UFCW LOCAL 101
United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 101
Representing Workers in San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt & Del Norte Counties

Grocery stores, Workers reach Tentative Labor Agreement
KOMONews.com

Union workers for Puget Sound-area grocery workers struck a tentative deal with local grocery stores early Sunday morning, increasing hopes that a strike over the busy Thanksgiving holiday will be averted.

The tentative agreement was reached early Sunday after a marathon bargaining session between Allied Employers and UFCW Local 21, UFCW Local 81, and Teamsters Local 38. Union workers had earlier voted - by a 94 percent margin - to reject the grocery chains' previous offer and to authorize a strike if necessary. But bargaining was resumed on Thursday and continued almost non-stop through the wee hours Sunday. Local UFCW spokesman Tom Geiger told KOMO News that details of the agreement will not be released until after the grocery store workers' vote on the offer has been concluded. The labor contract would affect grocery workers at Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Albertsons in King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. Scott Powers of Allied Employers, which represents the supermarket chains, confirmed that after three days of negotiations, a tentative agreement has been reached.
Negotiations have been under way since mid-March. Grocery store workers say they have been hurt by cuts in their hours cut in recent years, and are struggling to make ends meet. --Bleiweiss Communications Incorporated

Teamsters say they'll support Grocery Strike Posted by John Gille November 17, 2010 The News Tribune Teamsters Union members said today they'll honor grocery workers' picket lines if those workers strike major Puget Sound grocery chains. The Teamster support will mean supplying those stores may be difficult for the chains, Albertson's, QFC, Safeway and Fred Meyer. Teamsters Union members drive many of the trucks that bring groceries to the affected stores. "We are communicating with our members about the rights they have to honor a picket line if they encounter one during the course of their job, as well as their options for shopping should there be a strike, said Tracey A. Thompson, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. Some 25,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union have threatened to strike those major chains if they don't soon reach agreement on a new contract. New talks are scheduled for Thursday and Friday between the union and Allied Employers which represents the four chains. Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/business/2010/11/17/teamsters-say-theyll-support-grocery-strike/#ixzz15bOJ7Cs8 -- Bleiweiss Communications Incorporated

Grocery workers, companies to return to bargaining table with Federal Mediator By Nicole Tsong Seattle Times Tuesday, November 16, 2010 As the threat of a grocery strike hangs over the region a week before Thanksgiving, representatives of union workers and four major supermarket chains are to return to the bargaining table Thursday with a federal mediator. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and two other unions voted overwhelmingly last week to take the first step toward a strike, union officials said. The unions represent approximately 17,000 workers in King, Kitsap, Snohomish and Mason counties who work at Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Albertsons. Unresolved issues include benefits and pay. The workers say they have taken cuts in hours over the past three years and that proposed additional cuts would hit them hard. "The proposal to cut pay, cut health benefits and cut pensions is just too much for many workers to see how they're going to make ends meet," union spokesman Tom Geiger said. The companies say their proposal includes raises for those at the top of the pay scale and nearly $50 million more for pensions and medical benefits, said spokesman Scott Klitzke Powers, of Allied Employers, which represents the four companies. In return, they are asking to cut pay for working holidays and Sundays. Powers said the offer is standard in other contracts throughout the region. The contract expired in May, and the most recent extension expired Monday, Geiger said. Union members must take another vote before a strike could begin and could shut down the stores during the peak Thanksgiving period. "We understand times are tough," Geiger said. "At the same time, workers are not expecting to get kicked in the teeth for companies they work hard for, either." The proposed cuts, such as decreasing the starting wage by 10 cents to the state's minimum $8.55 an hour, would add up to thousands of dollars for some workers, Geiger said. Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013443535_groceryworkers16.html?prmid=obinsource

94% of Puget Sound grocery workers reject employers’ proposal and authorize a strike

After 9 Months of negotiations, big chains still proposing cuts to pay and benefits
Press Release from UFCW Local 21:

Grocery store workers at the big chains stores in central Puget Sound gathered for vote meetings throughout the Snohomish, King and Kitsap Counties over the past several days to consider a vote to reject employers’ proposal and take a strike authorization vote. The last of these meetings took place on Wednesday evening in Bellevue. After the meeting all the ballots were counted. The vote result: 94% Vote to Reject Employers’ Proposal and Authorize a Strike. Difficult negotiations between workers and these big chains have been dragging on since they began nine months ago in mid-March. The out-of-state-based corporations include California-based Safeway, Albertsons (owned by Minnesota-based Supervalu), and QFC and Fred Meyer (both owned by Cincinnati-based food giant Kroger). These out-of-state based chains are among the Top 50 corporations in the country and paid their CEOs a combined 30 millions dollars last year. The grocery stores have not been hit as hard by the economy as many other companies because families have switched to shopping at the store more and eating out at restaurants less. “All we are asking for is to be treated fairly,” said Barbara Rhodes, a deli worker at QFC. “But something is wrong in this country when the company that we work for pays their CEO millions and then proposes to cut your pay, and health and pension benefits. We go to work every day and do the best for our customers. All we want is to do a good job and be able to take care of our families.” Another worker added, “Unfortunately, these corporations are trying to use the economy as an excuse to kick us in the teeth. So after nine months of negotiations, we have taken this vote and are sending a message – we are not going accept cut after cut.” Lynnette Larson, a checker at Fred Meyer continued, “We are standing up and saying no. It's important for us, for our customers and the community.” Now that the workers have spoken and rejected the current offer, clearly the employers will have to improve the contract proposal when negotiations resume. The UFCW 21 is the state’s largest private sector union with over 36,000 workers in grocery store, retail, health care and other industry jobs. The two other unions in the joint negotiations are UFCW 81 and Teamsters 38. -- Bleiweiss Communications Incorporated