Ellensburg Fred Meyer Bargaining Update

On a nice sunny day in Ellensburg our Union Bargaining Team met with representatives from Kroger and put forth our initial proposals. The proposals we delivered are building on the strength of our union, from Spokane to Seattle. With the power of us workers inside the store, and our collective power as a union that helped us reach 39 TA’s (Tentative Agreements) with the employer! Although we are working through non-economic proposals at the moment, to achieve that many TA’s in a first contract is a great foundation for a strong contract.

Some of the TA’s include: Discipline language that prevents you from being disciplined without just cause. An article that protects workers from discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and more. Also we won great leave of absence language with protections on approved leave for up to 9 months. There are many more TA’s we achieved and are ready to continue bargaining to ensure we get a contract we can be proud of.

We have our next bargaining date set for July 22 and we are hoping to continue grabbing wins as we progress through the process. Please reach out to your union rep Tammerly Evans at 360-409-0586 or talk to a bargaining team member to get more information.

Grocery Eastern Oregon Contract Votes Set!

This Tentative Agreement is fully recommended by the Grocery Store Bargaining team!

After nearly six months of bargaining with Albertson/Safeway and Kroger for a new contract that respects our work, increases our wages, and improves our retirement and healthcare, we are holding a contract vote! This notice serves to inform all members that a critical membership meeting will be held on May 20 and 21, 2024. 

The bargaining committee will present the tentative agreement received from the Employer. Members will have the opportunity to discuss the terms and implications of the offer before voting on the fully recommended settlement.

Any member covered under the Baker City, La Grande and Enterprise Grocery contract and the Pendleton Hermiston Grocery contract who are in good standing will be able to vote at these locations:

Monday, May 20, 2024: Hermiston from 10:00am—2:00pm at Holiday Inn Express, 245 N 1st St, Hermiston, OR 97838

Monday, May 20, 2024: Pendleton from 4:00pm—8:00pm at Pendleton Convention Center - Room 7, 1601 Westgate, Pendleton, OR 97801

Tuesday May 21, 2024: LaGrande from 9:00am—1:00pm at Island City Hall – Community Room, 10605 Island Ave, Island City, OR 97850

Tuesday May 21, 2024: Enterprise from10:00am —2:00pm at The Wilderness Inn, 301 W North St, Enterprise, OR 97828

Tuesday May 21, 2024: Baker City from 4:00pm—8:00pm at Baker County Library - Riverside Room, 2400 Resort St, Baker City, OR 97814

For questions, please contact your Union Representative, bargaining committee members, and stewards for updates. If you are unable to connect with your union rep, steward or bargaining committee member you may call the MRC at 1-866-210-3000 for more information. 

All members in the Baker City, La Grande and Enterprise Grocery contract and the Pendleton Hermiston Grocery contract are encouraged to be present for this important vote.

Spokane Grocery store workers overwhelmingly ratify a new three year contract!

This is our first union negotiations since we became UFCW 3000 and our combined strength has helped us win a contract with record wages and major contract improvements. In the midst of a proposed grocery mega-merger, we’ve sent a clear message —We have power in our communities, we have a voice in our workplace, and we have a strong new contract that will be the backbone for our future. 

We did this together, by standing strong and showing up for each other and our communities.  

The many improvements in the ratified contract include: 

• Strongest journey wage increases in any Spokane Grocery Store negotiation! We increased our Journey wages by $4.00 or more.

• Big retro checks for journey going back to contract expirations January 20, 2024.

• Won an “All Purpose Clerk” scale with historic pay raises for many departments —for some over 25% wage increase during the course of this contract.

• More than quadrupling our wage escalators —that means strong wage increases throughout the pay scale when minimum wage goes up and when workers are moving through the apprentice rates. 

• Healthcare with benefit improvements with NO increases to healthcare premiums or deductibles. Healthcare eligibility will now be based on all compensable hours. 

• Major improvements to our vacation banks that will ensure that we get vacation based off of hours worked. 

• Automatic pension funding increases that go up every time wages increase. 

• Dedicated money to fund training and workforce development to ensure that we get the training we need to do our jobs and prepare for the future of the industry. 

• Stronger safety language to address top issues we face in our stores. 

“This is the most money I thought I'd ever see coming out of Kroger. The pressure we applied across all our stores was amazing! I am feeling amazed!” -Katrina Keffer, Fred Meyer 

“I am really excited for my co-workers who worked for years in the Deli, my co-workers will get wage increases that they deserve. This will help make sure we can keep people here in the store.” -Jeff Yergens, Safeway 

Grocery East Close -but not close enough!

After three days of bargaining with the Employers, Albertsons/Safeway and Kroger, we made good progress towards an agreement. Our union member Bargaining Committee made major progress on key issues like wage escalators that help ensure we keep our wages above minimum wage and workers get raises when the minimum wage goes up. We will continue to fight to get the Employers to propose more money for Journeypersons so that we get the big raises we deserve, especially in the first year of the contract.

New bargaining dates are set with the Employers for April 29 and 30, which we hope will be productive. After these sessions we will take the Employers’ last offer to a vote of the membership on May 2 at the Spokane Doubletree hotel. This will either be a strike authorization vote if the Employers’ offer falls short, or it will be a ratification vote if the employer meets our demands and our Bargaining Committee recommends a yes vote.

Continue to get strike ready! Become a picket captain, sign strike pledge cards, attend Contract Action Team meetings and become a steward!

This vote is for the Spokane & Cheney stores only due to expired contracts. NE Oregon to be announced. Please reach out to your Rep with any questions about the vote.

Grocery East Contract Action Meetings

Governor Signs Worker Protection Bill Championed by UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers into Law

OLYMPIA, WA – This morning, Governor Inslee signed into law Senate Bill 6007, a bill intended to protect grocery store workers and communities from the negative impacts of corporate megamergers in the grocery industry. Drafted in response to the news that grocery giants Kroger (owner of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons/Safeway are threatening to merge into one huge company, ESSB 6007 saw enormous support from local Washington grocery store workers and community allies, who advocated throughout the legislative session for its passage. 

“As I explained to legislators, we’ve already learned the hard way through past grocery chain mergers about the upheaval it causes for workers and shoppers when these chains merge and close or sell off neighborhood grocery stores,” said Yasmin Ashur, a UFCW 3000 member and checker at the Port Orchard Albertsons who testified in support of the bill and was on hand to see the governor sign it today. “We saw it in Port Orchard with the Albertsons/Safeway merger not that long ago. I am so proud to say I stood up with my fellow workers and helped pass legislation that will help protect our jobs.” 

This new legislation puts in place basic guidelines for large grocery stores when they change hands, like in an acquisition or merger, to ensure that essential food workers’ lives and our communities’ access to food and household necessities are not thrown into chaos. It requires public notice of new ownership, a period of job protection or re-hire for eligible current employees, protection of current working conditions and collective bargaining agreements, and mandatory engagement with local government if a merger would cause the closure of a store in an existing food desert. 

“The difference between unemployment caused by a pandemic and job loss caused by corporate buyouts is that the potential harm of a merger is foreseeable,” said Britt Leggett, a UFCW 3000 member and deli clerk at the Fred Meyer in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle who also testified in support of the bill and attended the bill signing today. “That’s what this legislation seeks to remediate: to help workers keep their jobs and seniority when their stores changes owners. The law also ensures that constituents will be served by grocery workers who they know well, who have the skills to do their jobs, and follow the health rules to keep food safe.” 

Hundreds of grocery store workers with UFCW 3000 across the state sent messages to lawmakers encouraging the passage of SB 6007, and some traveled to Olympia to meet lawmakers in person.  

“It’s a big sacrifice for everyday working people to take time out of their busy lives to try and engage with the local political process,” said Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 3000. “But being in a union means we can share the load, work together, and make real change that impacts entire industries.” 

Update on Efforts to Oppose the Proposed Kroger + Albertsons Mega-Merger

Our efforts to stop the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons reached a major milestone on Monday February 26 when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and nine State Attorneys General filed a lawsuit to challenge the merger. UFCW 3000 has been a national leader in opposing the proposed merger since the day it was announced in October of 2022. Since that time, we have been actively working with a core group of other UFCW locals as well as a wide range of over 150 diverse partner organizations across the nation and developed a “No Grocery Merger” coalition.
 
The effort to oppose the merger is not over yet. Kroger and Albertsons have both said they will challenge the lawsuits in court, so we expect it could be many months until an outcome is known. We will keep up the fight. And for right now we will also celebrate this major win in the struggle to protect workers, shoppers, and communities from the greed and over-reach of Kroger and Albertsons.
 
Another example of our effort to protect workers was our recent win on February 22 when we were successful in getting the Washington State Legislature to pass SB 6007 – a new law to provide protections for grocery store workers from the harm that can result when chains merge and the consequences include layoffs and store closures. 
 
For the thousands of members who have acted together – we are making a difference. The actions have included signing petitions, handing out leaflets to customers, raising our voices in local and national news stories, signing in support of our new WA law to protect workers, and so much more. And it shows that when workers and community come together and act as one, we can push back against some of the largest corporations in America.
 
Instead of spending all this time and money on a proposed merger that if allowed to proceed would lead to higher prices, closed stores, lost jobs, a reduced ability for union workers to negotiate strong contracts, and giving away billions to wealthy investors, these companies should be doing the necessary work to provide better wages and working conditions, and making stores safer.

More Detailed  Information:
On Monday February 26, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons siting concerns about how the merger would harm consumers and workers. Nine State Attorneys General (Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming) joined the legal action as well. These are above and beyond the two other Attorneys General lawsuits from Washington and Colorado. Your support of the “No Grocery Merger” coalition is an important part of what led to this success. The 150 organizations across the nation who joined together last year to fight this merger was a show of both the power of solidarity and a diverse array of interests.

We remain committed to continue our diligent efforts to defend workers, customers and communities from the devastating harm that would be caused if such a merger were to proceed. And we also look forward to beginning to fix the broken food systems in this nation.

Additional information and past updates

1. FTC Press release: FTC Challenges Kroger’s Acquisition of Albertsons. Largest supermarket merger in U.S. history will eliminate competition and raise grocery prices for millions of Americans, while harming tens of thousands of workers, FTC alleges

2. FTC Complaint: Kroger's/Albertsons: Administrative Part 3 Complaint (Public) (ftc.gov)

3. Our press release including link to coalition partners and highlights of some of the activities over past 16 months to fight the proposed merger.

Grocery East Progress on Wages but Still a Long Way to Go— Take Action to Fight for More!

Last week, our member bargaining team told stories of trying to survive on our wages. Fred Meyer and Safeway/Albertsons force us to decide between paying for groceries over utility bills, paying for our kids’ medical needs before our own, and filling our gas tank to get to work over making a needed repair.  

The Employers didn’t respond to our stories with words, but they did respond through their proposal: They came back to the table, proposing the first dollar raise for Journey that we have seen in this round of bargaining. The Employers current proposal on Journey wages stands at $1/$0.50/$0.50. We deserve more! 

We are standing united and fighting to win:   

• Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract that gain ground on the West side.  

• Raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block. 

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living. 

• Reduce the length of our wage scales and align our scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner and at the same time no matter what county we work in.  

We also continued to fight to maintain our healthcare benefits and strengthen our pension: 

• We won a Tentative Agreement to improve the rate to qualify for our healthcare: Now, all Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho members will accumulate the 80 hours per month to qualify for healthcare which includes all compensable hours, not just hours worked. This means that vacation and sick leave hours will count towards the 80 hours. When we’re ill or injured and need our healthcare the most, we now will not have to fear losing it.  

We continued to push to maintain our healthcare with improvements to vision, podiatry, and hearing care.  
We also won Tentative Agreements over: 

• Additional premium for workers when we are in charge of the store: An extra 50 cents per hour for a worker in charge of the store when the manager/assistant manager is absent for more than three hours per day.  

• Rest periods for Idaho Meat Members: Idaho doesn’t have rest period laws, so we won a Tentative Agreement to ensure Idaho Meat Members have 10 minutes rest for every 4 hours worked, just like the rest of our Idaho Grocery Members. 

Our next bargaining dates are April 15, 16 and 17.  
Wear your union buttons at work!  

It is clear that the only way we will get what we deserve is to show our unity through action! 

Informational Pickets & leaflets I’ll be there! You can rsvp online! >>

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WILL I LOSE MY JOB IF I GO ON STRIKE? 

You cannot be permanently replaced for participating in a valid ULP strike. You can be permanently replaced only if the strike is caused solely by economic issues and only after the actual hiring of a permanent replacement for your position. If the strike is called in part to protest unfair labor practices by the employer, the employer cannot legally hire a permanent replacement for you. In the unlikely event our unfair labor practice charge is not upheld, we will provide an update about the return-to-work situation.

WHAT IF THE EMPLOYER LOCKS US OUT?

If the employer chooses to lockout employees they have to lockout all employees. Workers locked out by their employers are generally eligible for unemployment benefits. The Employment Security Department will determine eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case by case basis.

DO I ACCRUE SICK LEAVE OR VACATION TIME WHEN ON STRIKE? 

You will not accrue sick leave or vacation while you are on strike. The employment security department determines eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case by case basis for workers in a labor dispute.

CAN I USE ACCRUED VACATION OR PAID TIME OFF BENEFITS?

Although an employer may not discriminate against strikers with respect to the use of vacation time or paid time off during a strike, an employer is not required to allow strikers to use their accrued vacation time or other benefits during a strike unless they are otherwise entitled to do so. Thus, if a worker had submitted a vacation request before a strike and it was approved in accordance with the employer’s established policies, the employer must pay the vacation benefits even though the approved vacation occurs while the member is on strike. 

WILL I STILL HAVE HEALTHCARE DURING THE STRIKE?

It is possible that members on strike may experience a temporary disruption to their healthcare. You should work with your healthcare provider on details for eligibility. 

WHAT IS MY STRIKE BENEFIT ? 

The Executive Board of UFCW 3000 has approved strike benefits for grocery store workers who take part in strike duty. Strike benefits will not fully replace our wages but will help. They have approved strike benefits of $500 for workers, union members, and non-members who picket a minimum of 20 hours a week, $800 for 32 hours a week and $200 a week respect the line benefit for striking members who cannot join their coworkers on the strike line but respect the strike line and do not cross (for a maximum of 4 weeks). Our Union also has a hardship fund to assist members whose families face particularly difficult financial situations. Additionally, food assistance and other financial aid may be available through community organizations and other unions. Notify your creditors prior to falling behind. Communicate your situation and explore options for reduced payments or refinancing. Prioritize your expenses, placing essentials like mortgage/rent, utilities, insurance, car payments, gas, child support, and alimony at the top.

Is there paperwork I need to fill out for my strike benefit?  

To receive Union Strike Benefits, grocery store workers will need to complete a W9 for provided by the union. 
Become a Strike Picket Captain by telling your union rep that you are ready to help lead a strike by becoming a Strike Picket Captain.

Download and read the Grocery East Strike Manual >>

More information: 
To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com  
For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call 800-872-8979  
If you have questions about the Pension contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629  

Previous Grocery East updates:

Grocery East Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington?

Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington? 

In our last bargaining session, the Employers told us that because cost of living is lower in Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho, journey union members do not need the same kind of raises as the Westside. Over the last two days of bargaining, we came to correct this.  

We know that Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Oregon grocery workers desperately need and deserve meaningful raises. We presented data on rising rents and home sale prices in our region. We compared Westside and Eastside counties which have very similar housing costs and very different wages.  

We compared a grocery basket in Spokane and near Seattle to show that the astronomical food prices set by these companies are the same regardless of where you live. Our grocery costs are the same, our rents are the same, and it’s all going up. But they insist on keeping a wage scale that pays us DOLLARS less!  

Bargaining committee members shared our stories: having to choose between paying the power or the water bill that month, putting our children’s healthcare costs before our own, and struggling to afford to pay for the gas to get to work. We also shared over 100 stories submitted from UFCW 3000 grocery members under these Eastside contracts. Kroger and Albertsons can afford to pay us the wages we need so we don’t have to choose between buying groceries or putting gas in the tank.  

If Safeway can afford a 4 billion dividend, they can afford to pay us what is fair. If Fred Meyer can afford to buy Safeway, they can afford to pay us what is fair. 

While we educated the Employers on what it’s like trying to survive on these wages, we stayed strong, pushing the proposals we need: 

• Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract that gain ground on the West side.  

• Institute one wage scale for all UFCW 3000 Eastern Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and the same journey wage rate across all grocery scales. 

• Create raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block. 

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living.  

• Reduce the length of our wage scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner. 

• Maintain our strong healthcare plan and coverage and improve benefits without increasing employee premiums.   

All the while the employers only came up $0.10 in the third year of their wage proposal. Proposing $0.50/$0.50/$0.60. This is not enough! 

We’ll be back next week for bargaining. Next bargaining dates: February 15 and 16   

Join us and show our unity in fighting for a strong contract! 

• Become a Strike Picket Captain by telling your union rep that you are ready to help lead a strike by becoming a Strike Picket Captain. Review the training here >> 

• Sign a Strike Pledge Card. 

• Remember to fill out the Worker Research Committee survey about the state of safety and operations at your store. >> 

• Wear your union buttons at work! 

More information: 

• To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com 

• For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call  800-872-8979 

• If you have questions about the Pension contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629

• General Membership Meetings happening next week 

• ​Presentation on the rising cost of living

Stop the Merger Telephone Town Hall Call Thursday!

Attention all UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Members. You are invited to join our live Telephone Town Hall on Thursday, February 1 at 4pm to hear updates on our efforts to oppose the Kroger and Albertsons’ proposed merger, and a live Question and Answer session with members on this important topic. We will be joined by our union’s top officers, experts, and also our partners from Teamsters 38.

When your phone rings Thursday at 4pm, just answer and you will join the call. If for some reason you do not get a call or you get disconnected, you can also join us by dialing 1-888-652-0383 and entering meeting ID 7803 during the time of the call.

Update on Our Efforts to Protect Workers and Customers from the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger/C&S Divestiture

We wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to oppose the proposed merger between The Kroger Company (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons Companies, Inc. (parent company of Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores) and their proposed divestiture of stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

1. On Monday, January 15, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington court to block the proposed merger. Our UFCW 3000 endorsement of this legal action and a quote from UFCW 3000 grocery store member Yasmin Ashur who works at the Port Orchard Albertsons was part of the news coverage in the Seattle Times news article linked above and other news stories nationwide.

2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is continuing its review of the proposed merger, and we continue to work closely with them. Many analysts feel it is more than likely that the FTC will challenge the merger. Our local union, in coalition with other local unions from across the United States, has provided extensive information about the proposed merger to the FTC. We remain hopeful that the FTC will also challenge the proposed merger. Both the courts and the FTC have the power to potentially block the merger from being completed.

3. Recently, Kroger and Albertsons have announced a delay to the merger timeline, until potentially as late as August. No doubt this delay is in response to both news of the lawsuit and the pressure campaign mounted by a broad swath of consumer groups, unions, farmers, ranchers, and others committed to preventing the harmful effects of this merger.

JOIN US!

All our grocery store members are invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, January 23. Please go to the link below to register for your preferred webinar:

MORNING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

8 AM

EVENING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

5 PM

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Additional information:

• This is far from a done deal: Kroger and Albertsons cannot sell stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers unless and until a merger were approved by regulators, and now, because of the Washington State lawsuit, the courts.

• Contrary to comments made by these companies, this proposed merger is not at all necessary. Nor does their announced divestiture plan remedy our concerns. Both Kroger and Albertsons are doing well financially and making strong profits.

• The proposed merger is really about greed. These two companies have already profited so much from the labor of grocery store workers all while often under-staffing stores and over-charging customers. Instead of investing in improved working conditions and reduced prices, they have prioritized high CEO pay, large dividends, including an Albertsons $4 Billion give away in early 2023, and massive stock buy backs.

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Keeping up the Effort to Protect Workers and Customers

Our efforts over the past year and a half, from actions at the store level, to meeting with regulators, to helping to educate the public and generate hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper stories across the nation, have and continue to have an impact. We can’t let up now. The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger would no doubt be disastrous for consumers in the form of higher prices, for workers in the form of lost jobs, lower wages, and crippling losses to pension and health benefit plans, for farmers and ranchers who will lose a major buyer of their products,  and for thousands of Americans who would find themselves living in food and drug-store deserts without adequate access to everyday necessities. If you haven’t done so already, please tell the FTC and you can also write to Washington’s Attorney General to thank him for his recent lawsuit and let him know why you oppose the proposed merger.

Grocery East Bargaining Update

Our union member Bargaining Committee had our second bargaining session with the Employers to fight for a safer workplace, maintain and strengthen our benefits, and improve wages.

Over the two days of bargaining, we came to several Tentative Agreements:

• Greater Workplace Safety. We secured an agreement for a Master Safety Committee, which will allow us to raise safety issues that are not being addressed at the store level, up to the corporate Management level. We also established yearly walk-through trainings for emergency situations, including natural disasters and active shooter situations.

• Increases to Leaves of Absences for personal illness/pregnancy from 6 months to 9 months.

• The ability to keep our information updated so that we can get critical information about our wages, benefits and working conditions.

We continued to trade proposals over important contract language items, including:

• Funding for Workforce Training, so we can get the training we need and expand the Meat Cutters Apprenticeship Program around the state of Washington.

• Worker Severance and Retention language to ensure that, in the event of any merger or sale of the companies, the Employer must retain workers for a set period and compensate workers fairly if there are lay offs or terminations.

• Allowing workers to accept tips from customers.

We also proposed the following IMPROVEMENTS to our contract:

• Improve vacation accruals and lower qualifying threshold for vacation. We proposed vacation accruals be based off the average of hours worked in the previous 12 months. This will help ensure that no worker gets less vacation per week than they normally work per week. Additionally, we proposed to lower the threshold to qualify for vacation from 1000 hours to 800 hours worked in a year.

• Increased scheduling notice so we can better plan our lives.

• Add Presidents Day as an additional holiday.

• Align past experience credit among all contracts so workers can claim more hours upon hire.

We proposed the following UPDATES to our contract:

• Align notice of technological changes in the store with other UFCW 3000 grocery store contracts.

Finally, we made a comprehensive economic proposal that would:

• Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract.

• Institute one wage scale for all UFCW 3000 Eastern Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and the same journey wage rate across all grocery scales.

• Gain ground on Puget Sound clerk wage rates, because the cost of living is high everywhere!

• Create raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block.

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 and above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living.

• Reduce the length of our wage scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner.

• Maintain our strong healthcare plan and coverage and improve benefits without increasing employee premiums.

• Fund our pension and increase contributions and benefits for future earned benefits.

• Institute resort store pay premiums for Chelan, Leavenworth, Sandpoint and CDA.

• Award $800 longevity bonuses for workers with more than 10 years of service.

• Create premiums for short staffing & Person-In-Charge pay.

• Make a quicker path to Journey for Meat Cutters that complete the Meat Apprenticeship program.

• Ensure full back pay to date of expiration.

Next bargaining dates: January 10, 11 and 12

Join us and show our unity in fighting for a strong contract!

• Sign a Strike Pledge Card.

• Remember to fill out the Worker Research Committee survey about the state of safety and operations at your store. >>

• Wear your union buttons at work!

• More information:

• To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com

• For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call  800-872-8979

• If you have questions about the Pension and the Sound Health and Wellness Trust contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629

PRESS RELEASE: UFCW Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770 and 3000

Economist Report Goes Deep into Economic Analysis of Proposed Mega Grocery Store Merger and the Harms to Working Communities

A new report issued by economist Marshall Steinbaum from the University of Utah delves into the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons in ways that have not been fully looked at over the past year. This is important information for any people involved in researching, reporting upon, or assessing the potential impacts that such a mega-merger could have.

• Marshall Steinbaum’s new research paper, utilizing a large database of posted job offers, demonstrates that the Kroger-Albertsons merger would reduce individual worker’s bargaining power as well as their union’s power.

• The paper shows that increased employer concentration has negative effects on both earnings and work hours.

• Importantly, the paper shows that union workers receive higher pay when there are two bargaining counterparties in a given labor market as opposed to when there’s only one.

The Presidents from UFCW Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 who have been leaders in the efforts to oppose the proposed merger since it was announced over a year ago provided support for the report:

“Our ability to raise wages and standards in general depends on our ability to pit these companies against one another at the bargaining table—threaten to strike one while directing customers to the other,” the presidents called out. “If these two companies were to become just one company, that power would go away and that harms workers as well as customers.”

The full report, entitled: Evaluating the Competitive Effect of the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger in Labor Markets, can be found here:  https://marshallsteinbaum.org/assets/kroger_albertsons_labor.pdf

Workers across the country have experienced the impacts described in the report:

“In our most recent contract negotiations we were able to leverage one company’s fear of losing market share to their competitor and we used that to get improvements in our contract that they wouldn’t have agreed to otherwise. That helped us get historic raises that would never happen if there were just one company,” says Rachel Fournier, a Los Angeles, CA Ralphs employee.  

“I feel this merger would only bring a negative impact on the workers. Staffing, safety, and our seat at the bargaining table would all come under threat while the corporations reap the benefits from our hardship,” echoed Rena Zagala-Fondren, a Safeway worker from Los Gatos, CA.

A Seattle area worker had an additional response. “For years we have been facing reduced staffing levels in our stores – during and after COVID. Our experience is that this would only get worse if the mega merger were allowed. We need to increase staffing, improve our schedules, and increase our leverage as unionized grocery store workers, not go the other way,” said Sam Dancy, a Front-End Manager at Kroger-owned QFC store in West Seattle, WA.

Jill Young, a just-retired grocery store worker from Grand Junction, CO stated, “I started in ’86, was on strike in ’93 and ’96. Over the years I have been injured more than a couple times and had to take off six months or more to get better. The company tried to cut the leave time to one month. Having a union that was organized, and willing and able to strike was part of what kept that benefit in place. There are young workers just starting out who deserve a future with a union workplace and the leverage I have had. This proposed merger threatens that future.”

Judy Wood, a cake decorator for Albertsons in Orange, CA raised several of her concerns, “The power we have when we bargain collectively leads to improvements in stores for both workers and customers. Workers have higher wages and stores are safer now because we have the power to fix hazards that we won through our last contract bargaining session. If this merger goes through, we will lose some of that power, putting the public in a worse position.”

Benjamin Blum, a night crew employee at Thousand Oaks, CA Ralphs added his thoughts: “Our unionized workplaces have competitive wages and benefits because workers have fought for and won them. If the proposed megamerger were approved, workers will lose leverage and be more vulnerable to a single massive employer that would bully and retaliate against workers.”

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