Collective Bargaining

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Collective Bargaining, Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Retail Food, Safeway, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

UFCW Locals 21 and 367 Hold Informational Pickets to Advocate for Grocery Workers

Aug 28, 2013
Hundreds of grocery workers will hold informational pickets at 38 grocery stores across the Seattle region to fight for workers’ rights.

Hundreds of grocery workers will hold informational pickets at 38 grocery stores across the Seattle region to fight for workers’ rights.

Grocery workers from UFCW Locals 21, 367 and Teamsters Local 38 will be joined by co-workers, elected officials, and community supporters in informational pickets held across the Seattle region. Today, workers from Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC, and Albertsons will hold actions at 38 different grocery locations to draw attention to their fight for fair treatment, fair pay, and fair benefits.

Grocery store workers have been in contract negotiations since March. Despite more than 12 bargaining sessions and a first round of informational pickets in July, the companies have continued to stick to proposals that would stop providing health care coverage of employees working less than 30 hours a week, deny workers paid sick days, and cut pay including for those who work on holidays. A potential strike vote is set for the end of September depending on the progress of negotiations.

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Packing and Processing, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

John Morrell Locals in South Dakota and Illinois Coordinate Bargaining, Ratify New Contracts

May 22, 2013
Pork

Workers at John Morrell pork plants in S.D. and Ill. voted to ratify new contracts.

Recently, workers at John Morrell meatpacking plants from UFCW Local 304-A in Sioux Falls, S.D., and UFCW Local 1546 in St. Charles, Ill., voted to ratify new contracts. Local unions and members worked together and stayed in close contact during the negotiating process to raise the bar for workers at both local unions, ensuring workers at both locations made equitable gains.

The new four-year contracts increase wages and maintain affordable healthcare with no increase in weekly contributions from workers. Workers also ensured that the contracts protected seniority status.

Approximately 2,400 workers in the Sioux Falls plant and over 200 workers in the St. Charles plant are covered under the contracts. John Morrell Food Group is part of the Smithfield Foods family of companies. Workers at the St. Charles plant make dried sausage products and the plant in Sioux Falls is a full pork processing plant.

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Kroger, Retail Food, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

UFCW Local 455 Kroger Members Ratify New Three-Year Contract

May 16, 2013

Last week, UFCW Local 455 Kroger clerks and meat cutters ratified a new three-year contract that improves healthcare benefits, increases wages, and preserves pensions. The new contract covers more than 13,000 Kroger clerk and meat workers, including part-time workers, in the Houston area.

Kroger workers from UFCW Local 455 attend a meeting regarding their new contract that raises wages, improves benefits, and preserves pensions.

Kroger workers from UFCW Local 455 attend a meeting regarding their new contract that raises wages, improves benefits, and
preserves pensions.

“The wage improvements are great,” said Kroger associate Lenda Cadoree. “These hard working members truly deserve it and the other wage increases assure the company will be able to hire and retain quality employees in the future. All the employees I have discussed our new contract with have been extremely pleased with what we have accomplished together in our union.”

The contract sets a high bar for negotiations in the grocery industry and will help pave the way for other workers who are members of UFCW Locals 540, 1000, 1996, and 2008.