.