The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Nov. 17, edition that almost 1,300 workers at 17 No Frills grocery stores in Ontario could be on strike next week. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe reports that Unifor has set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Monday. The union said contract talks continue, but that workers are prepared to strike to back their demands. No Frills is the discount grocery banner owned by Loblaw. The 17 stores include five in Toronto, as well as locations in Whitby, Etobicoke, Niagara Falls and elsewhere. This round of bargaining is the first with a major grocery chain for Unifor since it reached a deal with Metro this summer that brought more than 3,700 workers in the Toronto area significant wage gains. The Metro agreement is now an industry-leading contract, says Larry Savage, a professor in the labour studies department at Brock University. He says, "You can bet that other grocery store workers will want the same or better." On Thursday, the union said No Frills workers are demanding similar gains to those the Metro workers received. Loblaw spokesman Catherine Thomas said in an e-mail that the negotiations are with No Frills franchisees, and therefore Loblaw is not involved.