Employees at the Kamloops Hudson's Bay location continue their strike on Dec. 27, 2023, after first heading to the picket line more than two weeks earlier.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Hudson's Bay employees in Kamloops remain on the picket line, even as Boxing Day shoppers pass them by.

Despite losing out on Christmas shoppers this year, the company hasn't come up with an offer that satisfied workers at the Aberdeen Mall location. More than two weeks after they closed the store, strikers are still holding out for a better deal.

"The strikers are optimistic we can still get a deal," union representative Jordan Lawrence said. "But it's not our move to make. The employer made a final offer that these members just couldn't take."

He said the raise that was offered was less than any of their previous agreements, but he added it was the same deal offered to other unionized locations, so Hudson's Bay said it wasn't going to increase it.

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"Disappointment would be our biggest feeling right now," Lawrence said. "We hoped we would be able to put some pressure on the employer. If you're in retail this is the biggest time of the year."

The strike continues after another BC location, one of two in Burnaby, shut its doors for the last time. That closure isn't a concern for Lawrence, however.

He said it is a concern for the retail industry in general, as shoppers look online more often. While that may mean retail companies take a hit to their revenue and their foot traffic, Lawrence said employees still want a better wage at the stores that remain.

"This is a group of people so close to minimum wage who used to make dollars over that. They've seen that shrink year over year, contract after contract, and they're not  just willing to take it," he said. "They understood what could happen... They understood it could be the end of the store."

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He added the union wants the store to remain an "anchor" of Aberdeen Mall, but they're now waiting until after the new year for Hudson's Bay to potentially return to negotiations.

Boxing Day shoppers visiting the store are passing by, and some may be surprised that during a high-demand season Hudson's Bay is closed. One worker on the picket line said shoppers have generally been supportive, but there have been some frustrated that the department store's doors were locked during the holiday season.

Workers at the Kamloops location, represented by the United Steelworkers Union local 1-417 since 1993, voted in favour of a strike on Dec. 6. Four days later the union announced it, the workers headed to the picket line after months of negotiations. They continue to stand in front of the store's several entrances, both outside and inside the mall.

The union tried to negotiate a deal since July, but the company's only offer was an annual one per cent raise, according to a union news release.

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