Bakery Confectionary & Tobacco Workers International Union Of America Local 252

I am a journeyman baker working at safeway fulltime. I also suffer from multiple sclerosis but thankfully im doing ok physically at the moment. I am the primary source of income for my family as my partener suffers multiple health issues and is on permanent disability. I have worked at safeway for well over a decade and currently hold the assistant manager position in my department. Despite the fact that my partener and i are both high risk to have complications if we contracted covid i still get up every morning and take the bus to work in a busy grocery store because we need money if we want to have a decent life. I have worked extremely hard to complete trade school as well as commit whole heartedly to my job . i generally tell myself that what i am doing, literally making bread to feed thousands of albertans every day is worthwhile, that it is for the greater good. Because i make $25.60 an hour i am excluded from the 'essential workers' one time appreciation payments. I already lost my so called 'hero' pay from my employer earlier this year , had my union sign a rediculous contract that took away my manager relief rate when im covering my managers days off, am living everday stressed out that conversion of safeways to freshcos will result in me loosing my job or facing more cutbacks . Now my federal and provincial governments are basically telling me my efforts during this pandemic are irrelevant because i make pennies more than their arbitrary cut off ???? I know we all have had setbacks and struggles during this. I am a compassionate person. i am not a hero. I am not essential. I am just a sucker who keeps thinking that working hard, risking my health to feed calgary will somehow payoff. you have made it clear that is not true. Thanks ! Enjoy your buns!