With the two sides judged to be too far apart, mediated talks between Ikea and its unionized staff in Richmond were adjourned Tuesday after just one day.
That was the recommendation of veteran mediator Vince Ready, who was brought in to help negotiations in a labour dispute which has had 300 members of Teamsters’ Local 213 on the picket line since May 2013.
Talks had been scheduled to go until Wednesday, but at the conclusion of the first day, Ready, who recently helped bring about a resolution to the public school teachers’ strike, advised that, with numerous critical items still on the table, discussions be suspended.
According to the Swedish furniture giant, those issues include: wages, benefits, guaranteed hours, management rights and the status of the 35 employees the union has expelled from membership for crossing the picket line early in the dispute.
The union has remained steadfast that those workers be reassigned to another Ikea store or be designated management.
In an email from Ikea, company spokeswoman Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick said the offer tabled this Tuesday included guaranteed annual increases for all employees as well as a generous benefits package for both part-time and full-time employees.
She added that the company “remains committed to reaching a collective agreement that provides wages and benefits that exceed industry standards and supports the long term success of the Ikea Richmond store.”
Both sides agreed to getting Ready involved last week.
Currently, no further talks have been scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Richmond Ikea store continues to operate with limited staff and services.
Officials with Teamsters’ Local 213 were not available for comment in time for the News’ deadline.