LifeLabs couriers and mailroom clerks reach tentative agreement with employer

OPSEU President Smokey Thomas speaks on March 24, 2022 at a rally for LifeLabs strikers in north Etobicoke. Behind him is the Workers' Action Movement banner and many supporters of the 160 couriers and mail room clerks who walked on picket lines for nearly two weeks to win a decent collective agreement.

March 25, 2022 - 4:57 pm

Toronto – After nearly two weeks on strike, the bargaining team representing roughly 160 LifeLabs couriers and mailroom clerks in the GTA has reached a tentative agreement with the employer.

If a majority of the 160 OPSEU/SEFPO Local 5119 members vote to accept the tentative agreement, the strike will be over. The vote will take place electronically on Saturday, March 26, and the workers will soon be sent the voting information.

“With courage, determination and an inspiring display of solidarity, this bargaining team has achieved an excellent tentative agreement,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Even more impressive: this is their first collective agreement. They are already showing us – and LifeLabs – how strong they are.”

“We joined together with OPSEU/SEFPO because we wanted the power to tell LifeLabs that we are no longer going to accept less,” said OPSEU/SEFPO Local 5119 President Mahmood Alawneh. “This tentative agreement shows that, by bargaining together, we can get the decent wages we deserve.”