OUR VOICES

Here are some of the fine people who have supported our call for good grocery stores and stepped up to say so!


Mohammed Almashgari

When we reached out to Mohammed Almashgari, a UFCW 401 member from Olymel, to let him know that he had won, he told us:

“I heard about the contest through the union page since I’m a union member.”

And then, he provided us with this picture with the text superimposed. We don’t need to add anything to that statement! Bang on, brother and thank you for your solidarity!


Jared Negrych

Jared Negrych from Cardston believes that ethical grocery stores need to provide good quality jobs. He thinks they can also do more than just that.

“Grocery stores could do more for the environment by sourcing more sustainable food sources and suppliers and limiting plastic waste.”

Thanks for playing Jared!


Caitlin Herring

GoodGroceries winner, Caitlin Herring from Calgary, heard about the goodgroceries.ca contest “from my mom, who also supports ethical shopping!”

“It has always been important to me to research and support ethical grocery shops and retail,” Caitlin told us. “Especially over the last year and a half, the essential workers at essential businesses have been true heroes by putting their health on the line to help serve their community, always with a smile. They truly deserve great amounts of appreciation from the community, but more importantly, from their employer. It’s important to support businesses that support their employees.” 

Congratulations Caitlin! Thank you for being such a thoughtful consumer and considerate member of your community!


Mac McInnis

Mac McInnis, a Calgary Superstore member, found out about the contest from our website.

He has been very active in his store as a Shop Steward and has provided valuable input for bargaining proposals to the Superstore bargaining committee. He will be telling others about the contest and is happy that he has won the contest.

Congrats Mac! Thanks for everything that you do for your Superstore brothers and sisters!


James Lambert

James Lambert from Edmonton is very aware of the risks frontline food workers have been taking for the benefit of the rest of us.

“Grocery stores are essential, as we’ve clearly seen during the pandemic. I support any effort to ensure that grocery store workers are paid fairly and provided safe working conditions,” James told us.

James is very supportive of Superstore workers, and he’ll continue shopping there.


Brian Hwang

Calgary winner Brian Brian Hwang told us:

“I like to support a good ethical grocery store because workers helping families like mine with life’s necessities deserve to be treated with the utmost respect, and a good grocery store will focus on the community it is in, not just profits.”

Brian gets it!

Thanks for participating, Brian, and thanks for your support!


Talia Wilson

One of our latest winners, Talia Wilson from the Medicine Hat Superstore, tells us,

“As a UFCW Local 401 member, I support ethical grocery stores because it’s important to us,” said Talia. “We love entertaining friends and have friends that have gluten allergies and vegetarian, so it’s nice for us to have our friends for a dinner and bbq and be able to meet their dietary needs. Thank you so much! We’re so grateful for the win!”

Thank you for playing Talia, and congratulations!


GoodGroceries Winner Dave RobertsDave Roberts

We toss a huge “THANKS DAVE!! ” your way for playing, and we are excited Dave won himself $100 in the GoodGroceries.ca contest.

“I had entered the good groceries contest a few years ago, and my wife told me that there was a new contest, so I should enter,” stated Dave. “She’s been entering too, so she’ll be jealous that I won!”

Keep playing, Dave’s wife! You never know; it could be your turn next!

“I support an ethical grocery store because, in these uncertain times, Dave told us. “It is even more important now that essential grocery workers are treated fairly and work in safe conditions.”

Thanks again for playing, Dave. Your participation and support of Alberta Superstore, Safeway, and Sobeys workers are very much appreciated.


Lerrick Wins

Lerrick Chester

Lerrick, a food-warehouse worker in Edmonton, is a staunch believer in the value of community.

“Good grocery stores are part of our family, and that’s why I support them. They help me with the best service, keeping me coming back!”

Lerrick is a proud Union member of the Teamsters and most certainly supports his fellow trade unionists at Superstore and the Good Groceries campaign.


Summer GG winner Jennifer

Jennifer

Jennifer from Calgary is our first winner in the Summer GoodGroceries.ca contest. 

“I support my local Superstore because they have such lovely staff. They are always so helpful!” 

Thanks so much for playing, Jennifer and thousands of Superstore employees from across Alberta thank you too.


Nancy McFadyen

Nancy found out about the Good Groceries contest from a friend she knows in the union and thought she’d try her luck.
“I thought I’d give it a try and it was fun… even though I may have dropped a few ketchup bottles!” she jokes.
“As a former Safeway employee, I worked both in retail and management so I understand the importance of building collaborative relationships between management, employees, and their union,” she says. “I’m proud of the fact that I still have many friends who work at the union office.”
Congratulations, Nancy. We too hope that Sobeys management come to understand that a collaborative approach to working out issues important to their hard-working staff takes precedent over one-sided thinking. Thank you for playing the game and supporting the campaign for good grocery stores.


Tara Ritchie

Tara heard about the Good Groceries contest from a friend who had previously won $250 simply by playing the game. Her friend encouraged her to play so she would have a chance to win too!
“It was really simple and I learned a lot from the site – the benefits of solidarity, union facts, and history too,” she tells us.
Tara is now encouraging others she talks with to try their luck and learn some interesting things along the way.
“A lot of people ‘think’ they know what the union is all about but they really don’t,” she concludes. Thanks for playing, Tara, and congrats on your win!


Kevin Williams

Kevin saw the ad for the Good Groceries game on the bus he was taking recently. He decided to give the game a shot while on the bus.
“Why not take a chance on the game?” he recalls.
He found it fun and informative. Kevin works as AV integrator and has two children and though he regularly shops at Callingwood Safeway, he never knew that the workers there are unionized. He is happy to continue to support Safeway workers with his business, especially after learning how they are being treated by Sobeys management. Congratulations, Kevin! And thank you for playing the game and supporting the hard working folks at Safeway.


Deanna Maisonneuve

Our latest winner of the Good Groceries contest is Deanna and is a pharmacist in the Safeway pharmacy. She heard about the contest from her co-worker and thought she’d give it a try. Deanna thought it was an awesome game that was fun and informative as well. She understands the fight Safeway workers we are going through with Sobeys and the need for them to ensure it is once again a good grocery store. Even though as a pharmacist Deanna us not a union member, she commits to supporting her coworkers in their struggle and is sad to see some of the changes Sobeys has subjected the workers and customers alike to.
Thank you so much for your interest and participation in our Good Groceries contest, Deanna, and congratulations on your win!


Lydia Evans

Congratulations to Lydia from Buffalo Catering up north in the camps! Pictured here with her Union Rep Clayton, she discovered the contest by keeping up with the latest news showcased on the union bulletin board in her workplace.
“When I saw this contest, I thought it would be fun to enter,” Lydia told us. She says the game was fun and found the information within the contest was very informative.
“The game definitely educated me about the grocery stores,” she said. “I was surprised to learn there are still so many stores that are not unionized yet!”
While she was thrilled to be one of the many weekly winners, she’s also encouraging everyone to play so they can have a chance to win too!
“Since I have won I been talking to members about my big win and how fun and informative the game is,” she enthusiastically declared.
We’re so happy you found the game fun AND interesting, Lydia. Enjoy your winnings and thanks for encouraging others to play so the word gets out about what it is to be a good grocery store.


Lacey Shaw

Lacey on the right, pictured with Shop Steward Dorothy Gonci is a Variety Clerk out of one of the Grande Prairie Safeway stores. She found out about the Good Groceries contest by looking at her union bulletin board and decided to play the game. Winning the contest couldn’t have come at better time since she had just promised to take her mom shopping. Now, courtesy of the contest, Lacey is able to take her mom on a Safeway shopping spree!
Congratulations, Lacey (and Lacey’s mom!), and thanks for playing.


Daniel Ellis

Daniel saw the Good Groceries website on the union’s website (www.gounion.ca). “It is a great opportunity to learn more about Sobeys, shopping in a good grocery store, and my union,” he said. Congratulations, Daniel, and thanks for playing!


Inge Piche

Superstore member Inge was excited to learn that she had won $250 in grocery gift cards and that she learned more about unions by playing the game on Goodgroceries.ca.
Having found the contest game on the union website (www.gounion.ca), she says it has piqued her interest in learning more about her union and plans to attend November’s membership meeting in her area. We look forward to seeing you at the next union meeting, Inge! Congratulations on your win and thanks for supporting the campaign.


Patti Malcolm

Patti heard about the GoodGroceries game from a friend that works at Safeway. Patti thought “the making of the game is genius and very informative.” She told us that the game reminded her of when she did a study in school about Safeway. How as a retailer, they pay more than the minimum wage and the importance of that. Patti also told us she thought this was beneficial, especially for students.


Derek Au

Derek found out about the Good Groceries contest through another member who works at Southgate Safeway and who also played and won. Derek thought he’d try his luck, saying it was fun and informational. He was pleasantly surprised to find out he’d won!
“I had fun playing the game,” he says. It also reminded him the value of belonging to and being a union member.
He’s also encouraging as many of his coworkers to play as possible, hoping they will be lucky too.
Congratulations, Derek. Thanks for checking it out and we’re glad you enjoyed it!


Shauna Durston

One of our latest winners, Shauna Durston, says she found out about the Good Groceries contest from one of her Union Reps who was talking to her about it. “I thought I would try to play and had been playing for a while; the contest says to keeping playing to win and I won!” she happily reports. Shauna will use her gift cards in the store she has worked for 9 years. She is also going to encourage her coworkers to play because quite a few of them hadn’t yet checked it out. “I’m hoping they play,” she says. “I found it very informative and a great way to find out about the benefits of belonging to the union.” She supports unions because of the protection they provide and there is a mechanism to fight collectively for better and fair treatment in the workplace. “I’m deaf and in my union, I know I’m in a safe status, but without that protection I would not be working at such a good job with decent wages and benefits.” Shauna says she will stand strong during the Sobeys-Safeway negotiations because “Sobeys are like Scrooge!”
Thanks for playing, Shauna. Your persistence has paid off and we couldn’t be happier for you. Congrats!


Teresa Ludwig

As a Safeway bargaining committee member and active Shop Steward, our latest winner, Teresa Ludwig, has participated in lots of Good Groceries bag giveaways at many different Safeway stores around the province. She is thrilled with what she’s hearing from both customers and her coworkers at the various locations. “I have had the opportunity to interact with our Safeway customers and talk to them about the importance of shopping at a good grocery store that supports their staff, and people agree wholeheartedly!” she says. Congratulations, Teresa! And thank you for your hard work, along with the entire bargaining committee, on behalf of thousands of your Alberta Safeway coworkers.


Ashleigh Wood

Ashleigh found out about the Good Groceries contest from a billboard on McLeod Trail in Calgary and thought she’d try her luck to help out with the grocery bill that week. “It was quite fun to play on my breaks at work,” she says. “I really enjoyed the little blurbs that pop up as you are playing and found them quite informative, too!”. Ashleigh tells us that she has many family members who have worked for Safeway in the past and they have always instilled in her the importance of unions and the need to support them by shopping in unionized places.
“Whatever happens with their upcoming contract, I will indeed by in support of the workers at Safeway,” she promises.
Congratulations, Ashleigh! And thank you so much for your support of your local Safeway workers.


Anita Parsons

Anita (on the right, pictured here with her Union Rep Dee Mae) was so excited to hear that she had won one of the weekly draws for the Good Groceries contest! She first became aware of the contest when a co-worker at her Safeway store in Meadowlark won last year. She immediately went on line to play and try her luck at winning. She also has encouraged others to do so as well. She’s very happy to be the third person from her store to win $250 dollars in free groceries and says she often visits goodgroceries.ca to play. She found it easy to navigate and very informative. She was also able to learn more about her union and all the benefits of being unionized. Congratulations, Anita and thanks so much for playing and spreading the word about this cool contest.


Samuel Huculak

Samuel from the Southgate Safeway is our latest Good Groceries winner. He said that his co-worker Ishrat told him about the contest and thought he’d gave it a try.
“This was the easiest $250 I’ve ever won!” he said.
Sam was very happy to play and win and says that he’s going to stand up in support of his co-workers and himself in the fight for fairness at the Safeway negotiating table with Sobeys. Congrats to you, Sam!


Ishrat Luna

Meet Ishrat, pictured here with her Union Rep Sam. Ishrat was so excited to have won in the Good Groceries contest. Her advice to everyone is, “don’t quit just because you didn’t win the first time”. After playing for a while it sure did pay off when she found herself in possession of $250 in Safeway gift cards for her and her family.
Congratulations, Ishrat. Keep playing, you may win again!


Darrin Hanson

Darrin is a long-term Superstore member, and a proud supporter of UFCW Local 401. He saw the Good Groceries poster and got curious. He liked the contest a lot but his favourite part about it is that he enjoyed winning. He thought the information outlined in it was good and definitely piqued his interest. When asked about which part specifically he was interested in he thought the information about workers’ rights was interesting. He found the contest on the 401 website (ufcw401.ca) to enter the contest. When asked about what he thought of Sobeys, he replied, “purely GREED”. He said he is a proud Union member and most certainly supports his fellow members at Safeway and the Good Groceries campaign.


Mariel Bolinas

Mariel is our latest winner… kind of. Her mom loves to play the Good Groceries game and when she won she generously gave the prize to her daughter. What a great way to play, eh? Even if you don’t want the prize yourself, they make great surprises for unsuspecting loved ones too! Thanks for playing, Mariel’s mommy.


Eva Nelson

We send a big “THANK YOU“ to Eva for playing the game and we are thrilled she won herself $250 in the GoodGroceries.ca contest. She found the game on Facebook and said it was very easy to use and fun to play. Eva says she found the information in the game to be really interesting and was surprised to learn that Sobeys has non-union stores where many employees work for less money than their unionized Safeway counterparts and don’t enjoy the same job security or benefits in their non-union Sobeys stores. Eva supports all Sobeys workers being able to join together collectively to negotiate for better wages, benefits, job security, and quality of life. If Safeway workers are forced by their employer to take strike action, Eva says she’ll be more than happy to avoid shopping at any Sobeys store, including Safeway, until the strike is over and employees achieve a fair and much improved Union Contract. Thanks again for playing, Eva. Your participation and support of Alberta Safeway and Sobeys workers is very much appreciated.


Mary-Jean Dohei

MJ, pictured here with her Shop Steward Sidika is a 401 member from Superstore who found out about the contest when she was visiting her union’s website to update her address. She says she stumbled across the game and thought is was very easy to enter and didn’t take long to play and read all the information that was provided throughout. She says she was so surprised to have won she only played once, but what a great time of the year to have an extra $250 for groceries. Congratulations, MJ! Whether you enter one or one hundred times, you can only win if you play and you are a testament to that. Thanks for playing.


Joanne Wilson

Joanne’s husband said that it was a 1 in a 100 shot of Joanne joining him as one of the dozens of winners in the Good Groceries contest but she entered anyway, and voila! She won herself $250 toward her next grocery bill.

Joanne works for the Calgary Board of Education and believes that workers should not have to worry about where their next pay cheque is coming from. Both her and her husband have had a number of friends that worked for Safeway over the years, both young and old. Some of them were able to buy their first car because of the strong union wages, and some were able to both work to pay the bills and be full-time students at the same time. They believe that Safeway should be a great place to work and will talk to the staff about their views and support while they use their gift cards.

Thanks for your support and for playing the contest, Joanne!


Barbara Stead

Barbara (along with her Union Rep Jeff) found out about the contest from her fellow Safeway co-worker Jenny. She found the information provided in the contest to be very informative and was surprised to find out Sobeys stores are not unionized across the province. She enjoyed playing and also found it fun.

Barbara says she is fully in support of the ongoing awareness campaign to make sure that Sobeys hears their workers’ call for fairness and says she, along with her co-workers, are ready to fight for fairness.

Congrats, Barbara! Together we can make sure everyone knows about the struggles Safeway employees are facing right now with recognition from the employer of these basic rights.


Josh Roberts

Josh found out about the Good Groceries contest through his family members, several of which have already won in the contest! He has his red seal in pipe fitting and sees the benefit of being unionized. Josh stands firmly with Safeway employees in their fight for fairness and also promises to spread the word about the contest. Thanks for your support and keep playing for more chances to win, Josh!


Wanda Boyko

Wanda has worked at Safeway since 1993 and is currently working at Meadowlark Safeway. She first heard about the contest when she came out to her Union’s General Membership meeting last year and received a Good Groceries shopping bag. Being a Shop Steward, she made sure to bring several of these bags back to her store to tell her co-workers about the Good Groceries campaign and encouraged them to check it out. Both her and her daughter have been visiting the site since then and entering the contest. She said it was a great way to teach her daughter about the differences between union and non-union workplaces. Congratulations, Wanda!


Lori Jangula

Lori has worked for Safeway for 33 years and is currently in the Front End at the Division Ave store in Medicine Hat. Her favourite part of the job is interacting with the customers, building relationships with the community and working with the new employees. Lori has also been a Shop Steward and activist for many, many years and is a big support of UFCW’s Online Web Campus.


Christina Boychuk

Christina entered the Good Groceries contest after talking to the volunteers handing out the GG grocery bags at a Sobeys store in Red Deer. She believes that grocery stores should provide decent prices and good service. Also, she now knows that Safeway is unionized and believes that the employees should have the right to keep their benefits they have negotiated hard for over the years. Christina says she’s happy to encourage some of her friends to try out the contest. She pledges also to support the Safeway employees in the event of a dispute should the company not negotiate fairly with its employees. Thanks for playing and supporting, Christina!


Indira Caldwell

Another Superstore winner! Indira found the Good Groceries contest while accessing her part-time benefits information and scrolling through the many educational opportunities advertised on her Union’s website (www.ufcw401.ca). “The game was fun to play and I won!” she exclaims. She says she will keep playing and hopes to win again. She is happy to spend her winnings at a Safeway store because they are unionized and have a collective voice at work, even though she has a non-union Sobeys store close to her home. Thanks for your support, Indira! And best of luck in your future attempts to win again.


Maninderbir Kahlon

Maninderbir (pictured here with her Union Rep Rick) found out about the Good Groceries contest through her Union bulletin Board in the Superstore she works in. She tells us that she found the contest easy to play, and was informative not only regarding Safeway, but also about what unions do for workers. When she saw the contest, she thought “why not give it a try?” And $250 later, she was very happy she entered. Maninderbir says she’ll be proud to support her sisters and brothers at Safeway if a dispute were to occur. Thanks for playing and congrats to you, Maninderbir!.


Robert Dorward

Robert, retired after 46 years at the Safeway warehouse, came across the goodgroceries.ca website online and found it very interesting. Of course, he continues to support his former coworkers in their effort to get a fair deal from Sobeys. Enjoy retirement, Bob, and thanks for your support!


Abhishek Dahal

When Abhishek, a neuroscience student in Edmonton, was handed a good-groceries reusable shopping bag on the way into a store he found out about the goodgroceries.ca contest. He followed the link to the website and entered. He found the game entertaining, informative, and now knowing more, he’s supportive of Safeway workers in their effort to keep Safeway a good-grocery store.


Dave Roberts

Dave is a big supporter of Unionized workplaces as he has been a member for a portion of his life, and has worked for the grocery industry for quite some time as well. He is well versed in the potential issue that we face and supports our cause. In his career history, Dave was an employee of Safeway back in 1979. In his spare time, he likes to garden in his backyard. Dave heard about the Good Groceries contest from his wife, who had won earlier last year. He is going to share the information with his friends and will support us in any potential labour dispute. He used the gift cards right away to buy supper and support our union members at his local Safeway.


Shauna Mihalicz

Shauna wrote us saying; “I enjoyed playing the good groceries game and learning how my union benefits my coworkers and me. I have shared the website with lots of family, friends, and coworkers so they can learn and possibly win!!”


Judy Salamandick

Judy became aware of the Good Groceries campaign when she met some of our members in front of a Safeway store and was given one of the Good Groceries shopping bags. Judy, retired now, was a nurse and a public servant for many years. She says that she is a big supporter of our Safeway members and good union jobs in general!


Thouraya Khiari

Thouraya is a Local 401 member from the Edmonton Southgate Safeway. She was extremely excited as she received her winnings at the beginning of Ramadan and thus the Gift Card will go a long way to support her family!


Vanda Bieber

Vanda Bieber ran into a Good Groceries Leafletting Team and as a result, played the game. She found the game was informative, easy to navigate, and thanks to the leafletting, she is more aware of the challenges regarding the Safeway/Sobeys stores.


Yvonne Houle

Yvonne learned of the Good Groceries contest when someone handed her a free Good Groceries bag at a Safeway in St. Albert. She entered the competition, had fun, and was easily able to finish the game. Never imagining that she would win; she was delighted to hear of her luck!
Yvonne didn’t know that the same company now owns Sobeys and Safeway, but she shops a lot in Safeway. She has noticed that the product they have in Safeway is not the same anymore, and now she understands why.
Yvonne’s very supportive of Safeway’s workers, and she’ll continue shopping there.


Debbie Lacusta

Our latest Good Groceries winner, Debbie, is from Red Deer and says she hasn’t won anything in a while so winning $250 in groceries was a very nice surprise. She was interested, in part, because she knows about some of the struggles of Safeway workers already. She says proudly that she supports them 100%! She also says she plans on spending her gift cards at the unionized Safeway store near her. Thanks so much for playing, Debbie and thousands of Safeway workers across the province thank you also.


Allan McRae

Allan is a Sobeys warehouse worker (formerly with the now shuttered Safeway warehouse in Edmonton) of roughly 9 years between the two facilities. He has friends from Safeway who were talking about the contest and started to follow 401’s Facebook page to check it out.
He said he found the page great, very informative, and started playing the game.
“It’s fun and informative”, he says, adding that he has continued to play on his breaks at work and has let co-workers know he won. As a result, lots of his coworkers have started to play since he told them about his win.
Allan misses working at the Safeway warehouse and will definitely support the workers in the retail stores in their negotiations efforts, including any disputes that may arise.
Thanks for playing and for the support, Allan. And we wish everyone you’ve inspired to play the best of luck!


Rebecca Auger

Rebecca is a Safeway worker in Edmonton. Having found out about the contest on the UFCW 401 Facebook page, Rebecca has been playing of and on for the past 4 months. She plays until she gets 10 entries and then calls it a day. This method certainly paid off and now everyone in her department is playing the game!
She says she found the game enjoyable and learned the value of having a union while reading all the different facts about the benefits of belonging to a union and being able to negotiate with your employer collectively rather than on your own. She plans to share this game on her Facebook page to encourage others to play and win.
Thanks for playing, Rebecca. Congratulations!


Janny Fung

Janny is another lucky Safeway worker who found the Good Groceries website and game through Facebook and decided to give it a try. She enjoyed the game and found it informative. Thanks for playing, Janny! Keep playing for more chances to win.


Meriam Nabor

Meet our newest Good Groceries winner Meriam Nabor.  Mariam lives in Grande Prairie and works in a group home assisting people with disabilities.
She found the game on Facebook and was interested in trying it out partly because her sister is a cake decorator at Safeway. She found it both easy and informative. She told us that her son thought it was a waste of time to play and enter because she would never win – we are very happy that her son was wrong (sorry, Mariam’s son).  🙂
When asked about supporting her local Safeway workers, along with her sister, if Sobeys decides to bring a fight to Alberta, Mariam was quick to say that she would definitely support the workers in any dispute with Safeway.
Thanks for your support and thanks also for playing Good Groceries!


Ashley Jukes

Ashley found out about the Good Groceries contest from her mother, who had also won playing the game, and decided to check out our contest.
Ashley understands that the people at Safeway are hard-working employees who she will be proud to support no matter how tough the negotiations.
She believes that businesses have a responsibility to the communities they serve, especially when they have as much money as Sobeys does, for example, to take over a large grocery chain like Canada Safeway.
Ashley wants to make sure that Safeway workers keep their hard-fought rights and benefits, she also believes hard work should go a long way in ensuring the employer rewards them for their efforts.
Thanks for playing, Ashley. Congrats!


Allison Courtelle

Allison found out about the contest through a family member. She was excited to find out she had won and plans on playing again. She has a wonderful new family, and will be using these gift cards for a big Christmas dinner! Though she was not aware of the Sobeys takeover of Safeway, she believes that Safeway is an important part of her community and shops there regularly. She believes that grocery stores have an obligation for fresh food at a reasonable cost in convenient locations. She does not want to see the Safeway brand fail, and will make a point to talk to a couple of employees when in there next. Enjoy your Christmas, Allison. We wish you and yours all the best in 2019 and the best of luck with the contest. We’ve already had one person win twice, maybe you’ll be the next!


James Woodley

James is a union member himself and is part of the Steelworkers Union. He is very aware of the struggles workers have in negotiating workplace improvements with large employers who, he says, often complain that their workers make too much money. Living very near his neighbourhood Safeway store, he regularly shops there because it is unionized. He believes that all the employees at Safeway should get a good deal, and will support them in whatever way he can. He believes that companies should do a lot more for their communities by supplying local offerings, do more for food donation programs, and ending food waste by donating it to organizations serving those in need. James will be happily using his $250 in gift cards at his Safeway and promises to talk to the employees about his support. It’s because of community-minded people like you, James, that UFCW members working at Safeway love their jobs. Thanks for your support, brother!


Lisa Pev

Camrose Safeway worker Lisa was visibly surprised when presented with her winnings, and she was thrilled to be one of the latest winners of the Good Groceries contest. She said that her husband also entered separately and was please that she won it!


Cristhel Bornilla

Congratulations are in order for Cristhel (pictured here with union rep Joe) who is a Safeway Deli worker from Calgary. She found out about the Good Groceries contest by accident while surfing the ufcw401.ca website regarding the various 100% employer-paid, union-negotiated health benefits she and her coworkers are entitled to. She thought the game was fun and simply wanted to try it out. She found it was informative and easily recognized it was regarding supporting Safeway workers in their bid for a fair first contract with her new employer Sobeys.
As a Safeway employee, she saw the direct connection regarding the importance of informing the public and the communities they serve and thought it was a great idea. She will be playing a lot more in the future.
She reports to us that she also attracted a lot of attention from her co-workers with her win! Encourage them to play, Cristhel! They may be next!


Ulyana Demchyshyn-Kozak

Ulyana, pictured here with her daughter Yuny, and her husband Dmytriy, was successful in her attempts to win the $250 gift card by playing this fun and easy game.
Ulyana found out about the contest through her Safeway co-worker who had pointed out the poster on the union bulletin board. She thought the game and the information contained within it was a really cool idea. She says she found the game fun to play and the information was great because she learned a lot about the labour movement and her own union as well.
She says the money will come in handy over the holidays and looks forward to entertaining friends and family.


Debra Brilliant

Our latest Good Groceries winner, Debra, heard about the contest when she was shopping at Safeway on a day and location where UFCW activists were promoting the campaign and the contest and giving out free swag. She was given a free Good Groceries shopping bag and all the information she needed to get started playing this fun and informative game.
Debra checked it out and says she had fun with it.
She knew that Safeway is unionized and says that is why she shops there! She didn’t realize, however, that the workers at Sobeys don’t have a union to protect them and fight for fairness and work collectively. She is hopeful the Sobeys employees will take steps to join the union so they can benefit from the collective strength unions can offer.
Though Debra’s been retired for 4 years, she says she always looked for jobs with a union because she deserves better, and belonging to a union provides that.
Congratulations, Debra! Thank you for your support and for playing our contest.


Marlene Roberts

Marlene believes strongly in the workers fighting for better wages and pensions at Safeway. She was aware of the purchase from Sobeys, and believes that they have a substantial responsibility to play when moving into a community. She believes that they should give back to the community, as many of the workers are from around that area too. She has a couple of friends that have been able to retire from Safeway, and believes that employees who have dedicated their life to a company should receive the same benefit for their service.
She has a Sobeys close to her house, but she doesn’t feel that it provides the same atmosphere as the Safeway. She hasn’t been to the Sobeys in a long time, and anticipates spending the gift cards at the Safeway. She will also be hosting a BBQ to give back to her daughter who told her about the campaign.
Thanks for playing, Marlene and congratulations!


Manisha Modi

Manisha is one of our many Good Groceries winners (pictured here with her Union Rep Rick) and she found the website and game very easy to navigate and found the information enlightening as well. Manisha believes that grocery stores, being the main sources of food and essential goods, should be a part of, and serve, their communities in many ways.
“Grocery stores should help the community by supporting people in need of essential groceries,” she says.
“They should also participate in local fundraisers and sponsor local events and better the customer/store relationships,” she concludes.
Thanks so much for playing, Manisha. We love that you appreciate the connections between good grocery stores and the communities they serve.


Cassandra Fata

Cassandra is no stranger to understanding the benefits of belonging to the union. Raised in a union household, her father is a long-time Safeway worker and union activist, which is how she found out about the contest. She also saw it advertised on Facebook. Cassandra is very supportive of Safeway employees, mostly because she supports her dad, but also because she knows the struggles Safeway workers across the province have faced in recent years, particularly in the upheaval since the Sobeys takeover.
She found the game to be informative and fun and believes that the union is very important in her community as well as her home. Thanks for playing, Cassandra!


Lilly Wong

Meet Lilly, our latest contest winner. Lilly says she found out about the Good Groceries contest through Facebook. She loved entering the contest and played often hoping to win. She said she play every day and found the contest easy to play and very informative as well. Not knowing a lot about the company, Lilly has committed to supporting the thousands of Safeway workers in their battle for fairness. Congratulations, Lilly, and thank you for your support!


Jennifer Kremenik

Jennifer grew up in Calgary, but spent a fair bit of time down in Lethbridge. She was saddened when the Safeway closed down in her Lethbridge neighbourhood because she knew it meant a lot good jobs were eliminated from the area. She said she finds Sobeys too expensive and many people with low income now have no where to shop in the area except for the Sobeys, creating unnecessary hardships.
Jennifer supports the Safeway workers 100%! She is also very familiar with the Safeway strike back in 1997, and had a friend that worked there during that time. She is going to continue to spend her money at Safeway and talk to the workers when she is in there about supporting them.
Thanks, Jennifer!  We appreciate your support very much.  It’s community minded people like you who we and Safeway owe a great debt of gratitude to and we hope Sobeys values your loyalty to their company and their workers.


Logan Rudolfsen

Logan was not aware that Safeway was unionized or that a takeover of Sobeys had occurred, underscoring the importance of this campaign and the information within this contest. He’s not alone.  That’s why through this game and other future promotions, Safeway workers seek to inform their customers in fun ways – and it is working!  When asked what obligation grocery stores have within the communities they serve, Logan says he feels it’s important for them to give back.  We agree!  Grocery stores are more than places to simply go buy your food and household supplies, they must be partners in the community and contribute to healthy, vibrant communities and those they serve.  Thanks for playing, Logan, and congratulations!


Kat Deck

Congrats to our latest winner! Kat says she found out about the contest from an email she received from her union. She said it’s a fun game and learned a lot from playing. She says she likes when the Union includes contests or games with the various information emails she receives. Kat says she will stand strong with her fellow members in upcoming negotiations for improvements to the current Safeway union contract.  Thanks for playing, Kat!


Jennifer Ayers

One of our latest contest winners, Jennifer Ayers, says her boyfriend and young son very much can use the $250 gift card that she won for simply playing the GoodGroceries.ca game. She is heading back to school and this will help out a lot. Jennifer also says she saw an advertisement for the contest when she was taking the bus one day and decided to give it a try. She really enjoyed playing it and found the information useful, as she knew about Sobeys buying Safeway but didn’t realize that Safeway workers have a union. Thanks for playing, Jen. Keep playing for more chances to win.


Crystal DeZutter

Crystal also saw the GoodGroceries.ca contest through one of our bus advertisements. She had fun playing and cannot believe that she won! She also says she considers it to be a blessing that she won because she lost her job 2 years ago due to medical issues and every bit helps. She likes to shop at Safeway and knew that Sobeys took over the Safeway company but learned a lot more by playing the contest. Congratulations, Crystal! Thank you for playing.


Anthony Zezula

Meet Anthony, a Sobeys warehouse employee, and fabulous 401er, who found the Good Groceries contest while he was scoping out the UFCW 401 website (www.gounion.ca). He liked the game and found it informative as well as easy to navigate and fun to play. Though Anthony shops at both Safeway and Sobeys stores now, he was clear that he will be supporting the workers in their bid for fairness and says he will definitely support the workers by not shopping any of Sobeys stores if they go on strike. Anthony, it’s people like you that make us proud to be standing up to this very large, very profitable, and very concerning company.


Margaret York

Here is the incomparable Margaret York. Margaret is also one of our fabulous 401ers and has been an active member and Shop Steward at Safeway for many years. She played to win because she tells us that she never wins anything. Margaret found the contest online via the 401 website (www.gounion.ca) and entered many, many times. She found it to be loads of fun and very entertaining. She also found it very informative, particularly for anyone who may not yet be sure of the vast difference between union and non-union grocery stores. She is a strong supporter of the fight for fairness for Safeway workers as she has been a long-term cake decorator and believes in this fight. Margaret has her walking boots ready to go on strike if needed, just as she and thousands of other Safeway workers did in back in 1997. Thanks, Margaret. We are grateful to stand together with you!


Jerry Stefanyk

Congratulations to Jerry, who found out about the contest on Facebook, played and won! Retired, together with his wife Linda, they both enjoy spending their time doing volunteer work. Jerry tells us that they knew Sobeys bought Safeway but didn’t realize that Sobeys workers are not unionized like their Safeway counterparts. Jerry and Linda say they love to shop at Safeway on the first Tuesday of the month to get the 15% discount. Thanks for your interest in our campaign for fairness for Safeway and Sobeys workers. We appreciate your support!


Ryan Hanna

Our latest winner, Ryan, was riding on the bus and saw our goodgroceries.ca ad and decided to try his luck. He says he had fun playing the game and was interested in playing again for another shot at winning more free groceries! Ryan knows that Sobeys bought Safeway and he thinks it’s important to have a union to ensure a decent standard of living for all employees and their families, as well as a safe and happy workplace. We couldn’t agree more, Ryan. Thanks for your support and congratulations to you on your win. Keep playing to win!


Jay Zaal

Jay found out about goodgroceries.ca on one of our billboards as he passed by. He knows that Safeway workers are part of the union but that Sobeys workers are not. He was interested in the campaign to get caught up on the latest. Jay said he was very happy to win at this time because he is unemployed at the moment and the gift card will be a big help. Congratulations, Jay, and thanks again for playing.


Al Paquette

Another recent winner of our goodgroceries.ca contest is Safeway worker Al Paquette. He heard about the contest through his Union Representative Shauna Robertson. He found the information to be useful and informative and really enjoys the updates that he gets from his union so that he is up to speed on all the latest news regarding the ongoing negotiations campaign. Thanks so much, Al, for your interest in this contest and being a “plugged in” member of 401!


Champika Gamage

Another of our fabulous Good Groceries contest winners is Champika from Safeway. She tells us that for more than three weeks straight she was using her coffee and lunch breaks to go on the website to try to win. She said that one of her co-workers won so she convinced herself that she could also win and decided not to stop until she did! Lo and behold, she got herself a cool $250 for groceries! She was very excited and added that this is the first time she’s ever won anything from her union. Congratulations, Champika, and thanks for playing!


Tasha Roberts

Meet one of our latest Good Groceries winners, Tasha Roberts. Tasha works in the Safeway Pharmacy in Sherwood Park, where she has been an employee for over 10 years. She heard about the Good Groceries website from her Union Representative, Laura. Laura had piqued Tasha’s curiosity, so she decided to go online and check it out. She finds the game easy to navigate and even though she knew a lot of the information provided, she says it was good to get a “refresher”. She continues to go back and play. Congratulations and thanks so much for your interest in playing and supporting the campaign, Tasha!


Jessy Gobeil

Our latest winner is Jessy and she found out about the Good Groceries contest because she follows UFCW 401 on Facebook and decided to take part in the contest to support her union brothers and sisters and Safeway! Congratulations, Jessy, on playing and winning. And on behalf of the thousands of Safeway workers and the reps and negotiators at Local 401, thank you for your support!


Barbara Giroux

Barbara is from Drifpile, near Slave Lake and she found out about the contest after she has seen someone shared the link on Facebook and decided to give it a try. She said it is fun that is why she played. She also says that she will support her local Safeway workers and will not be shopping at any Safeway if they go on strike. Congrats, Barbara, and thanks again for playing!


Michele Serpanchy

Michele, the mother of three children, heard about the contest from our billboard on Glenmore Trail Calgary. She usually shops at the Sobeys by her house because she is noticing the change with Safeway. She said that it is not as bright as the Sobeys. Upon learning about the issues facing her local Safeway workers, she committed to supporting the workers if they are forced into a strike, even though in her area it will be difficult because there are not many other options. We thank you for your support, Michele, and so do the thousands of Safeway workers across Alberta!


Darla Beaudry

A big thank you to avid GoodGroceries.ca player Darla! She found out about the contest online and began to play in her spare time as many times as she could to increase her chances of winning. “It was fun and it paid off!” she exclaims. “I also learned that workers at my local Safeway store earn better wages and benefits and have better job security because of their union – their Sobeys store workers need to get a union so they can have better jobs too!”, she concluded. Thanks for playing, Darla! And thanks for your support of your local Sobeys workers.


Harshika Thilakarathna

Harshika was thrilled to be one of the weekly winners in the GoodGroceries.ca contest. She added that she’s been working at Safeway since 2008 and is a proud 401 member and is her first time of winning anything. Harshika will be standing strong with her coworkers in the battle for fairness with Sobeys. Congrats, Harshika!


Lisa Reynolds

We may be a little behind in posting our winners, but Lisa from Superstore won her $250 gift card just in time for Christmas! She heard about the contest through her union email updates and was not only interested in winning, but also what her fellow UFCW 401 members at Safeway were fighting to improve. Information is power, Lisa, and we thank you for supporting your sisters and brothers by learning about their bid for fairness with Sobeys.


Pat McKenzie

Pat is a 401 member out of Safeway. Having since retired, she heard about the contest from her Union Rep at a meeting. Very curious about what it was all about, she began playing shortly after learning of the fun and interactive game. “It was nice and simple to play”, and she enjoyed learning about some of the trends in unionized workplaces vs. non-union workplaces. “I wish everyone all the best in negotiations”, she finished.


Sue Grant

Sue is a Safeway worker who says she saw the contest on the union bulletin board in her store and decided to give it a try. “I’ve never won anything! It sure does pay to keep an eye on the union bulletin board,” she exclaimed. Congratulations, Sue. We look forward to working with you and the thousands of your Alberta Safeway co-workers in your bid for a better workplace; one where your employer, Sobeys, respects and values the hard work you do each day.


Jolanta Starozik

“My name is Jolanta Starozik. I work part-time as a cashier at Safeway in Edmonton and I am glad to be a 401 member. I found out about the Good Groceries contest during our union meeting about year ago. I didn’t visit this page until late November/early December when I had a spare time on my day off. The game itself is not complicated. It was a total surprise when I received the message from my Union Rep, Shauna, that I won the contest. The $250 grocery gift card came just in time when work hours are being cut and my job security is under threat. I believe that we need to stay strong and united, and our union should be allowed to speak freely to Sobeys employees, who should not fear that they might lose their job if they decide to join the union. Thanks to my union, for years I was protected at my workplace having guaranteed minimum hours, wages, benefits for part time employees, etc. I am grateful for my union and I am for every customer who shops at Safeway.”


Bushra Jamal

Thanks to our latest winner, Bushra Jamal, for playing the Good Groceries game. Bushra saw the poster in her lunchroom at the Safeway store she works at and decided to play to win. Playing on her coffee and lunch breaks she said, “I may have entered anywhere between eight and ten times or even more.” When her Union Rep Sam asked her how she felt about winning the $250 gift card she responded, “That’s really great. I have been working at Safeway for ten years and have been a member of UFCW 401 all those years. This is my first time of winning anything from the union. I thank the union so much!” Always thinking of others, she concluded by saying, “I hope this will continue until other members win too.” Congrats, Bushra!


Mike Woolridge

Mike, a UFCW member working at the Starlight Casino in West Edmonton Mall, is one of the latest winners of the Good Groceries contest. He says he found out about the contest on Facebook. “It seemed like an ad so I didn’t pay much attention to it until I saw one of my Facebook friends was a winner,” Mike says. In playing the game and entering the contest he says he found the information interesting. “It was an easy and great way to get information on the history and facts,” he concludes. Congrats, Mike and thanks for your interest in your fellow UFCW members at Alberta’s Safeway stores.


James Mercer

James started with Safeway in April of 2017 as a part-time courtesy clerk. James’ son also works for Safeway as a store manager. James became aware of the contest by the promotional materials on the lunchroom table left by his Union Representative. He says he played the game and entered many times because he found it to be a really fun way to pass some time. James says that while he found the information to be informative, he was already aware of many of the facts before playing the game. He is thrilled to have won and says he will continue to visit the site and play the game.


Glenn Miller

Congratulations to our latest Good Groceries winner, Glenn. He is retired from his position at Firestone. He is also still very active within the labour movement and is working with many organizations to get working people benefits. Glenn tells us that he is very aware of the UFCW and what we do and is willing to assist in any possible way with ensuring Safeway workers are successful in their upcoming negotiations and is happy to help out with the campaign. He is very active on Facebook and has a lot of friends within the labour movement. Glenn also has 2 children and 7 grandchildren. Thanks for playing, Glenn. And thank you for your support!


Ivy Tennis

Our latest Good Groceries winner is Ivy Tennis. She been retired for 5 years and as a retiree herself, she is concerned about workers who do not have a fair pension or those who do not have one at all because she sees a lot of people in her age demographic who do not have enough to survive on. She was interested to learn from the Good Groceries game that Safeway workers have a union but Sobeys workers do not. Sadly, Ivy was one of many loyal Safeway shoppers who have suffered as a result of one of the Safeway stores closing in her community. She can no longer justify shopping at Safeway since the closest one is now too far for her to shop at. She feels that the company needs to do more for communities because they are employing people from those communities. She is also very excited about the upcoming World Junior hockey games, and is a little upset that the NHL players cannot play this year, but believes that Canada has a good team regardless. Thanks for playing, Ivy, and thank you also for your support of Alberta Safeway workers!


Nathan Zarich

Congratulations to Nathan for being one of December’s winners. Nathan works at Safeway in Calgary and is a 401 member. He found out about the contest from attending the general membership union meetings. He says he learned a lot from playing and was excited to tell his family and friends about it so they could play too!


Mark Lescano

Mark is one of the many lucky 401 members who played and won. Mark found out about the contest from his Union Rep, Shauna, and was thrilled to win, especially because his coworkers teased him that he wouldn’t win – now they’re all playing too! Mark says he found the game to be easy to navigate and it was also very informative.


Carol Payne

Our latest Good Groceries winner is Carol Payne from Edmonton. She discovered it while she was surfing the Local 401 website gounion.ca. Carol says she “wasted no time in trying” out the game and it paid off big time!
Carol is a Superstore member and when her Union Rep, Sam Nuako, came to her at her store to give her the $250 gift card, she asked him, “am I in trouble?” Sam had a bit of fun with it and responded, “yes you are! Because you just won for yourself a big prize!”
Carol was both excited and surprised by her win and said that she thought the game was very interesting and fun to do.
Congratulations Carol and thank you so much for playing and learning more about your fellow 401ers as they take on their employer Sobeys in upcoming negotiations. When we stick together, there are no limits to what we can accomplish!


Amanda Rogers

Amanda tells us that winning this gift card came at the perfect time and we couldn’t be happier to hear that. Her mother is one of our very own fantastic Shop Stewards, Norma Johnson, and knows all about the Union Advantage. She heard about the contest when she attended the 401 member open house and BBQ August 20th in Edmonton and decided to try her luck and play. Amanda has 3 children and says that the gift card was sent from heaven through UFCW 401. We are so happy this came at a time when you really needed it, Amanda. Congratulations!


Daria Douglas

Daria works as a children’s caregiver and she loves kids. Daria and her boyfriend were driving when she saw the billboard advertising the contest and started playing the game on her phone. It was just that random and easy! She didn’t expect to win but she’s happy that she did. Congrats, Daria and thanks for playing!


Leon Murray Wright

Leon is a 42 year Safeway worker at Edmonton’s Grange location. Leon found out about the contest through an information pamphlet at work. His coworkers were teasing him that no one would actually win this kind of contest. Leon didn’t listen to them, went to the website and played the game and now he is the one laughing! Thanks for playing Leon!


Michelle Winchester

Michelle works at the U of A and happened to see one of the goodgroceries.ca billboards in Edmonton and decided to check out the website. She had fun playing and learning about what’s going on and was very surprised to win $250 worth of groceries! Michelle never expected that she would win. Will you be the next one to be happily surprised?


Fran Weekes

Finding our contest on Facebook, Fran is one of our recent winners in this contest. Having retired 3 years ago, Fran worked in the Federal Government for 33 years and is very proud to have belonged to her union at that workplace. She spends most of her time doing volunteer work now. In fact, she voluteers at Wings of Providence for 10 years and realized that she’s heard of us before when talking to Union Organizer Catherine Lelis about 401’s shoe drive last year where we collected nearly 1000 pairs of shoes for women in need. It’s a small world! Congrats, Fran. We are thrilled you played and won.


Lucy Nicoletti

Lucy received the information about the campaign from her sister. She played the game on her iPad and it froze a couple of times but was still able to enter into the contest. She said that the obligations for the employer are to have fair pricing, fully stocked items, convenience, and fair treatment of employees. Congratulations, Lucy and thank you for your interest in Safeway workers and fairness.


Nancy Dallaire

Nancy is one of our latest winners of the contest. Working at one of the St. Albert Safeway stores, Nancy heard about the contest through her Shop Steward Margaret McCauley when she brought it up as a topic of discussion at the morning store meeting. Nancy believes that grocery stores have an obligation to their communities to support them and should promote a workplace that is healthy and happy. “Happy and healthy employees make for happy and healthy communities”, she says. Never believing she’d win, Nancy is now committed to ensuring all her coworkers enter the contest regularly. Thanks for the support, Nancy and congratulations!


Grace Struthers

Grace found out about this contest through Facebook. Her and her husband Mike are self-employed and were aware that Safeway was unionized but didn’t know before playing the Goodgroceries.ca contest that Sobeys employees were not! Grace, like many customers, is frustrated with the lack of items on the shelves at Sobeys that are used in the flyer to draw customers to their stores. We are very grateful that she is also so supportive of the employees at Safeway and is going to support them no matter the outcome of negotiations. She commits to continue her support of the workers throughout their stuggles with Sobeys to ensure fairness and a company they can be once again proud to work for. Congratulations and thanks for playing, Grace!