Judge dismisses petition to remove Saskatoon Co-op board of directors

On Friday, a judge dismissed an application aimed at removing the current Saskatoon Co-op board.

A petition requested Saskatoon Co-op hold a special meeting for the purpose of removing the current board of directors from office and replacing them.

According to court documents, 345 Co-op members signed the petition; 224 who were also members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1400.

Saskatoon Co-op member, Craig Thebaud, organized the petition in November.

After Saskatoon Co-op’s board of directors decided not to hold the special meeting in response to the petition, Thebaud took the matter to court.

He was once a Saskatoon Co-op employee, and also a UFCW union representative for a period of time after working at Co-op.

WATCH BELOW: Coverage of the strike at Saskatoon Co-op by UFCW Local 1400

1:55 Saskatoon Co-op strike impacting other businesses

• Saskatoon Co-op strike impacting other businesses
• UFCW workers at Saskatoon Co-op on strike

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“If the application to remove the board of directors and replace them is therefore motivated for the benefit of future employees rather than for its members, the application could be said to be for an improper motive,” Justice Neil Gabrielson wrote in his decision.

“In this case, the material indicates that the applicant’s motive in bringing the application is to influence the bargaining position of the Saskatoon Co-op in negotiations with the UFCW,” Gabrielson wrote.

Saskatoon Co-op employees have been walking the picket line since Nov. 1, 2018.

At issue for UFCW is the company’s desire to introduce a second-tier wage scale for new employees.

According to the company, 181 Saskatoon Co-op employees have returned to work or continued working since the strike started.

Earlier in January, 60 per cent of Saskatoon Co-op employees who voted rejected the latest offer.