August 12, 2022

Winnipeg
25° C, A few clouds

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • Reader BridgeNEW
  • WFP EventsNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Free Press Community Review
    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • LifestylesNEW
    • All Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photo and Book store
  • More

©2022 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Federal Election
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photo and Book store
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Support Faith coverage
    • Support Arts coverage
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
The Free Press

ABOVE THE FOLD

Subscribe
Articles Read Your Balance +tax

Grocery stores accused of letting maskless shoppers put workers in danger

Manitoba union asks owners, province to enforce rules

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter By: Temur Durrani | Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, May. 13, 2021

Scroll
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later

Manitoba’s largest private-sector union is accusing the province and grocery store chains of “mass and catastrophic failure” for poor enforcement of the use of masks by customers, thereby putting workers at risk.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/5/2021 (456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s largest private-sector union is accusing the province and grocery store chains of "mass and catastrophic failure" for poor enforcement of the use of masks by customers, thereby putting workers at risk.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, which represents more than 9,000 Manitoba grocery store employees and 2,000 security guards at retailers, is going public for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a May 13 letter obtained by the Free Press, the union says worker safety has not been a top priority at several stores across the province, which are owned by Loblaw, Sobeys and Red River Co-op.

The letter does not mince words, beginning with: "If I were to show up to any of your stores today with no shirt, or no shoes on, I would be escorted out of the store immediately and refused service. But if I show up with no mask, I can still freely shop and get my groceries at most of your stores."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS</p><p>Signs let customers know about the mandatory mask policy at the Polo Park Superstore in Winnipeg on Thursday</p>

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Signs let customers know about the mandatory mask policy at the Polo Park Superstore in Winnipeg on Thursday

It continues: "Every day we receive notifications about COVID cases within your stores, and thankfully these cases are mostly individual. Our members (and your employees) are telling us that now, more than ever, customers are showing up without masks. They are a safety hazard to our members and your customers. Our members feel unsupported — some have even quit because you, as their employer, are not doing enough to ensure they are safe."

The letter is not the only correspondence between the union and retail employers, or even the first to the province.

"It's just the first letter that the media has received and will thus be made public," said Jeff Traeger, president of UFCW Local 832, in an interview Thursday.

If I were to show up to any of your stores today with no shirt, or no shoes on, I would be escorted out of the store immediately and refused service. But if I show up with no mask, I can still freely shop and get my groceries at most of your stores." — Letter from UFCW Local 832

"During the entirety of the pandemic, we've tried our best to communicate and get answers internally about why the Pallister government or retail employers won't enforce rules about masking among customers," Traeger said, adding the union has sent numerous emails and letters, and has made calls on behalf of workers. It received either a one-line response or no response.

"The fact is, now we're getting pressure for immediate action from our members because they feel completely unsafe when so many people keep showing up unmasked and are allowed to do so, with these record-high case counts and new variants emerging."

UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traeger.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traeger.

On Thursday, Manitoba reported 560 new COVID-19 cases — its highest daily count since the pandemic began.

On average, at least a dozen people show up maskless every day at Manitoba locations of the Real Canadian Superstore, Extra Foods, No Frills, Safeway, FreshCo, Sobeys and Red River Co-op, Traeger estimated.

In some cases, such as at two Superstores in Winnipeg, that can rise to as many as 30 maskless people a day. It's worse in communities such as Carman, Steinbach, Morden and Winkler — where "it's so common that public-health enforcement has stopped interjecting or mandating masking measures altogether," said Traeger.

Manitoba's public-health orders don't give a retail store the right to deny service to customers who don't wear a mask.

The public health order requires the operators of an indoor public place to "ensure that every person who is not wearing a mask... is given a reminder to do so as soon as practicable."</p>

The public health order requires the operators of an indoor public place to "ensure that every person who is not wearing a mask... is given a reminder to do so as soon as practicable."

The only mention under provincial orders close to mandating masks requires the operators of an "indoor public place" to "ensure that every person who is not wearing a mask while in the indoor public place is given a reminder to do so as soon as practicable."

Traeger says that puts the onus on retailers. "And because government is not at all — and I mean, not all — enforcing mask measures at big-box stores, why would businesses want to lose business over a mask policy?" he said.

"Loblaw is thinking Sobeys isn't enforcing the mask rules, and so their customer — maskless or not, making workers unsafe or not — would just walk over to Sobeys and they'd lose them. That's terrifying for other customers, yes, but especially the workers."

In a statement, the province said, "Manitoba takes the enforcement of public health orders very seriously and has worked with many municipalities and agencies to enforce these orders and protect the public."

The province declined to answer specific questions about enforcement. "It would not be appropriate to discuss the operation or the frequency of enforcement visits for obvious reasons," a provincial spokesperson wrote.

"Loblaw is thinking Sobeys isn't enforcing the mask rules, and so their customer ‐ maskless or not, making workers unsafe or not ‐ would just walk over to Sobeys and they'd lose them. That's terrifying for other customers, yes, but especially the workers." — Jeff Traeger, president of UFCW Local 832

"But at the same time, we rely on the public to be aware and follow these orders because it’s the right thing to do, not because there is an enforcement presence. Our regular reporting on the number of tickets handed out shows that there is an enforcement presence and we count on Manitobans to continue to do what is best for all of us."

The Free Press | Newsletter

Want to get a head start on your day?

Get the day’s breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

Sign up for Head Start
Sign Up

Red River Co-op did not respond by press time.

Sobeys issued a late statement, saying:

"We work closely with our stores to ensure all regulatory safety practices and all additional safety practices we have instituted are strictly adhered to. We strongly recommend every customer in our store wears a mask and we continue to uphold and adhere the province of Manitoba’s directive surrounding masking."

In a statement, Loblaws said: "We believe that everyone has a role to play in keeping one another safe. The government requires that masks be worn in all indoor public places unless they have a valid exemption, a policy with which we are both legally obligated and happy to comply with, and expect our customers to do the same. To that end, we are pleased that the vast majority of customers comply, and our teams work with local authorities in the rare cases that they don’t."

temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @temurdur

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later
  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund
  • The Free Press is certified by

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Top