3903 solidarity with locked-out IKEA workers

Locked-out IKEA workers in Richmond, BC (photo credit: Teamsters Local 213)

Locked-out IKEA workers in Richmond, BC (photo credit: Teamsters Local 213)

The following letter was sent by the Executive Committee to Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, in solidarity with locked-out IKEA workers:

Dear Hassan Yussuff,

As the Executive Committee of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3903 (CUPE 3903), we are writing you to express our concern over the lockout by IKEA of Teamsters Local 213 members in Richmond, BC.

These workers have been locked out by this major multinational corporation for over 14 months. The Richmond, BC store is the only IKEA location in Canada, outside Quebec, that is unionized. The corporation is trying to impose a two-tier wage system and is attacking workers’ benefits.

Recently, over 140 IKEA Richmond workers signed a petition addressed to the Canadian Labour Congress and individual trade unionists urging the labour movement to carry out weekly info pickets of IKEA stores.

On July 3, we, the CUPE 3903 executive, passed the following motion:

Be it resolved that CUPE 3903 endorse the boycott call and actively organize its members and allies to participate in regular info pickets of IKEA until IKEA Richmond workers have won their fight.

Be it further resolved that CUPE 3903 contact the Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff and encourage him to launch a country-wide boycott campaign against IKEA, formally backed by the Canadian Labour Congress.

On June 21 and July 12, CUPE 3903 members joined the info pickets at the IKEA Etobicoke and North York locations, respectively. These info pickets, with participation from a variety of unions, were coordinated with similar info pickets in Burlington and Ottawa. We will actively encourage our members to build and participate in the next round of info pickets.

We recognize and appreciate that you visited the picket line in Richmond on June 2. However, we call on you and the CLC to take a leadership role in building a solidarity campaign of info pickets and officially endorsing a country-wide boycott of IKEA.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

In solidarity,
Executive Committee of CUPE 3903

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For more information, please visit IKEA Hurts Families.