October, 2003

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Kroger, Press Releases, Retail Food, Safeway, Southern California Bargaining, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

UFCW News 10/10: UFCW Supermarket Workers Reject Employers

Oct 14, 2003

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, Oct. 10, 2003

UFCW Supermarket Workers Reject Employers’ Offer Vote Overwhelmingly To Protect Health Care and Retirement Benefits

In elections this week at seven local unions of the United Food and Commercial Workers, almost 70,000 supermarket workers in Southern California voted overwhelmingly to reject the demands of their employers and to authorize their leaders to call a strike. The vote to reject the proposals surpassed 97 percent.

Some 85 percent of workers eligible to vote did so in an unprecedented turnout of support for rejection of the offer.

The three supermarket companies – Albertson’s, Safeway (Vons) and Kroger (Ralphs) – have been working together to impose a package of severe cuts in benefits for their employees. In addition, they aim to set up a “”second tier”" of wages, benefits and working conditions for new employees – in effect making them second-class citizens in their own workplaces.

Workers have also announced that they will only target one supermaket chain in order to avoid inconveniencing their customers. Workers at the two other supermarket chains will urge their employers to allow them to stay on the job and not to act on Employer threats to lock the workers out of the stores. The other chains are urged by the seven locals on behalf of their customers and neighbors not to spread the dispute by engaging in a retaliatory lockout .

The seven local unions represent supermarket employees and other workers from Bishop in the north to the Mexican border in the south and from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Nevada and Arizona borders in the east.

The 1.4-million-strong United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is the largest private-sector union in North America. It represents employees of  supermarkets, pharmacies, health agencies and other companies and organizations throughout the United States and Canada.

UFCW MEDIA CONTACTS:

Greg Denier, 202-256-7851 (cell)

Ellen Anreder, (818) 591-7480, (818) 416-9400 (cell)

Barbara Maynard, (323) 850-1356. (323) 855-8739 (cell)

 

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Hormel Workers Ratify New Contract

Oct 01, 2003

More than 3,000 workers at Hormel plants in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota approved a new four-year contract in a vote last night.   Workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union turned out to vote their approval for the agreement.

The new Hormel contract increases the base wage to $14/hour with raises over the term of the agreement.   Workers also secured improvements for their pension, vacation and premium pay for night shifts while maintaining quality health care coverage for workers and their families.

The federal mediation office facilitated the negotiations and aided both parties to reach this agreement.

The new contract covers members of UFCW Local Unions 6, 9, 22, 1996 and 73A.  The workers produce such well known products as SPAM luncheon meat and Dinty Moore beef stew.

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