Workers at the Sephora cosmetics store in Kamloops are set to hold a strike vote next week.
UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak says the vote will take place on Dec 21 and 22, just ahead of the busy holiday season.
Novak tells Radio NL these workers have been without a contract since they voted to unionize last Fall.
“They have still yet to hit the right mark with what our members are looking for with wage improvements and workplace improvements, and so after many rounds of bargaining and not being able to reach an agreement, our bargaining committee is recommending to the membership that they take a strike vote,” Novak said.
“We are doing this before the holidays hoping that brings Sephora back to the table with a better offer.”
Novak says Sephora’s parent company, which has reportedly made more than $62 billion in revenue in 2023, has “refused to offer reasonable” wages to the “highly skilled and specialized employees” in Kamloops
In addition to “substantial” wage increases, Novak says the workers in Kamloops – the only unionized Sephora store in North America – are looking for better flexibility in scheduling, improved health benefits, and store bonuses.
“It has been a very long and challenging process and our members are at the point now where they are taking a stand to stay they want a contract in place,” Novak said.
“They want to have a better workplace and they want to continue to do the job that they are doing. But with this still lingering out there after so much time, it has created a lot of frustration among our membership.”
Novak says it will be business as usual at the store inside Aberdeen Mall until the strike vote is held
“We hope that a labour dispute can be avoided, but ultimately its getting Sephora back to the table to bargain with us to get a better contract,” she said.
“I think that the thing our members are saying is they don’t want to go any longer without showing this employer that they are willing to stand together to fight for better, but our focus is more how do we get the strong vote that we need to get the deal.”
Unionized workers at the Hudson’s Bay in Kamloops, who are represented by the United Steelworkers Local 1-417, are currently on strike, having walked off the job on Sunday.
“It was pure coincidence but it does highlight where we are at in the retail industry right now,” Novak said, when asked if the striking Hudson’s Bay workers prompted Sephora workers to call for a strike vote. “With prices going up and with these large companies continuing to bring in high revenue, workers want to make sure that they are not falling behind.”
“While it is a coincidence that this timing has lined up at the same time, I do think its part of a bigger move that workers are standing up to fight for better contracts.”
