The 2025 Grocery Contract Negotiations for Puget Sound will be getting underway this coming winter. The bargaining committee has already started to meet, and some of our members attended a solidarity kickoff rally in the Denver Colorado area before our second interlocal safety summit with other UFCW grocery workers from across the West. In our local grocery stores members are talking about what their priorities are for the coming negotiations and filling out bargaining surveys to make sure that the rank-and-file negotiations committee has an accurate representation of the needs of the membership.

Grocery workers are also organizing on their shop floors to make sure when they need to take action they are ready. Madison Chitwood has stepped up to become a leader in her store, “I have been with the Silverdale Safeway since 2020, working in different departments all over the store including Checker, Ecom, Frozen, Dairy, Helper Clerk, and General Merchandise. I am happy to be working for a company that is represented by a union. I've grown up in a union family and have always participated in union events. Recently I have stepped up and taken the role of Shop Stewart at my store, because I believe my coworkers should be informed and updated on our next Contract Negotiation.”

Madison is 100% right, keeping coworkers informed and standing together is the biggest way that rank-and-file members can win a fair contract. Member led bargaining committees are most effective when backed-up by their coworkers who are ready to take action.

In a contract campaign there is always more to do than anyone person, or even a small group of workers, can accomplish. But if everyone steps up to do their part like Madison, solidarity wins!