The Financial Post reports in its Saturday, Sept. 9, edition that as Metro workers at 27 Toronto-area grocery stores return to work after a month-long strike, experts and union representatives say their new collective agreement raises the bar for grocery store workers across the country. A Canadian Press dispatch to the Post reports that Kim Novak, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 1518 in British Columbia, says, "It's the workers' time to be recognized for what they've given to these companies." More than 3,700 Metro workers went on strike at the end of July after rejecting their first tentative agreement, fighting for better pay. On Aug. 31, they voted 'yes' on a second agreement, which included front-loaded wage gains beginning with a $1.50 hike. CP reports that the Unifor-Metro deal helps set a floor for future agreements, though they will not be identical. Unifor has made it clear that it intends to use the Metro agreement to pattern bargain, meaning it will try to seek similar gains in upcoming negotiations with grocers. The union said it has 13 contracts with grocers, mainly in Ontario, that are set to expire before the end of 2024, covering about 6,000 workers.