Bartell Drugs TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED!

Bargaining Team: Dani Fisher, Trevor Peterson (former), MaryGrace Diaz (former)

“Negotiations were often frustrating, but we’re doing everything we can to ensure a better future for our members. I’m proud of how we’ve supported each other through the bankruptcy and I’m hopeful for what’s to come.” —Dani Fisher, Service Associate & Bargaining Team Member

Soon after we started renegotiating our union contract, Rite Aid declared bankruptcy. While we navigated store closures and reduced hours, our bargaining team has worked to reach a 1-year agreement for Bartell Drugs members that maintains our benefits, improves our grievance procedures, and includes raises for those that didn’t qualify for 2024 minimum wage increases. The short-term contract aligns our expiration date with our fellow UFCW 3000 Rite Aid members and lets us go back to the table together after the bankruptcy is settled to continue fighting for the better wages, benefits, and in-store safety we need. Our Bartell Bargaining Team unanimously recommends a YES vote!

Secure online vote scheduled for May 20-21, 2024

Voting will be done via secure online balloting beginning Monday, May 20 at 6:00PM to Tuesday, May 21 at 6:00PM. You will need to have a you personal email address up to date with the union in order to get the email with your unique link to vote on the agreement. Make sure you update your contact information at: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information >>

Vote documents including the Highlights summary and full redline will be available for you to review. If you have questions or would like to talk more about the details of the agreement, please reach out to a Bargaining Team member or our Union Representative, Tae Abraham, at 360-409-0603.

UFCW 3000 Member Stories: Shama Ramzan

Shama RamZan (furthest to the left) in The now closed Des Moines Bartell Drugs

Before Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy it had started to close area stores, including the Bartell Drugs stores that they had purchased in 2021. Unfortunately for Shama Ramzan and her coworkers, one of them was the Des Moines Bartell Drugs. Under the union contract, however, workers had rights to severance pay based on their years of service with Bartell Drugs.

Contract negotiations for Bartell Workers had already been underway when the first round of store closures was announced, and so the Union at the bargaining table began to ask questions about the scope and timeline for any planned store closures.

Shama and her coworkers at other locations began to speak up and demanded that Rite Aid be transparent about the store closures and insist that benefits would be paid out on a timely basis. Because of Shama and her coworkers’ advocacy, the Union was able to successfully fight back against Rite Aid’s delays in communication and ensure that Bartell Drugs union members received the severance deserved on a timely basis.

Rite Aid’s failure as a company is not the fault of the employees! Sometimes it is when times are toughest that having a union really counts, and can ensure that even when your store closes, there are benefits to help cushion the blow.

Bartell Drugs - Bargaining Begins!

Our Bargaining Team: Dani Fisher & Trevor Peterson

After months of delays, Management finally came to the table to begin contract negotiations with our Bartell Bargaining Team last week. We had deep discussions on:

• Bartell/Rite Aid’s plans for addressing ongoing workplace security issues and proactively protecting member safety

• How we can make healthcare and other benefits more affordable and accessible for all of us

• Clarifying our PTO use and accrual policies, incident reporting procedures, how to access benefit info off the clock, and reaffirming that we have the right to wear Union buttons at work

Both sides came prepared and ready to make up for the time missed, and our team and Management passed language and benefit proposals. We are hopeful that negotiations continue to be productive as we prepare for our next session on September 1, 2023.

STAND TOGETHER—WEAR YOUR UNION BUTTONS EVERY DAY!

Bartell/Rite Aid’s national Director of Labor Relations confirmed during negotiations that we have the right to wear our UFCW 3000 buttons at work. So let’s do it! We’ll be wearing our Union buttons every day so we can show Management that we’re united and ready to fight for the higher wages, affordable benefits, and safer workplaces that we deserve!

Need more buttons? Let one of us or our Union Reps know ASAP so we can get them to you and your coworkers.

If you haven’t already, help us build our strength so we can win a strong contract by signing our Safety Petition!

SPEAK UP—SHARE YOUR PICTURE AND YOUR STORY!

We need you, your voice, and your experiences—send pictures of you and your coworkers wearing your Union buttons to our team or our Reps!

Share your story about why you’re fighting for better pay, affordable benefits, or safer workplaces—or all three! Write it down or film a short video and share with our team or our Reps, so our coworkers can get fired up and find their own voice

STAY INFORMED—UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO

Make sure your contact information is up to date so you don’t miss out on bargaining updates or upcoming Contract Action Team meetings!

If you have any questions, contact your Union Representatives Dominick Ojeda @ (206) 436-6586 and Mohamed Bonah @ (206) 436-6514

Bartell Drugs - Know Your Rights / Bargaining Update!

Our union bargaining team is strong and ready to fight for a great contract—are you ready to fight too? Last Friday our bargaining team was prepared to begin negotiations with Rite Aid, but they cancelled. We made use of that day by calling every Bartell worker and informing them about our shop steward training happening on Saturday. We also used that time to inform members about our upcoming bargaining sessions and our priorities moving forward. Member engagement is how we win a fair contract!

Moving forward, we must continue being organized against Bartell or Rite Aid’s anti-union tactics. Management will try to intimidate employees from talking about or to union reps, threaten discipline for union activity, or ignite fear amongst you and your coworkers against taking action for better working conditions.

As a reminder, it is your RIGHT to talk about union things at work.

You also have strong contract language that permits you to talk to your union representatives while working as well. If you are told by a manager, supervisor, or someone in corporate that you cannot talk about the union or that you will be disciplined for that, call your union representative immediately.

Our next bargaining dates are set for August 10 and 17. Continue talking to your coworkers about their priorities, their rights, and getting more people involved in our fight for a fair contract!

Your Union Reps:

Dominick Ojeda: (206) 436-6586

Mohamed Bonah: (206) 436-6514

Bartell Drugs - Bartell Bargaining Prep continues

Our Bargaining Team: Trevor Peterson, Dani Fisher, and Mary Grace Diaz

This week, our Bartell Bargaining Committee met to audit the contract and plan next steps for building power within our stores. The committee discussed the upcoming bargain with Bartell Drugs, now owned by Rite Aid. We reviewed the current contract and discussed language changes and article proposals, focusing on the top priorities that we identified last meeting, including winning better pay, increasing safety at the stores, keeping good affordable healthcare coverage, maintaining strong retirement, addressing scheduling issues and building more power in the drug store industry.

The committee will be meeting again in May to continue crafting bargaining proposals and discuss how we can best address safety concerns at our workplaces.

Do you have ideas for how to make our workplaces safer? If yes, contact your Union Representatives or stewards to share!

Need to update your contact info?

For questions or to get more involved, contact your Union Representatives Mohamed Bonah at 206-436-6514 and Dominic Ojeda at 206-436-6586.

Bartell Drugs Bargaining Begins!

Last week, our Bargaining Committee met together for the first time. The Committee discussed the upcoming contract negotiation with Bartell Drugs, now owned by Rite Aid. We reviewed the submitted Union Bargaining Survey results and discussed the top priorities outlined by Bartell workers including: winning better pay, increasing safety at our stores, keeping good affordable healthcare coverage, maintaining strong retirement, addressing scheduling issues and building more power in the drug store industry.

Bartell workers throughout the Puget Sound continue to show solidarity by taking photos together with messages about the issues that matter most to us and our stores. Talk to our Rep or Union Steward and share your message!

Don’t miss out on future updates from our Bargaining Committee, union benefits, action alerts, and contract vote information. Keep your personal contact information up-to-date! ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

Our Union Bargaining Committee will be meeting again in May to begin crafting bargaining proposals. If you have questions or to get more involved contact your Union Representatives Mohamed Bonah 206-436-6514 and Dominic Ojeda 206-436-6586.

Bartell's New Union Contract is Ratified!

Bartell's Union Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract

The results of our online ratification vote are in, and union members have overwhelmingly ratified the new contract that includes pay increases and guarantees that all wage classifications will be above minimum wage.

As soon as Rite Aid notifies us about when the increased rates, the retro back to May 1 of this year, and ratification bonuses will be paid we will let you know.

Bartell Drugs - Tentative Agreement Reached! Contract Vote Scheduled

Your Bartell Bargaining Committee is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement for a new union contract. This agreement is fully recommended by the bargaining committee and includes:

• A ratification bonus for full-time and part-time workers

• 3 wage increases over the next two years

• New guarantees that our wage scale will always stay above minimum wage

• No cost increases for healthcare benefits

• A secure pension plan that guarantees our benefits when we retire

• Other improvements and NO take-aways.

We will have a two vote meeting via Zoom...

• June 30 @ 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• July 1 @ 3:30PM to 5:30PM

...to go over the tentative agreement and to answer your questions..

Vote Meetings Scheduled!

Wednesday, June 30 

6:00PM - 8:00PM

Thursday, July 1 

3:30PM - 5:30PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Voting will be done via secure on-line balloting from 6:00PM June 30 to 6:00PM July 1. 

You will need to have a functioning email address in order to get the email with your unique link to vote on the contract offer. Make sure you update your information here.

If you previously unsubscribed to UFCW 21 emails, make sure to click on the link to resubscribe. Again, you must be able to receive emails to vote!

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s (actually Rite Aid) Says Spare Change Only for Wages

We met with Bartell Drugs (actually Rite Aid) again today to bargain over our pension, health care, and most importantly our wages.

Their reaction to our wage proposal was surprising, as it seemed to us that they thought we had just asked for the $8.6 million that the Rite Aid CEO made in 2020. They claimed that our proposal was “pie in the sky” and that even though we made substantial changes to our proposal, it was characterized as just “shaving nickels.

We were then shocked that Bartell’s (actually Rite Aid) only added a nickel to both of their 10-cent wage increases to make it them just $0.15. And these increases again came with no guarantee to be in addition to increases in the minimum wage.

“We did a lot more than just ‘shave nickles’ from our proposals. But somehow they think adding nickels amounts to a living wage” 

— Kia Haggerty

We head back to the bargaining table May 7! 

Upcoming Meetings 

Tuesday, April 27

6:00 PM

Thursday, April 29

7:00 PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Bartell Drugs - A Bad April Fools Joke?!?

While there was potential progress on securing our pension and health care for the future, Bartell Drugs/Rite Aid did not propose raises that recognize our work during this pandemic (still no hazard pay!), and during a time where safety and security is still uncertain.

The employer proposed:

• One $.10 raise in May at the top of the scale.

• One $.10 raise in January next year, 

  • But they are not even willing to guarantee that this raise would be on top of any increase of minimum wage.  

  • If minimum wage is greater than the $.10 raise to your wage rate on 1-1-22, then you would only get the minimum wage, NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU HAVE WORKED AT BARTELL’S!!!

“Just ten cents won’t pay the rent!” 

— Christina Common and Kia Haggerty

We will be bargaining again on April 21. Stay tuned for more details.  

Sign the hazard pay petition!

Our drugstore hazard pay petition, both on-line and on-paper, is adding more signatures everyday.  Now is the time to press the employer for the wages we deserve for working through this pandemic, and a living wage going forward.

Make sure your contact information is up to date!  

Bartell Drugs - Burien Bartell Members Take Action!

With hazard pay ordinances for grocery workers passing in cities across the country and right here in Western Washington, workers at the Burien Bartell Drugs took action and 100% signed a print version of our Drugstore Worker Hazard Pay Petition!  With their union representative Tae Abraham, they went to the store director today and presented the petition, asking that it be passed along to corporate Bartell/Rite Aid.  

Workers signing the petition are telling stories about the dangers of working during the pandemic and dealing with the increasingly dangerous problems of aggressive theft and threats in their stores due to income inequality.  Drugstore workers deserve hazard pay!

Follow the link below to sign the petition online to join the movement demand fair treatment from the national chain employers!

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s Allowing Little Progress on the Main Issues of Pay, Healthcare, and Retirement

We met with the employer last Friday on January 15 to bargain. While there was some important progress, there has been little progress on the main issues of pay, healthcare, and retirement. Here’s what happened:

• The employer tentatively accepted the idea of having severance pay if there is a store closure. But Bartell’s (Rite Aid) does not want to recognize people who have over 10 years of service. Your bargaining committee thinks that is too low, so we proposed an extra week of severance for workers at or above 15 years of service.

• Bartell Drugs (Rite Aid) has still not made a counterproposal to us on wages since November of last year. They told us that paying workers above minimum wage and increasing that amount by years of service is so “far out” that they didn’t know where to begin. We told them, that editorializing about our proposal was not making their own. They need to make the move, because we aren’t bargaining against ourselves!

• They are rejecting the idea of Hazard Pay and many other safety protections we proposed during the pandemic.

• We did not let the subject of wages go at that. We we told them the story of a worker who has been with Bartell’s 30 years and has done just about everything in the store, including helping interview job applicants, and still makes under $15/hr. 

“When I heard this story, it sounds almost identical to mine. I’ve been trained to help with ordering, point of sale merchandising, Rx assistant, cashier, photo department, and just about anything to be done in the store. I am still making less than $15/hr, I can’t imagine working here for 30 years, and still be just above minimum wage! Bartell’s needs to do better for their employees!” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bartell Drugs Clerk and Union Bargaining Committee Member)

Letting the public know about our fight

We will be near the Lower Queen Anne Bartell’s this Friday at 3:30 PM to wave signs letting Seattle know about our fight for a fair contract, a living wage, and hazard pay! We will be outside, masked, and staying socially distant from each other to stay safe. Talk to your Union Rep or shop steward about the action.

Join the Drug Store Workers United Facebook Group

Want to get updates about bargaining, connect with other drug store workers, and build a stronger union? Join the Facebook group for drug store workers!

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s Waffles on Rite Aid Assurances and Questions Hazard Pay and Other Economic Proposals

Our bargaining committee met with Bartell Drugs Management for bargaining on Friday, December 11. With COVID-19 cases exploding across the country we talked about:

• The increasingly dangerous COVID-19 conditions in our stores, with some customers breaking social distance at the checkstand and as we stock shelves,

• The continued security risks with aggressive shoplifting and from anti-maskers,

• The need for hazard pay as we deal with all of the above.

Bartell’s complained about our proposals’ price tag “in the middle of a pandemic”, but we know that Bartell’s continues to remain very profitable and will do even better when our stores become part of the national effort to vaccinate the country. Meanwhile we struggle to pay the rent, heat our homes, and feed our families.

“At work we raise funds for charities that Bartell’s low pay qualifies us for.” 

— Christina Common (Bartell Drugs Clerk and Union Bargaining Committee Member)

Moving Backwards on Rite Aid Assurances

When Bartell Drugs announced a possible sale to Rite Aid, the Union demanded information about it. Bartell’s sent a letter to the Union saying “its obligations under the Collective Bargaining Agreement will remain unchanged, including responsibilities owed for healthcare benefits, compensation, and other working conditions.”

So we were shocked on Friday when after we asked about an “FAQ” memo sent to employees about the Rite Aid sale, that the answers we got were that Bartell’s was “Not saying we won’t follow” the Union contract, but that “they don’t know what Rite Aid would do.” When we pressed them further about what that meant we were told that “I can only speak for Bartell’s and not Rite Aid,” and that they “don’t know who you will be dealing with at Rite Aid.”

These answers brought-up more questions for us. Most importantly, who should we be bargaining with Bartell and Rite Aid? When the sale was first announced our customers voiced their concern on social media prompting Rite Aid to issue a statement about how they wouldn’t change anything in our Bartell stores. If that was ever really the plan, it sure sounds like it might be changing. Rite Aid and Bartell’s needs follow through on what it promised to the employees and the community that made them a success.

Time to Get Engaged!

Clearly, we have a lot to fight for not just in these negotiations but in our industry as a whole. On Thursday, December 17 at 6 PM we will be having a Tele-Town Hall for Drug Store Workers in our union. Workers from Rite Aid and other drug stores will be joining us to talk about our common issues with COVID safety, the need for livable wages, and getting organized to take on the corporate greed of our employers. 

Since this is a Tele-Town Hall you will get a call to join, but just incase you miss it, or need to join later, the number to call is 888-652-5404, and the meeting code is 5549.

Bartell Drugs - We Need Safety and Living Wages

Your Bargaining Team met with the Employer on Wednesday, November 18. There was some progress on issues like Bereavement Leave, where workers will no longer have to attend the funeral of an immediate family member in order to be able to take paid time off to grieve. Unfortunately, there was little progress with the biggest issues on the table. 

So, keep those stickers on, and if your store needs more call your rep today!

Management says Union “Asks” are “Way Out There”

In the previous session Bartell Drugs’ wage proposal contained little to no raises for most workers. The Bargaining Team made a counter-proposal that stuck to our concept of keeping our wages above the legal minimum wage that increases with our years of service. Management said that this and other proposals we made are “way out there”.

“Let’s see Management try live on $14.20 an hour and then see how ‘way out there’ our proposals are.” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bargaining Team, Burien Bartell)

Safety in Retail During a Pandemic

During the session we talked about the increasing problems with social distancing in our stores, and the ongoing results of the inspections that union reps are doing. Cases of Coronavirus are continuing to explode locally and across the US, and our work in retail puts us especially at risk. We need to stand together and make sure that we keep our lives at work as safe. This isn’t just important for union workers at Bartell’s, it’s important for us all.

We let Management know that they should be doing more to limit the number of customers in our stores, and to make sure that they are wearing masks and maintaining social distance. To make sure that they do that, the Bargaining Team needs to hear from you and your coworkers about when there are problems with:

• Customers not wearing masks in the stores,

• Customers not maintaining social distancing while shopping or standing in line, 

• If there aren’t floor decals establishing social distancing for check-out or directions for one-way aisles,

• When we don’t have enough time to properly clean high traffic areas and surfaces (registers, carts, shelves, etc.)

Reps will continue doing safety inspections and gathering evidence. But please don’t wait, contact your Union Rep and let them know what is happening. Staying healthy and safe is too important to wait!

Other Updates

• Bartell’s still wants to eliminate overtime after 10 hours and when 6 days is worked in a week,

• The Employer continues to reject our proposal to have work the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas be voluntary or assigned by reverse seniority,

• Bartell’s is refusing agree to severance compensation for store closures,

• Management’s team continues to express concern about maintaining our health care benefits and the new pension structure adopted by the grocery stores represented by UFCW 21. These are some of the most important benefits of our union contract, and they need to be maintained now and for the future.

We meet again to bargain with Bartell Drugs on December 11 and 18. 

Bartell Drugs - Wages and a Secure Future

The Union Bartell Bargaining Team met with Bartell’s management on Friday, October 23. Up top we brought up the sale of Bartell Drugs to Rite Aid:

• We are pleased to hear that if Rite Aid acquires Bartell, they have pledged to stay independent and to honor our Union contract.

• We asked about layoffs or store closures as a result of the sale of Bartell’s to Rite Aid and were told no closures were planned. 

• Your Bargaining Team proposed severance pay if there are store closures now, or in the future. 

Bartell’s responded to some of the Union’s proposals, and while there was movement on things like Bereavement and leave for stewards to work with the Union, we were disappointed that Bartell’s proposed:  

• A wage scale that gave little or no raises for most Bartell workers.

“What I saw was no raises this year, or next year, and then a nickel for a raise in 2022 for me and a lot of my coworkers. We need a wage scale that keeps us above minimum wage, especially if we have been loyal employees for years.” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bargaining Team)

• Eliminating all of our premium overtime, except for when we work more that 40 hours.

• Rejected our proposals to increase premium pay like Sunday and Late Night pay.

Bartell’s Needs to Know That We are Serious and That We Deserve More!

We have worked hard to make Bartell Drugs a success, and to serve our customers and our communities. That is why Rite Aid was interested in buying Bartell’s in the first place.

Soon we will have stickers to let Bartell’s know that we won’t settle for less than a fair contract with living wages! 

“I’m not accepting these proposals, and you shouldn’t either. That’s why I’ll be wearing a sticker! If we stand together then we can get a fair contract together.” 

— Christina Common 

NEXT CAT Meeting: We will have another Contract Action Team meeting on November 2 @ 7PM to update you. Make sure everyone has stickers in their stores and to plan our next action! 

Bartell - Contract Ratified!

Bartell Drugs - Tentative Agreement Reached

Bartell Drugs Bargaining Update

Bartell - Bargaining Begins

Bartell Drugs - Contract Vote Scheduled