Last month, workers at Metro grocery stores across the GTA voted in favour of a strike mandate ahead of contract negotiations. At the top of their demands is a wage increase, one that reflects the rising cost of living and inflation. Full-time floor workers currently make roughly $16 to $21 per hour, and department managers earn approximately $25 to $27 per hour. (In a statement to Maclean’s, Metro said that they are currently bargaining with Unifor, Local 414 and are committed to finding a fair and equitable resolution.)

“Metro’s profits have gone way up over the last few years, and they should compensate the people who helped them get there,” says Gabi Abdalla, a 41-year-old produce manager who started at Metro in 2010 and, when accounting for inflation, earns less than he would have 10 years ago. Now a dad and his household’s sole breadwinner, Abdalla is one of many who says that the current conditions are unsustainable. Here he talks about why fair wages—not $300 Metro gift cards—are the only way forward.