Where we are in the process
Night crew ready for the fight
Steward Natasha West-Baker from Safeway #1508 was one of several stewards who joined up to visit night shift workers into the early morning of July 1st.
UFCW 21 President Dave Schmitz checking in with night crew workers. Stewards, Union Reps, and elected officials connected with members on the night shift in over 100 stores in one night. |
Where we are in the process
We are now several months into bargaining. The union team has made our full proposals and so have the employers. (You can see the latest details below.) Our actions have pushed the employers off a few of their bad proposals, but not enough — yet.
At some point, we will vote on a contract offer. That vote can either be to accept a fair contract, or reject an unfair deal and authorize a strike.
Our actions can lead us to a yes vote on a new contract or prepare us for a no vote with strike authorization. It depends on whether the employers' proposals improve. Our next bargaining sessions are set for July 19th, 20th, & 29th.
How we win a fair contract
In contract negotiations here and across the country, we have seen over and over again that the key to winning a fair contract is the unity and resolve of the membership. Each action we take puts pressure on the employers to improve their contract proposals, and better prepares us for a fight if we have to.
The employers want to use the economy as an excuse to cut back on wages and benefits. But the fact is, their profits and market share remain strong. These companies can afford to bargain a fair contract with us. By standing up and acting together, we can win the contract we deserve.
11,710!
With an extra boost from the night crew, we pushed the current total of grocery store workers signing the Bill of Rights over 11,000 — including a majority in every store in the Puget Sound.
Where We Stand in Bargaining
On Wages... |
|
|
Employers propose:
|
Our union bargaining team:
|
On Health Care Benefits... |
|
|
Employers propose:
|
Our union bargaining team:
|
On Scheduling & Sick Leave... |
|
|
Employers propose:
|
Our union bargaining team:
|
New progress on grocery retirement benefits
Fixing our pension plans is a top priority and a complicated task. Significant progress has been made toward reaching a tentative agreement for solving the problems in the grocery pension, with employers contributing more money.
The union bargaining team is committed to ensuring both the grocery and the meat pensions are healthy and sustainable for all members for the long haul. While the meat pension discussions still need to be resolved, this sign of progress on the grocery pension is positive.
You have a job to do: Spread the word!
You are one of over 8,169 union members getting updates by email or online. While we have many more emails to gather, there are also thousands of members without internet access.
So you have a job to do. Make sure you talk to your co-workers and if they don't have email, pass along the key information from each update. Let them know that by standing up and acting together we can win a fair contract.
