Grocery East Cheney Contract Vote 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 13, 2024, in the Safeway breakroom, 2710 1st St, Cheney, WA 99004.We will be conducting a vote on the fully recommended settlement presented by the Employer Monday, May 13. 

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.

Contract Vote: May 13 from 9am—12pm and 3pm—6pm 

Any member covered under the Cheney Safeway Meat and Cheney Safeway Grocery Contracts who are in good standing will be able to vote in the Safeway breakroom, 2710 1st St, Cheney, WA 99004, from 9am-12pm or from 3pm-6pm on May 13, 2024. 

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 Cheney Safeway Meat and Cheney Safeway Grocery Contracts are encouraged to be present for this important vote.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Roberta Bollin

Roberta Bollin (Birdie)

Roberta Bollin (Birdie) has been with the Burlington Fred Meyer store since 2002 in different departments all over the store including Grocery, Deli, Apparel, and the last four years as a Front End CCK PIC. Bridie loves working for a company that is represented by a union and being able to help solve problems on every day working conditions, like being able to take breaks, with management without having to fear repercussions. Birdie sees her staff representatives as a resource for her and her coworkers, and isn’t afraid to pickup the phone and talk about issues that are going on in the store. That has helped make sure that the Burlington Fred Meyer is a better place to work for everyone!

Birdie also got involved with UFCW 3000’s Racial Justice Advisory Board (RJAB) having delt with racism on the job all her life. Since going to RJAB meetings, and reporting back to her coworkers, they have wanted to get involved with the RJAB to improve equity on the job and in our union.

Bridie’s leadership shows that union members can stand together to make the job better for everyone when everyone has a voice at work!

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 

Puget Sound Meatcutters Apprenticeship Program: Over 100 Years of Union History

Get To Know Our Union’s History: The “Fighting 81st” and the Meatcutters Apprenticeship

The Seattle Meatcutters Apprenticeship was established as a union-sponsored apprenticeship school on May 17, 1946 to increase the skills, abilities, and knowledge of meatcutters, which in turn led to higher wages and benefits for these highly trained workers. Trained and licensed meatcutters make our industry safer and more productive, and meatcutters have long served our communities with pride. UFCW 3000 meatcutters carry on a decades-long history of commitment to bettering the industry and the conditions of all those they work with each day.   

Throughout its long history, this program has grown and changed, expanding the diversity of its apprentices and graduates and continuing to do so through robust recruitment and leadership development. Today, instruction takes place at South Seattle Community College and has expanded into Snohomish County at the Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center in Everett. The program is one of the few meatcutting programs in the entire U.S. where apprentices earn college credits for graduating the course and a Certificate of Completion from our state.  

As we celebrate its legacy, the program also has a bright future in partnership with UFCW 3000, represented Employers, the State of Washington, and the exciting new nonprofit organization WeTrain Washington. As workforce development and education opportunities grow, the trailblazing meatcutter apprenticeship will continue to develop apprentices into journeyperson leaders in their workplaces and their union for decades to come.  

Note of thanks: Much of the following history comes from the UFCW Meatcutter Centennial Celebration program (2000). 

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1900 – 1920: The Protective Union of Butchers Local 81 

An early Seattle butcher shop on Western Avenue.

In 1900, nine Seattle butchers met to establish the Protective Union of Butchers, Local 81. They immediately applied for a charter from the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen of North America, organized on the East Coast in 1897. This charter was delivered and signed on April 2, 1900, making it oldest retail butcher union in North America. 

Their organizing tool was the union consumer: 

"The Butcher's union of this city has discovered the most effective weapon for the use of organized labor. It is for all union people to demand the working card of all other union people when patronizing business houses. Make the butcher show you an up-to-date card or refuse to buy from him." -Seattle Union Record 

In June 1903, the union ordered its members to "wear the union button on the left lapel of your working gown, with the letters 'AMC & BW of NA, AFof L' on the border, and the knife, saw, cleaver, and steel in the center." This seal became the organizing tool of the young local.   

"Seattle union men and women will not have to go far for a market where the men are perfectly willing and anxious to better their own condition and elevate their trade, by keeping up the standard of wages and obeying rules which give more pleasure and time for the wage earner to be at home with his family." -Seattle Union Record 

Seattle Meatcutters on Labory Day 1917 demanding an 8 hour day

1920 – 1960: The “Fighting 81st,” Striking for a 40-Hour Workweek, and a Meat Apprenticeship 

Local 81's earliest offices were in the old Seattle Labor Temple at 6th and University.

The election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt also brought government into active intervention in the retail grocery business. The National Recovery Administration (NRA) initially demanded the development of wage and hour standards in every industry. Local 81 established temporarily an 8-hour working day under this code, eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Most importantly, the Local approached the Seattle City Council and established a meat inspection program. This inspection program guaranteed that only licensed meat cutters could work in city markets. The code became an effective tool for improving and controlling working conditions. Eventually, this code would be extended to King County.  

In the 1930s the rise of the grocery chains proved to be a challenge for Local 81. The first chain store in Seattle was the U & I. The first Safeway store opened in 1935 at 1st and Pike. This rise of chain stores led to the rise of the Food Dealers Association in Seattle, a group that resisted efforts to improve working conditions. Local 81 had to focus on legislation and political objectives to counter the influence of this new financial interest. 

In 1946, Local 81 made its mark on Washington State Labor history when it became the first Washington local to strike for a 5-day, 40-hour workweek. At a crucial union meeting on March 24, 1946, Local 81 members voted as follows: "40 hours shall constitute a week's work, Monday through Saturday." They immediately initiated strike action, and within a week achieved this objective.  

Also in 1946, Local 81 sponsored a resolution at the State Federation of Labor to make this a standard throughout the state. Thus, the Fighting 81st became the first Amalgamated union to achieve a 5-day workweek, basic pay still rising to $60 per week. Shops were open Monday through Saturday, 9 to 6. They also achieved a second week of paid vacation. 

The 1940s saw the beginning of the union-sponsored meatcutter apprenticeship school. The first class began at Edison School in September 1947. Initially the program struggled for attendance, but in 1949, Local 81, working in concert with the City of Seattle, required all apprentices to attend the school to be licensed. Thus was established a city-sanctioned program of apprenticeship meatcutting for Local 81, which expanded to King County. This was a major victory for raising retail meat industry standards and for providing employers with a skilled workforce. 

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By the late 1940s, changes in grocery retailing and improved refrigeration, deli meats, and the self-service case brought more change to Local 81. At this time Local 81 first defined its jurisdiction in its contract as “the cutting and handling of all meat, fish, poultry, and rabbit products,” to protect its members from grocery owners using employees outside the meat department to do their work. 

In 1950, Local 81 membership included deli workers, who at the time were mostly women. In 1950, the Local admitted the first meat wrapper to the union, Vivian Keeler, and developed a contract scale for women workers. They also merged with the fish workers union. 

A new generation took on the role of leadership of the Union in the mid-1950s, and their first big accomplishment lives on to this day through the establishment of a Health & Welfare Trust and Plan with the Retail Dealers in January 1955. 

Early display of self-service meat case.

By the late 1950s, Local 81 had grown to well over 2,000 members. Forty hours constituted a week's work, Monday through Saturday. The Local allowed Sunday and holiday work only in cases of emergency, and then only at double time. Shifts could start at 7:00, 8:00, or 9:00 a.m. A third week of vacation was added for those with 15 years with a company. Wages for journey level meatcutters were $110 per week, and $88 per week for journey level meat wrappers. The Local had strengthened its contracts in the “jobbing houses” (the employers that provided temporary labor to meat markets) and among meat sales drivers. It was the height of post-war power for the Fighting 81st. 

1960 to 2000: Creating a Pension, Protecting Our Workweek, and the Great Grocery Strike of 1989 

Local 81's second home in the new Seattle Labor Temple at 2800 First Avenue.

One of Local 81's most successful negotiations was in the fall of 1959 when it achieved several firsts in negotiations: a pension program at a 10 cents per hour contribution rate, sick leave (beginning on the 4th day), and a third week of vacation after 15 years. Wages rose to $112 per week and $95 per week for wrappers. They achieved this by agreeing to a 3-year contract. They maintained their hours standards of no selling of meat prior to 9:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. and no selling of meat on Sundays or holidays. 

The increasing retail dominance of the chains (Albertson's and QFC both appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s) created special challenges for Local 81. Increasingly the chain stores introduced new technologies into the meat markets: cry-o-vac (vacuumed sealed) beef being the most evident with the introduction of cutting rooms in their warehouse operations. 

The decade of the 1960s was marked by internal political tensions and strikes both in 1964 and 1967. As the meatcutting business changed across the country, meatcutters were debating what direction Local 81 would take in an era marked by the emergence of an employer bargaining coalition—Allied Employers, Inc.—and the dominance of the new grocery chain stores. A strike in 1964 spurred change in union leadership and new priorities for meat department workers. 

As grocery stores expanded their hours, it became increasingly important for Local 81 to ensure that the Union defended their 40-hour workweek. They achieved this by bargaining language to provide a 40-hour guaranteed workweek and company-wide seniority language. The 1964 contract contained these two critical provisions. The 1967 contract took a third step in developing journeyman-on-duty language that ensured that employers could not try to cut labor costs by hiring only apprentice meatcutters. 

Local 81 also engaged in two critical grievance arbitrations in this decade: Peck (1966) and Gillingham (1970), named for the arbitrators in each case. Both of these decisions strengthened the 40-hour guaranteed workweek for members and provided the foundation for full-time rather than part-time employment, and company rather than store-wide seniority. 

Under the leadership of Konrad Johnson, assisted by Mel Roundhill, Frenk Rutledge, and Sid Casey (a fourth business agent being added in 1970), Local 81 defended and strengthened its contract in these years. It maintained the prohibition on the selling of meat before 9:00 a.m. although it allowed the selling of meat until 9:00 p.m. At the time, no selling of meat was allowed on Sundays or holidays. The Local achieved a fourth week of vacation in 1967 as well as funeral leave. The Local also introduced a non-discrimination clause in their contract. Journeymen meatcutter wages were $3.82/hour, $3.35/hour for journey-level women workers. Not until 1971 did the contract refer to meat wrappers, a practice common in union contracts at the time when the workplace included men and women. 

In its 1971 contract, Local 81 allowed Sunday and holiday work but at the rate of double-time. Pension contributions were 20 cents per hour. Sick leave was allowed on the 3rd day of illness. A crucial cost-of-living formula was also placed in the contract. In 1971, a birthday holiday was added to the contract. (In 1977, one's anniversary date was added as a holiday.) By 1979, journeyman meatcutter wages stood at $9.29/hour and journeyman meat wrappers at $7.72 per hour. Pension contributions had risen to 60 cents per hour. Aided by cost-of-living clauses, wages had doubled between 1967 and 1979. 

The devastating inflation of the late 1970s produced a wave of reactionary anti-unionism in the United States. Local 81's history parallels this attack. The decade of the 1970s saw a see-saw struggle with Allied Employers and a pattern of short, but largely successful strikes. The Fighting 81st maintained strong contracts in both the retail and jobbing houses. There was, however, a steady erosion of membership in the packing houses, as the emergence of more rapid transportation and refrigeration brought increasing economic pressure as employers moved their production to so called “right-to-work" states. A measure of this was the merger of the Amalgamated with the Retail Clerks International Union in June 1979, forming the United Food & Commercial Worker's International Union. Interestingly, Local 81 was the only Amalgamated local to vote against this merger. 

The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the breaking of the air traffic controller strike set the stage for a further attack upon organized labor in the 1980s.  

Local 81 lost over 300 members early in the 1980s in a series of jobbing house de-certifications. In 1983 the employer community settled with the Retail Clerks but launched an attack upon Local 81's contract. Local 81 struck Lucky's stores. Other Allied members locked out Local 81 members and, for the first time, locked out Local 81 members in Kitsap County. 

Local 81 members steadfastly maintained the strike lines. Under the threat of permanent replacement, Lucky members returned to work reluctantly while the picketing continued for a total of 71 days. When a settlement was reached and after much internal strife, the members went back to work, though the sting of the bitter strike lingered for many years. The cost-of-living escalation clause was lost. Sunday and holiday premiums were reduced to time and three quarters. Pension contributions were increased to ninety cents, but less than the retail clerk contribution increase. Specific language was added that allowed fine ground beef into the markets without restrictions. Local 81's medical plan was merged with the retail clerks. 

Esther Baxter President of UFCW Local 81 1985-1987

With all the strike-related expenditures, Local 81's assets were nearly depleted. In its 1984 elections, the Local reduced its full-time officers to three: Esther Baxter (President and the first woman officer of Local 81), Tony Abeyta (Secretary-Treasurer), and Steve Anderson (Recording Secretary). Serious talks commenced about merging Local 81 with Local 1105. The 1986 contract negotiation fortunately avoided another strike, but at the price of introducing a service counter wage classification with a lower wage and benefit standard and also allowing further expansion of the employers’ ability to introduce prepackaged and priced products into the markets. For the first time in its history, the Local settled for lump sum bonuses rather than hard wage increases. 

The 1988 election was another watershed election for Local 81 with the selection of Tony Abeyta as President, Mike Williams as Secretary-Treasurer, and Steve Anderson as Recorder. 

Tony Abeyta, a Safeway meatcutter with little ties to the factions which fragmented the Local in 1983, ran on a platform of ending concessionary bargaining, opposing a merger with the clerks, and promoting internal unity within Local 81's office. One of his first tasks was to return Local 81 to a four-staff office with the addition of an organizer/business agent, Steve Conway. He also set upon the task of building stronger relations with the retail clerks. 

The stage was thus set for perhaps one of Local 81's most successful strikes since 1964: the grocery strike of 1989. The Employer community entered the negotiations with a desire to change the Sunday premiums. UFCW Locals 81, 44 (the meatcutter local from Snohomish County and north to the Canadian border), and 1105 entered the bargaining with a common goal of ending the decade of concessionary bargaining. The Puget Sound locals carefully coordinated their bargaining strategies. In May, Locals 81 and 1105 struck Food Giant, followed by a lockout in other King County Allied stores. This strike/lockout would last 81 days. When the smoke cleared, Sunday premiums remained intact, although Local 81 reduced its premium to time and a half in exchange for increasing pension contributions and hard money wage increases. 

Local 81 emerged from this strike with strong reserves and an active membership. Under the leadership of Abeyta, the Local invested its surpluses wisely, an investment strategy which eventually allowed the local to purchase its own office building in Auburn in 1996. In 1992, 1995, and 1998, Local 81 managed to achieve early settlements, the most significant improvements being made in both the pension and health & welfare programs. By 1998, Local 81 had achieved an early retirement program which allowed its membership to retire with full pensions at 55 years of age and thirty years of experience. Unlike many unions which saw a steady erosion of health and welfare coverage, Local 81 continued to achieve improvements, and in fact established a Retirees Health & Welfare Plan in 1998. Wages steadily increased so that by the end of the decade Local 81 had some of the highest wages on the Pacific Coast. This had been achieved with no takeaways in the contract and no expansion of the duties of the service counter workers (an expansion in California had gutted their contracts). Abeyta crowned his administration by establishing a Retirees Club, a Sunshine Fund, and also dispatching Business Agent Steve Conway to the State Legislature to assist the Local and the state labor movement with their many needs, the first member of Local 81 to serve in the Washington State Legislature. After a serious stroke, Abeyta retired in May, 1999, and so Michael Williams took over as President. 

The most worrisome development in the late 1990s was the continued inroads made by prepackaged, pre-priced meats and products. In 1998, Associated Grocers announced the setting up of a centralized meat cutting plant in Tukwila. After several years of protracted negotiations, and under the leadership of newly elected president Michael Williams, Local 81 merged with the packinghouse union representing these employees, UFCW Local 554. 

Local 81 protest Walmart's role at WTO rally.

Local 81 entered its second 100 years with a membership of over 2,000 and its finances remaining solid, but the new century brought more important challenges. The continual expansion of non-union discount grocers like Walmart, K-Mart, and WinCo threatened the family-wage standard of the grocery and meatcutting industry. Increasingly many chains moved toward expanding their use of prepackaged products, but public concern for service and food safety stood as barriers to its expansion.

2000 – 2024: Expanding the Apprenticeship and the Creation of WeTrain Washington 

Over the last century meatcutters had to deal with grocery stores displacing meat markets and with canned, frozen, and prepacked products displacing fresh-cut meat. Now the problems centered around corporate consolidation of union-represented stores into national and international conglomerates, plus the continued expansion of anti-union employers like Walmart and Target. 

During past contract bargains, the Retail Grocery Clerks locals and Meat Department locals at times had differing priorities at the bargaining table that led to one group engaging in a protracted struggle without the aid and solidarity of the other. But that was quickly changing due to the historic consolidation in capital.  

Since the Seattle Meatcutter Apprenticeship Program had always been a regional instruction program to assure a skilled workforce in King County, the executives for these national chains had little incentive to prioritize supporting educating the next generation of meatcutters. Another issue was that the recession of the early 2000s caused budget cuts in government in Washington State, and so enforcement of licensing requirement for meatcutters in King County was barely enforced.  

Local 81 not only continued to support the program but revitalized it in the early 2000s, as a new generation of workers took over the program. 

Paul L. Gerhardt was working at Safeway as a market manager, and became the primary meatcutter apprenticeship instructor in 2000 when the position opened up. Paul quickly set to work to revise and update the curriculum. He added instruction about good customer service, the best way to cook the different cuts, and new inventory computer programs. 

Paul and a new business agent, Tim Phelan, worked to grow enrollment in the program, which at the time had just 20 apprentices. In a few short years, the number of apprentices attending class had grown to 85. 

Paul Gerhardt had always had a passion for teaching, so he pursued his own education and earned his PhD in Management and Organizational Behaviors. In 2006 he left Seattle Meatcutter Apprenticeship Program to become a fulltime professor. He went on to be a professor and the District Program Coordinator for Business, Management and Marketing at Pierce College. 

Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, union members in meat departments and in grocery maintained a health and welfare plan that had next to no cost to the workforce. Health and welfare plans were, in many areas of the country, the single greatest benefit that UFCW members in the grocery industry enjoyed. Since the health care trust was shared by both grocery clerks and meat department workers, their collective interests and their common problems were increasingly one and the same. 

Health care was at the center of the 2003–2004 Southern California Grocery Strike. The national grocery chains who were involved—Safeway (Vons in SoCal), Albertsons, and Kroger (Ralph’s in SoCal)—would be the same employers that the unions in the Northwest would be dealing with soon in their negotiations. 

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Lasting over 4 months, the 2003 SoCal Strike is still the longest grocery store strike in U.S. history, and it resulted in a health care plan that was very different from what was previously enjoyed by workers. With markets across the US and even Canada, these behemoth corporations were determined to weather a long and effective strike to be able to lower their labor costs by cutting worker health plans. 

In 2004 in the Northwest, there was rock-solid solidarity between Locals 81, 1105, 44, and Teamsters Local 38 (which represented some grocery clerks in Snohomish), and they engaged in a contract campaign that managed to beat back the worst of what SoCal had been forced to accept. But there was a sense that the newly found strength on the employer side had to be countered, and that small industry-specific locals couldn’t take on the boss the same way—not just in grocery and meat, but in the wider U.S. economy. 

This was not exactly a new problem. The Local 81 strike in 1983 had emptied the Union’s bank accounts. It takes money to run a strike, but members aren’t paying dues during it. After the brutal 2003 SoCal Grocery Strike and the resulting shift toward saddling workers with more health care costs, things had to change. 

In 2005, it started with the biggest grocery clerk local, UFCW 1105, and the retail and health care local, UFCW 1001, joining with other locals to create UFCW 21, a new local that would have members in many varied industries. In 2009, UFCW 44 merged with 21, and then in 2011, UFCW 81 merged into Local 21, creating a union local representing meatcutters in most of Western Washington. 

UFCW Local 81 had been stewarding the Seattle Meatcutter Apprenticeship Program since 1946, and now that UFCW 21 and 81 were one local, it became a priority of the merged union, especially for Tim Phelan, a longtime union representative who had worked in the meat business all his life. Faye Guenther, a staff director at Local 21 at the time, started working with Tim to make sure the apprenticeship program was a vital part of the meat industry in King County and that it expanded to other areas of the state. 

The biggest problem with expanding the meatcutter apprenticeship program was funding. Since it started in 1946, the program was run mostly with volunteers from the meat industry who stepped up to serve on the board and meatcutters who made sure that their apprentices went to school. The only paid positions with the program are in-class instructors. Faye and Tim began getting connected with other apprenticeship programs and schools that provide vocational education to get ideas about growing the program. As union leadership changed, Faye stepped into the role of Secretary Treasurer and then president of the Union.  

Most trades that have union-supported apprenticeship programs bargain funding for these programs into their collective bargaining agreements. This became a big goal for UFCW 21’s future negotiations, as the union started the project of creating a larger training center modeled on the Seattle Meatcutters Apprenticeship in 2018. 

WeTrain Washington, as the organization running that training center would come to be called, started researching and applying for vocational education grants to fund and expand the meatcutter apprenticeship program and to establish connections with other programs. In the 2019, meat and grocery contract negotiations included winning funding for the training center, and WeTrain became an independent nonprofit organization in the summer of 2021. 

In between 2019 and 2021, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated classes being taught online through video conferencing, even as meatcutters continued to work in stores as essential workers. Tim Phelan retired as a union representative at UFCW 21, and soon after started to work part-time with WeTrain, starting up the Snohomish County program with a new instructor, a pre-apprenticeship meatcutting program for people interested in entering the trade, and a fishmonger apprenticeship program to teach workers everything there is to know about retailing seafood. 

Today meat department workers must be as skilled in customer service as they are in production and have the culinary knowledge of their products to serve today’s home cooks. 

Grocery East Tentative Agreement Reached!

Member Bargaining Committee recommends a YES vote! 

After months of strike preparation, store actions, and long negotiation sessions, our member bargaining committee reached a fully recommended tentative agreement with Safeway/Albertsons and Kroger on a new contract. This agreement has dramatic gains for Eastern Washington, Oregon, and historic gains for unionized grocery stores in Idaho.

“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!” - Katriana Keffer, Fred Meyer

The agreement includes: 

• Higher wages that will address pay equity across departments 

• Rights that will ensure a safer store 

• Pension improvements

• ​Investments in workforce development and training

• And more!

This tentative agreement is not final until we vote on it. Full details of the agreement will be available at the contract vote Thursday, May 2 where members of the bargaining committee will be available to help answer questions and walk us through the agreement. 

Contract Votes for Spokane Albertsons Meat, Spokane Albertsons Grocery, Spokane Safeway Meat, Spokane Safeway Grocery, Spokane Fred Meyer Meat, Spokane Fred Meyer Grocery, Spokane Fred Meyer CCK: Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 9am-12pm and 3pm-7pm at the Spokane DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center, 322 N Spokane Falls Ct, Spokane WA 99201 - All other grocery contracts will vote at a later date.

“I feel really, really good about what we are finally getting from these employers! We broke through some big barriers in this agreement. The gains to our retirement plan felt like we were finally being listened to -we can actually retire!” -Frankie Roesser Safeway

“It’s not what everybody wants, it’s not the moon but I am really excited for my coworkers who worked for year in the Deli, my coworkers will get wage increases that they deserve. Hopefully this will help make sure we can keep people here in the store.” -Jeff Yergens, Safeway

PCC Labor/Management Committee candidate Online vote!

Online vote: May 8 at 6:00am — May 9 at 6:00pm

The nominees are in and they are counting on you to get involved and decide who will represent PCC workers and our union by voting for the candidates you want to represent you on the Labor/Management Committee (LMC). The purpose of the LMC will be to study and make recommendations to the PCC Board of Trustees or PCC’s Leadership Team regarding:

Per our contract, our union can nominate ten candidates to send to the PCC Governance & Membership Committee (GMC) where they will, by a simple majority vote of the GMC, select the final five workers that will serve on the LMC.

Voting will be conducted via secure online vote to decide the ten nominees that will be recommended to PCC’s GMC. We are excited to announce the candidates that are running for the chance to participate and represent their coworkers!

Meet the nominees ▸

Kelly Campbell, View Ridge PCC, Front End

I’m Kelly, and I am eager to bring my unique blend of leadership, advocacy, and community engagement to the Labor Management Committee. My journey in advocacy began when I made history as the first athlete appointed Board Chair for Special Olympics Washington. This role not only honed my leadership skills but also deepened my commitment to driving positive change and advancing inclusion. With over three decades of experience as a Special Olympics athlete and more than five years serving on the board of directors, I’ve gained invaluable insights into the power of inclusion and community engagement. My involvement extends beyond Washington, as I actively contribute to Special Olympics committees at national and international levels, amplifying the voices of athletes and advocating for diversity and equity. One of my proudest achievements is leading initiatives like the Building Bridges program, which brought Special Olympics to tribal communities for the first time, addressing the unique needs of BIPOC individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am dedicated to fostering understanding and respect across all communities, tirelessly working to ensure access and opportunities for all. Outside of my advocacy work, I’m a dedicated team player, competing in various sports from softball to swimming. I’ve also had the honor of representing our community on Capitol Hill, advocating for funding to support programs like Special Olympics. In my role at PCC Community Markets for over two decades, I’ve learned the importance of community engagement and collaboration. Now, I’m excited to bring my experience and passion for inclusion to the Labor Management Committee, where I hope to continue driving positive change and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the committee’s efforts.

Oscar Cea-Figueroa, Redmond PCC, Deli

Hello, my name is Oscar, and I am quite pleased to have been nominated by my peers to run for a position on the LMC! I am learning of all the benefits this committee will bring, being the first of its kind for our company! I’m very happy to be able to represent my coworkers at a level where we can not only present barriers, issues and concerns but also provide problem solving opportunities and trouble shooting with all the people we need to discuss these matters with. In the last few years, while working for this company, I’ve seen some changes. One of the reasons I came to work for PCC was the co op values. It’s very important to me that I continue to work with an employer who has similar interests. Since our contract negotiations earlier this year, I have been gaining so much understanding of the importance of partnership. Participating in the informational pickets helped me see the bigger picture, standing together is where the power is! There is so much information to read in our world, so much to learn! I really enjoy doing the work in the deli, communicating, and working with my deli team. I’m happy to know that I have the chance to be a part of the committee that will bring change that will benefit all.

William Chiang, Bothell PCC, Deli

I’ve been with PCC for 7 years, came from restaurant background in cooking.  Have been a deli cook, clerk, and cheese clerk.

Emily Dawson, West Seattle PCC, Produce

I'm thrilled to have the chance to join the Labor Management Committee. I'm eager to dive into understanding PCC's financial model and how business decisions are made. My aim is to promote better communication and understanding between workers and non-union management, bridging that gap and fostering a more harmonious relationship between office staff and in-store workers, while focusing on suggesting workplace enhancements that will improve the work environment. Additionally, having talked with many of our coworkers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, I am confident in my ability to represent all concerns within PCC. With your support, I'm excited to make a meaningful impact and enhance our experience here at PCC. Thank you for considering me for this role.

Bert DeCoy, Redmond PCC, Deli

I have been with the co-op for 11 years. The whole time at Redmond, in the deli. Roughly a year of counter (opening, closing, and mid shifts), then the last decade as a cook and hotbar runner. During my time, I have always tried to provide the best experience for our members whether it's through personable and knowledgeable service on counter, answering a many customer questions as i can, or making food whose quality is worth the price tag. I believe firmly in working as a team, in communication, and the need to be open... even if it means having difficult conversations. These were the values handed down to me by those who trained me and I try my best to pass them along to those who have come after. I talk with our members on a daily basis, about the things they love, the things they miss or honestly the things they really don't care for in recent years. I extend this same availability to my coworkers who know I am someone they can come to to express concerns, field questions from customers, or generally expand their knowledge of what we do. One of my greatest strengths is my connection to my team mates, and to the needs of our members. I believe strongly in the need for everyone's shared participation for this co-op to do its best; from members, to employee members, to office staff, if every aspect is collaborating then I think we can maintain that spark that made us special for over 6 decades. Thank you for your time.

Nellie Demeerleer, Ballard PCC, Front End

I have 3 years experience as a disability advocate, and  when I'm passionate about something, like making sure PCC employees, especially those like me, who work on the front lines and represent the company get the respect, safety in there stores, involvement in company decisions, and pay that we deserve, I will speak for those who may not have a voice, and make sure that everyone is represented equally and fairly, no matter their background.

Cina Ebrahimi, View Ridge PCC, Grocery

I believe Cina will be able to represent the workers interest accurately. He has spent a good deal of time and effort over the last year to interface not only with workers at view ridge but across PCC to better understand the needs of PCC Workers as a whole. He participated as a committee member in the recent contract negotiation and is a shop steward for the view ridge store. Cina is familiar with the cooperative model and has experience from work in finance that make him uniquely prepared for a position in the Labor Management Committee.

Nich Fallon, Issaquah PCC, Produce

Prior to working at PCC I managed a small independent grocery store on top of running the produce department. That role exposed me to the different perspectives amongst the management, employee, and customer relationships. It helped me see extra problems but also additional opportunities to solve those problems. I am passionate about finding ways to improve the working and shopping environment better for everyone. I think being on the LMC would be a great outlet for me and that I would be a great contributor to the LMC. I want to see the LMC become a permanent fixture and stepping stone for more labor representation on the PCC board.

Quil Freitas, West Seattle PCC, Clerk

Hi, Quil Freitas here, produce clerk at West Seattle for over two years. I was involved with negotiations and kept as close an eye on the finances as possible. I advocated for a "no" vote against this current contract. I believe information workers have received has not been sufficient. I see the Labor Management Committee as a flawed but continuing effort to win a fair portion of revenues for workers to have living wages.

Miles Gensoli, PCC Fremont, Produce

Miles Gensoli, 47yrs old. My wife Karen and I have been married for 13yrs. We have 2 children Tristan is 12 and Kiara 8. Lived here in the PNW since I was  8 years old when my family migrated from the Philippines. My favorite pass time is spending time with the family and anything outdoors( hiking, camping, gardening, jet skiing). All of my work experience have been in grocery retail. Been a member of UFCW since 1994, 6 years at PCC. I am the Produce Coordinator at the Fremont Location.

Thnley Gyatso, PCC Fremont, Produce

I believe in that I fit for the Pcc Labor Management committee. I want workers treat well and pay well and appreciate their any levels of contributions Pcc recognizes. All works voice most heard.

Marlin Hathaway, Greenlake Village PCC, Beer and Wine

Marlin Hathaway is the Beer Wine Spirits Specialist at PCC Greenlake Village and has worked for PCC for almost 3 years. He is a UFCW3000 Union Shop Steward and a founding member of PCC Workers United. Marlin is a steadfast advocate for living wages for all PCC workers, personally organizing and reaching out to workers in all of PCC’s stores in the struggle for the retention of Hazard Pay, and its expansion for all PCC workers. He was a leader in the campaign for One Wage Scale for all PCC Workers in the region, a base wage of $25 per hour, $30 for Journey, and a 3-year path to Journey. As a member of the Bargaining team this last contract cycle, Marlin fought hard for a base wage of $25 per hour for all PCC workers, a path to Journey in 3 years, and $30 per hour for Journey folks, and was an initiator of the idea of creating the LMC. Marlin has been a restaurant, grocery, and hospitality worker his entire life, from age 15 to 60. He has tenacity and will fight tooth and nail to uphold the needs of our workforce.

Kerry Hudson, Burien PCC, Front End

Hi my name is Kerry, I'm a cashier at Burien. Over the course of 9 years at PCC, I've worked in just about every department. I understand the experience and needs of roles throughout the store. I believe that there are opertunities throughout the co-op to trim the budget without punishing staff, making our co-op better for staff and the community. I think that as we've grown we have lost some of our co-op values and management refuses to see any solution other than cutting labor hours. It's time that we look at the whole picture and act more like a co-op in all facets.

Chloe Jett, Bellevue PCC, Beer and Wine

I come from North Carolina, a state which ranks 49th in the country for worker’s rights. I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when unions aren’t given the necessary power and respect they deserve. As an LMC member, I would see to it that worker’s rights are observed to make PCC an ideal place for labor.

Jackson Jones, Kirkland PCC, Meat Dept.

I have worked at several premium grocery stores and have gained a unique and solid understanding of the strategies that are helpful in navigating the relationship between corporate and worker interests. My experience has allowed me to gain respect for different cultures and how they do things, allowing me to find creative solutions in a variety of ways. I am dedicated to making our work environment safer through my role on the safety committee. My goal in nominating myself for the LMC is to improve employee’s knowledge, which will invite longevity & reduce turnover of the employees as well as foster a direct and open dialogue with leadership team.

Kris Jamison, Kirkland PCC, Deli

I've been with UFCW for over ten years and have always held a sharp interest in contract negotiations and try to stay as involved as possible. Info pickets, zoom meetings, CAT meetings, you name it. And because of my friendly, outgoing nature, people have always naturally gravitated toward me with questions or comments about the Union and the contract. I've been approached several times about becoming a Shop Steward as well. The LMC however appears to be a very unique opportunity, and one that instantly called to me once I read how it will function. So, I'm very excited to play a vital role in shaping the next contract and influence how my work environment is structured. Thank you for your consideration.

Scott Jue , Central District PCC, Receiver

I worked for Central District PCC as the Receiver for the last 4 years. I previously worked for Safeway for 28 years with 8 years as a Safeway Assistant Store Director. I have experience in sales projection, scheduling and order writing, expense control, ad planning, merchandising, inventory and shrink control, hiring, employee evaluations and terminations. I served on the Safeway Diversity Board and was a Safeway Division Safety Supervisor assisting 37 stores in 3 districts. I have a BA from Seattle University in business management and an MBA from the University of Washington. I am also a United States Marine and served with the Washington Army National Guard. I deployed to Iraq (08-09) and conducted combat security operations.  My outside interests include Cross Fit, cooking and spending time with my 2 black labrador dogs. As my store’s Receiver I work and interact with all departments and see the success, problems, opportunities, frustrations that occur daily. I believe I can provide a voice in making PCC a more profitable, adaptable, efficient, diverse and safe workplace. I believe in the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of the time preventing, anticipating and solving problems and 20% of the time reacting to problems we cannot control.  I can reduce the gap between PCC Corporate and retail front line employees. I ask for the opportunity to assist in making PCC profitable again as we look to our next contract. 

Chris Maraslo, PCC Ballard, Grocery

PCC employee since 2019 and has worked through the pandemic. Understands the importance of proper support and care at the workplace. Chris is by far the fiercest advocate for workers' power that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. If he were elected to the committee, I have no doubt at all that he would stand for the workers and advance our cause without fail.

Scott Norman, West Seattle PCC, Receiver

I am a true Seattlite. Born and raised in Ballard and have lived in the south Seattle area now for the last 32 years. I have worked in the grocery business for most of my adult life and have been with PCC for 6 years now. I hope to receive your consideration and vote because I am passionate about fairness, respect, and accountability. The Labor Management Committee is a great opportunity for all of our voices to be heard. With my background in public service and the grocery industry, I am a strong candidate to help ensure that our voices and ideas are being weighed and taken seriously, in order for PCC to be prosperous well into the future. Thank you for your consideration. 

Scott Shiflett, Redmond PCC, Meat Dept

My name is Scott Shiflett and I am excited to have this Golden Opportunity to run for a position on the LMC! I’m looking forward to the work that we’ll accomplish, the relationships that we’ll build and the improvements we will bring through the work of the LMC. This is quite an honor to potentially be involved at the ground floor level of building this very important committee! I am a proud worker of PCC who brings 35 plus years of experience through my service in the grocery industry. I’ve seen how different departments are managed, the successes and failures of some practices and been a part of countless conversations with coworkers regarding the concerns they have about workplace matters. Serving on the Safety Committee for this same period of time has given me insight into this critical topic of discussion that we all must be attentive to. As a Bargaining Team member for many contract cycles, I have been honored to serve my coworkers by bringing their voices to the Bargaining table. There have been many late night ( and into the wee hours of the morning) bargaining sessions where both the Company and the Union were so close to reaching an agreement that we didn’t want to end our session! I’ve seen PCC change dramatically from the original family/neighbor style co-op to the now more corporate style. There are pros and cons to both. I feel we need to work together to find a harmonious blend between the two styles. To maintain our roots while growing and keeping instep with our changing membership and the dynamics of the grocery business as a whole. We must get back to our roots and be the family/neighborhood store we used to be while keeping up with the modernization of the grocery industry. We will work on finding the perfect balance to bring forth a happy and caring yet profitable company. I ask for your support, your vote as we move ahead in bringing forward the PCC we need, the values we must hold dear and foster the commitments we have to our community! Let’s cultivate the success of this company together!

Andrew Shustov, Bellevue PCC, Cheese

The first lesson I was taught when I started working in the grocery industry was that how a customer feels about their experience with a store is very strongly weighted among their other grocery shopping concerns (such as how much products there cost, a location’s convenience, or the quality of items). Similar considerations also very much apply to those of us who have chosen to work in the grocery industry. (How does it feel to work here? What is the pay? How convenient is it?) When I first started with PCC in 2019, the balance among these considerations on the employee side seemed very healthy among workers. Arrival of present year, and I’ve already watched coworkers who genuinely love the company and their own store locations vehemently vote “yes” on a strike ballot, and fully accept all of the personal uncertainty, anxiety, and financial awkwardness that comes with such a decision. Such votes were (by the majority) not made lightly. To run a successful grocery it is important to balance the above concerns of customers (or they will stop shopping). Likewise, to succeed in contract negotiations it is important to balance the above concerns of workers (or they will not accept the contract negotiations). My interest in the committee is to advance awareness toward worker concerns with the same level of enthusiasm, care, and practicality that any of us would bring toward the weight of shopper concerns.

Jayne Sonesen, PCC Fremont, Meat

Cares greatly about coworkers, and the future of the company as a whole. Views the company as a career and not just a job and is invested in its success.

Christopher Trebaol, Bellevue PCC, Produce

Christopher Lee Trebaol is Produce Lead at PCC Bellevue, starting with the company in summer of 2020. He is currently on the Worker Health and Safety Committee and founded the first Bellevue Worker Caucus Committee, and performed duties as Bellevue Shop Steward from 2020-2022. To Christopher the LMC represents an opportunity to elevate the unique concerns of all PCC employees, as well as take the first steps towards creating a more equitable Co-Op across the board. He hopes to address concerns around internal communication, budget, personal development and promotion, as well as provide a voice and expression to the varied and unique concerns of everyone within the company high or low. He hopes to bridge the many divides within the company, with charity and equanimity for all, and malice towards none. “The best days of PCC are ahead of us if we are all willing to reach out and take hold of them.”

Gabriella Von Ins, View Ridge PCC, Front End

I first started working for PCC in January 2018, and since then have worked in multiple stores and in various roles and departments. I am now currently a PIC at the View Ridge Store. My goals in being a PIC is to foster strong avenues for communication between staff members, empower staff to advocate for themselves and each other, and to provide resources for staff to safely and efficiently complete their tasks while finding a sense of pride in what they do. I believe that being a part of the LMC will allow me the opportunity to bridge these goals across the co-op, and collaborate with others in making them not only the reality but the standard.

Emily Weisenburger, Issaquah PCC, Health and Beauty

In 2023 I was a member of the bargaining committee where I was given the opportunity to listen to not just two sides of an argument, but many during negotiations. Back in the store, I was asked to explain the decisions and compromises. I am a member of the Worker Caucus Committee because I believe that workers should be heard and I want to facilitate that to better open the lines of communication between workers and managers.

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Online vote: May 8 at 6:00am — May 9 at 6:00pm

To ensure you are able to participate in the secure online vote on May 8 and 9 you must make sure your personal email is up-to-date with the union! If you believe your information is out-of-date or if you haven’t been receiving union emails, please update your information!

Update you personal contact information ▸

If you have any questions, please reach out to a union Rep.

Grocery East Contract Votes Set

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 2, 2024, at the Spokane Double Tree Hotel, in the conference center. We will be conducting a vote on the last offer presented by the Employer following our scheduled bargaining dates on April 29 and 30, 2024. 

The Agenda, Times and Location for the meeting will be: 

1. CONTRACT RATIFICATION VOTE: The bargaining committee will present the last offer received from the Employer. Members will have the opportunity to discuss the terms and implications of the offer before proceeding to a vote on whether to ratify or reject the proposed contract. 
2. STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE (if applicable): Should the final offer not be recommended by the bargaining committee, we will also conduct a strike authorization vote. This vote will determine whether to engage in a strike or other action in response to the Employer’s final offer. 
3. VOTE TIMES & LOCATION: Any member in good standing will be able to vote at the Spokane DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center, 322 N Spokane Falls Ct, Spokane WA 99201 from 9am-12pm or from 3pm-7pm on May 2, 2024. Carpool if you can, as parking is limited. Available parking will be at no cost, details available at registration.

For questions, please contact your Union Representative, bargaining committee members, and stewards for critical updates as things can change quickly and are time sensitive. 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 Spokane Albertsons Meat, Spokane Albertsons Grocery, Spokane Safeway Meat, Spokane Safeway Grocery, Spokane Fred Meyer Meat, Spokane Fred Meyer Grocery, Spokane Fred Meyer CCK, are encouraged to be present for this important vote. Your voice and vote are essential in guiding the direction of our bargaining strategy.  

The Cheney Meat and Grocery Votes will be held at a separate time and location to be announced. The Oregon Grocery Vote will be held at a separate time and location to be announced.  

UFCW Locals issue statement on Kroger's updated proposed divesture plan

UFCW 5, 7, 324, 400, 770 and 3000

“This bigger proposed divestiture simply increases the challenge C&S, a New Hampshire-based wholesaler, would have trying to operate a hodgepodge chain of retail stores. They have no experience operating retail stores in these states, would still lack the IT, customer loyalty and manufacturing capabilities needed, and would most likely end up monetizing the real estate under many of these stores,” said a coalition of UFCW locals (Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564 and 3000). These local UFCWs have been central in the coalition opposing the proposed merger from the get-go and represent over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers across the nation from Washington DC and surrounding states, and California, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington state and Wyoming.

Please go to www.nogrocerymerger.com for more information in the coalition efforts to oppose the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger.

 Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

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.

Franz Outlet Stores - Strike Authorization Vote Notice​

We have been in Union contract negotiations with Franz since January, fighting for wage increases that would align more closely with what bakery employees are paid at Safeway and Fred Meyer stores. Unfortunately, Franz has repeatedly rejected our proposals as they don’t agree that we deserve to be paid the same as grocery store workers.

We are now bringing in a federal mediator to help the parties reach an agreement, but we will need to take NOW action to show Franz that our frustration is more than just talk! To that end, we will be conducting an online STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE on Friday April 19, showing Franz that we find their offer unacceptable and are willing to take collective action to secure a fair contract.

While authorizing a strike does not mean that we’ll walk off the job the next day, but it does authorize our bargaining team to call a strike if necessary. We will also reach out to the Teamsters, who drive Franz trucks, to seek their support in our fight for a fair contract. Their support could be instrumental in building leverage towards a fair contract since Franz cannot operate without their truck drivers.

Franz Strike Authorization Vote
Friday, April 19 from 12:00AM – 5:00PM
Online through “Simply Voting”

We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Friday, April 19 from 12:00AM to 5:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 3000 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. Your Union Representative will also be making visits to the workplace to provide additional information regarding the vote. In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. 

If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit this page and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Friday, April 19, then please reach out to Union Representative Tae Abraham 206-436-6631 to provide an updated email address.

PCC Nominations for the new Labor Management Committee are open!

Nominations for the new Labor Management Committee are open!

As a democratic union, we know that when we all come together and actively participate in the decision-making processes that have direct impacts on our workplace then we win better outcomes, safer workplaces, and a more fulfilling work environment. One crucial way we can have direct impact is through the election of PCC workers to the Labor Management Committee (LMC), which will play a key role in representing our collective interests and ensuring a fair and respectful work environment for all.

The LMC's purpose is to study and make recommendations on important matters to the PCC Board of Trustees or Leadership Team. These recommendations will cover various issues that are important to workers and members at PCC like, profit sharing structures for unionized staff, fostering understanding of the co-op's business and financial model, workplace enhancements and improvements, staff training needs, productivity improvements, financial performance, and the member/shopper experience. 

Our participation in this election is vital to ensuring that the voices and concerns of PCC workers are addressed. By electing five representatives who truly understand and advocate for our needs, we can work together to create a stronger and more inclusive workplace for everyone. Read more about the LMC in our union contract FRS (page 23) here.

Are you interested in nominating yourself or a co-worker for the Labor Management Committee? 

The best potential candidates should fit the following criteria:

1. You are a PCC employee in good standing.

2. You can represent diverse ethnic groups, backgrounds, and positions within PCC.

3. You are willing to commit the time needed to the LMC (3 year term) to have the greatest impact for co-workers.

Once all the nominations are in, we will hold a democratic online vote to choose the five new LMC members!

The deadline to submit LMC nominations is April 27, 2024 at midnight.

Nominate yourself or a co-worker for the LMC here>>

Make sure you can participate in the vote! Once all the nominations are in, we will hold a democratic online vote to choose the five new LMC members! You are encouraged to learn about the candidates, and to cast your vote. Your vote matters, and your involvement in this process will help to strengthen our union and build a better future for all of us. To participate in the online vote make sure your personal contact information is up-to-date, go to ufcw3000.org

Join the next Contract Action Team Meeting

4/15, 4/17, 4/18, 4/22, 4/24, 4/25 @ 6pm via zoom >>
Meeting ID: 871 1956 3836 Passcode: 095974 
Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings are a time for us to get together, talk about workplace issues and our plans for the future! If you have questions about nominations for the LMC wring those questions to the next CAT meeting!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Members Leaders Fight for Safety at the U-District Safeway

From Left to Right Prince Heart, Kevin Daly, and Sean Ricco at the U-District Safeway

The University District in Seattle has long had reputation of having problems with people experiencing mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Unfortunately the housing crisis has only made these issues more visible and at times more dangerous. Workers at the Seattle U-District Safeway have been dealing with a series of increasingly violent incidents at their store, especially in the liquor department.

Prince Hart, Sean Ricco, Kevin, Daly, and Solas McGregor decided to take action to highlight their safety concerns. They started a petition to discuss their concerns and ways to help solve the problem. After collecting a majority of signatures of their coworkers they “marched on the boss” to talk with store management about the probelm.

Out of their talks they got agreements to post a security guard in the liquor dept during operating hours, an additional security guard to sweep the store, have two members scheduled in liquor so no one is alone, and the use of walkie talkies for dept leads to enable quick communication of potentially dangerous situations. U-D district Safeway workers now have some additional tools to deal with potential violence in their workplace.

Safeway can’t directly control larger problems outside the store, but it is clearly the Employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace and have a plan in place to deal with violence in the workplace. And workers have a right to take collective action to make sure the Employer lives up to that responsibility, and to push management to do more when necessary.

If you and your coworkers are facing problems like these in the workplace, reach out to your Union Representative who can help create a plan of action to fight and win, just like U-District Safeway union members did!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Vanessa Evans

Vanessa Evans and her Husband

Grocery Workers on the Eastside of the Cascades are currently fighting for a fair contract from employers that have talked a great game about how much they appreciate the sacrifices that their employees have made over the last 4 years during the COVID-19 pandemic; but have yet to show it substantially in negotiations. In 2022 UFCW Locals 1439 and 21 joined together creating Local 3000 because they knew that with the continued consolidation of the power of corporate and investment capitol, solidarity would be the key to winning against huge financial interests.

As a twenty-nine year Safeway employee in Spokane Washington, who has been a shop steward for twenty of those years, Vanessa Evans has seen that consolidation over decades of work in the grocery business. From the consolidation of small to medium local chains to the merger of Albertsons and Safeway in 2015, to the current fight to stop the Kroger/Albertsons mega-merger, Vanessa has seen these employers relentlessly increase their profits at the expense of the workers who operate the business that creates those profits in the first place.

“I stepped-up to become a shop steward years ago because we needed one at our store,” says Vanessa who is now the receiving clerk at the Spokane Valley Safeway. “I love telling managers that we have union business to discuss, and that means we’re equals while we talk!” When workers put the power of the Union on the shop floor, it puts the boss on notice that “the union” is always there, not just when a union staff representative is servicing the worksite. That also happens during negotiations when workers sit directly across from management to bargain the next contract.

When bargaining began last year, Vanessa joined the bargaining committee for the first time. It was no surprise when the Employers responded to the Union’s proposals by saying that wages for Puget Sound grocery were based on a higher cost of living in that region. Vanessa and other committee members were tired of this excuse, so they compared grocery receipts from Western Washington stores to Eastern Washington stores.

It was not shocking at all that the totals were nearly identical, “When I saw that, I knew we couldn’t back down.” Vanessa and her coworkers across the Inland Northwest organized to make clear how big of a fight these employers face if they do not recognize how “essential” their work is!

Recently, over two days at the beginning of March, workers across Oregon, Idaho, & Eastern Washington conducted info pickets and leafleting actions at union grocery stores. Vanessa made sure that as a bargaining committee member word got out, and that at her store they had as many people possible recruited. That was especially important as it turned out that the day her store was picketing, she had to care for a family member who would be having surgery.

Info Picket at the Spokane Valley Safeway in Early March

And turn out they did, not just at Vanessa’s Spokane Valley store; but at picket after picket across the region. Grocery workers had back-up, because the public and community allies joined in solidarity on the picket lines.

The bargaining committee returns to the table soon to talk with the employers, but they aren’t waiting around. More Contract Action Team meetings are planned and the bargaining committee has the campaigned mapped out, including possible strike authorization vote dates and other actions if needed.

Last month we featured some of the leaders of the 2013 Puget Sound Grocery Store Campaign, who stood their ground until the Employers offered a fair contract just two hours before the strike was to begin. That struggle never ended and is continuing today on the Eastside of the Cascades. Make no mistake, Vanessa Evans and her fellows will accept nothing less than a fair contract, and are ready to do what is necessary to get it!

Women's History Month Member Stories: Leaders from the 2013 Grocery Store Contract Campaign

From Left to right Sue Wilmot, Rhonda Fisher-Ivie, Amy Dayley Angell, and Faye Guenther

As the 2013 contract negotiations between UFCW 21, UFCW 367, Teamsters 38, and the national grocery chains (represented by Allied Employers) in Western Washington opened, it was obvious that it was going to be a fight to win a fair contract. Workers were more united than ever and since 2004 they had been fighting to protect their contract, so concessions to the employers were out of the question.

Allied Employers, on the other hand (Albertsons, Kroger, and Safeway), were expecting to continue to cut their overhead at the expense of workers, and had prepared a long list of takeaways. As is often the case, women leaders in our Union stepped up big time to lead this contract fight, from the shop floors to coordinating the field campaign.

From the get-go things were tough, according to Bremerton Safeway worker Sue Wilmot: “The Employers’ first proposals had a picture of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law because they wanted to double the number of hours we needed to qualify for health care insurance. That would have been devasting to mothers working these jobs to provide benefits to their families.”

Sue had seen this before. In addition to serving on other bargaining teams, in 1989 she had walked the line during a grocery strike for over 90 days—often with her daughters, who were 3 and 5 years old at the time. Sue was not about to accept an insulting health care proposal like this. “I ripped up their proposals right in front of them. I know we didn’t want to show a reaction like that at the bargaining table, but I just couldn’t let that pass!”

In addition to cutting workers off their health care, the employers also wanted deep cuts to the pensions for Meat Department and Grocery workers, minimal raises, and were refusing to address important issues like keeping pay scales above the rising minimum wage, paid sick leave, and cashiers being terminated for mistakes in processing WIC transactions. Rhonda Fisher-Ivie, a cashier at Safeway in South King County at the time, had recently seen “two longtime coworkers with 15-20 years of service get terminated for WIC violations.”

These were a few of the many difficult issues that the bargaining team faced as they talked with employers unwilling to do much of anything to improve things. Faye Guenther had years of experience as an organizer with UFCW 1001 (one of the founding locals of the merged Local 21) and SEIU in Oregon. She knew that in order for the Union bargaining coalition to succeed in getting tough issues addressed, the rank-and-file was going to need to be ready—not just to threaten a strike, but be ready to actually strike. Organizing a powerful field campaign, workers started out by wearing union buttons and leafletting customers in front of their stores. “From there, we moved to escalations like a flash mob for paid sick leave” at the University Village QFC, says Faye. After that came coordinated July info pickets at locations across Western Washington, followed by “rolling info pickets at multiple stores throughout the day” in late summer.

Amy Dayley Angell was a cashier at the Wallingford QFC in Seattle and had recently stepped up to become a union leader at her store when a grocery clerk was terminated for misreading an ID during a tobacco sale. She started a petition that a supermajority of workers at the store signed and eventually convinced QFC to bring back their coworker. As the contract campaign heated up, Amy kept her coworkers informed and recruited them for the actions throughout the summer including the info picket at their store.

In September, the Union bargaining team called for strike votes. Keeping coworkers educated about the stakes of the negotiations and reminding them of the need to act in solidarity was key as the strike votes approached. The campaign had started in March of 2013 and it looked like it would go well into October. Keeping everyone engaged and organized was something that rank-and-file leaders and staff organizers worked on from the beginning, and it started to pay off.

“People got behind it right away,” says Rhonda. “They were ready to act!” The strike authorization passed with over 90% of members voting to strike if called for. The membership of the three unions were elated, but knew that now things were getting serious. Preparing for a strike was the next thing leaders had to do.

Amy and other shop stewards started to attend picket captain trainings, where they learned how to draft picket schedules for their stores, explain to coworkers what is expected on a strike line, and how they could get strike relief pay. More and more grocery store workers were stepping up to become picket captains and leaders in the store. Solidarity and resolve were edging out fear and anxiety.

“It was a bonding experience,” says Sue. “We were organizing babysitting networks so parents could walk the line, and made maps of where people could shop and get prescriptions filled during a strike and not cross the picket line.”

“As the campaign escalated with strike votes and picket captain meetings, the number of activists kept getting bigger and bigger,” explains Amy. “And then in October, the Union bargaining coalition delivered a 72-hour strike notice to the Employers, and everything changed quickly!”

Faye says that at this point the campaign started to become “transformative not just for grocery workers, but for our union as a whole.” UFCW 21, Teamsters 38, and UFCW 367 set up a giant countdown clock at Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle. Nightly rallies were held, which quickly made the countdown clock THE place for grocery workers to be. Customers pledged to not cross the picket line at their local grocery store and they let store managers know it. The workers had broad support from across the community.

Emily and Lacey Wilmot (Sue Wilmot’s daughters) at the Countdown Clock in WestLake Park

Grocery workers and their families came from all over region to the clock. Sue’s daughters, who had walked the picket line with their mom during the 1989 strike, made a special trip from Bremerton to join in the fun and brought donations of diapers and food for striking families.

“Being at the clock was inspiring!” relates Amy. “My coworkers and I went as often as we could. It was the first time we felt our collective power as grocery workers!”

Rhonda confirms this as well: “Everyone shared the same passion, had the same goal… We were ready for a strike!”

At the bargaining table, the Employers quickly began to move, agreeing to reform their WIC transaction policy, keeping the health care as-is, making further moves to secure the the pensions, and putting more money into wages.

Besides getting the last few takeaways off the table, “it came down to better transfer language between departments, or making sure that our pay scales stayed above minimum wage,” Sue explains. The contract already guaranteed that the starting wage had to be above minimum wage, but the Union bargaining coalition wanted to make sure each step had a higher wage than they one below it. Sue says it was a tough decision, “but we went for the progressive wage scale.” This turned out to be an important decision, and today above-minimum-wage progressive wage scales have become the standard for many union workplaces represented by UFCW 3000.

The strike was averted just two hours before it was to begin. In early November of 2013, grocery store workers at all three unions ratified the new contract!

Faye was right to say that the 2013 grocery store campaign was “transformative.” So many new leaders stepped up, and many of them were women. That leadership continues today, not just with grocery workers, but in all the industries where our UFCW 3000 members work.

Rhonda Fisher-Ivie relocated to Southern California and was hired as a union rep by UFCW 770, and eventually returned to Washington State and works at UFCW 3000 representing her former coworkers.

Amy Dayley Angell continued grow as a shop steward and eventually began serving on the UFCW 3000 Executive Board, and has been on two grocery store bargaining committees. “After 2013, I knew I needed to be in this fight, and so I threw myself into the center.” She is currently keeping her coworkers informed about the UFCW 3000 grocery store negotiations in Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Northern Oregon, and preparing them for the 2025 grocery negotiations in Puget Sound.

Sue Wilmot continued to serve on the Executive Board until 2020 when she was hired at UFCW 3000 to work in the Member Resource Center talking to members and investigating their potential grievances. She retired in 2023 and is now spending time babysitting her grandchildren for her daughters, one of whom works as a barista at a Safeway Starbucks kiosk (which is a union position of course).

Faye Guenther continued to lead field campaigns at the Union and has worked with staff and members to expand the number of shop stewards in worksites. She served as Staff Director, Secretary Treasurer, and now serves as the elected President of UFCW 3000.

Women’s history is labor history! And it is ongoing. New leaders, many of them women, are stepping forward in all industries of our union and the labor movement as a whole. In 2022, UFCW 21 and UFCW 1439 came together to form UFCW 3000, the largest UFCW local in the country and the largest union local in Washington State. The grocery and meat members East of the Cascades are bargaining their contracts and just finished a round of info pickets, building solidarity and keeping each other engaged and organized. And women leaders are at the front of that fight, too.

Update on Ongoing Efforts to Stop Mega Merger as We Build Collective Strength to Protect and Improve Grocery Store Workers' Jobs

Good News on Stopping the Proposed Mega-Merger

As you may have heard, on February 26, after a massive 16-month effort by our collective of UFCW Local unions and others, we accomplished an important goal of getting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to officially file a lawsuit to stop the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons. Nine states’ Attorneys General joined that FTC legal challenge. The Attorneys General of the states of Washington and Colorado also filed separate lawsuits on January 15 and February 14, respectively.

This is very good news in our campaign to protect workers, shoppers, and the community from the negative impacts that would result if this proposed merger were allowed. But the effort to stop the merger still has a way to go.

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What's Next in This Legal Process?

The legal process will likely continue for some time until one of two things happens:

1. The Federal Judge in Portland, OR, has set a date for August 26, 2024, for the trial to begin on the FTC case. The WA and CO trials can move ahead separately, but they could be coordinated with others as well. Those trials could continue until an outcome is determined.

Or:

2. The Merger Agreement of Kroger and Albertsons has an “outside date” of mid-October 2024 (two years after when it was announced) after which the companies can simply abandon the deal without paying any financial penalty to the other party, so it is also possible that Kroger and Albertsons will simply withdraw their proposed merger.

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What’s Next for Our Grocery Store Companies?

It’s time for Kroger and Albertsons to invest in grocery store workers, our customers, and our communities instead of wasting years and billions of dollars on a failed merger proposal. These companies have been doing very well and have made billions of dollars in profit in recent years. They should be making more investments in better-staffed stores, in higher retention of workers with better pay, benefits, and training, and in lower food prices for shoppers. These investments will result in Kroger and Albertsons becoming stronger companies.

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UFCW Local Members Taking Action Together for Stronger Contracts

In addition to fighting the proposed mega-merger that would cause harm to thousands of grocery store workers and millions of customers, our collective group of local UFCWs is also taking action to affirmatively improve our contracts, organize more unionized grocery stores, and more.

• Local 400 Kroger Grocery Store members in West Virginia approve new contract with major improvements after almost going on strike.

• Local 770+324 held a Rally for Food 4 Less Workers starting Contract in Southern California. Here is a video from the event as well as local ABC 7 TV News coverage from Los Angeles.

• UFCW Local 7 and 770 Members featured in national In These Times article: “The Mega Grocery Merger That Would Pay the Price For, The Kroger-Albertsons merger is a threat to grocery workers everywhere. Let’s join the fight to stop it.”

• UFCW Local 5 members at the Kroger-owned Foods Co recently ratified a new contract that includes some major improvements including: $4.50 wage increase over term of contract for top rate, large ratification bonus, an increase in all wage progressions, and a reduced amount of time to reach the experienced rate for all purpose clerks.

• Kroger workers vote to join Local 3000 in central Washington and hold Informational Pickets in eastern Washington city of Spokane for a stronger contract. KHQ 6 TV Spokane, WA covered the action for local news.

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FAQ - Does Albertsons Need to Sell? No!

After the merger is stopped, some have said that Albertsons will just be sold to some other company. That’s just not true. Before the merger proposal, a super-majority of Albertsons’ stock was owned by six massive private equity investors who wanted to sell their shares to a single buyer. But during the past 24 months, those large investors have sold the majority of their shares in Albertsons, and we expect they will continue to sell their remaining shares on the NY Stock Exchange after the merger is blocked.

The alternative—trying to sell Albertsons in whole or in part to a different buyer—would be very unlikely. Court documents show that in the summer of 2022, there were no other bidders aside from Kroger, so a new buyer would likely offer a significantly lower value for the company. Based on Albertsons’ current stock price (which is still significantly below the Kroger buyout price), the company’s total enterprise value is approximately $20 billion, or nearly $9 million per store. To put that in perspective, the current divestiture plan to C&S Wholesale proposes to pay about half of that amount. So, selling to C&S or to anyone else at that price would destroy significant value for Albertsons shareholders. And again, the company is doing well financially, and there is no need to sell. Recent quarterly reports show Albertsons is doing even better than Kroger.

Grocery East Contract Action Meetings

Progress made in ‘23 – Building for more in ‘24

Progress made in ‘23 – Building for more in ‘24

Our union came into 2023 with some great successes, like winning a "best in a generation" contract for 25,000 Western Washington grocery store workers, but we also faced some huge challenges. Health care workers continued to be crushed by severe staffing shortages at hospitals that threatened both patient and caregiver safety alike, and at the same time, we had just learned of a proposed mega-merger between Kroger and Albertsons that threatened layoffs, store closures, and higher prices. 2023 was shaping up to be a big year.
 
UFCW 3000 members working in health care, grocery stores, food processing plants, retail businesses, and many other industries are fundamentally linked to the communities we work and live in. We are the essential workers that our communities depend on every day. That is why the challenges we face, like ferocious corporate greed that under-staffs us to make huge record profits, or the extreme and growing inequality between the wealthiest one percent and everyday working people are not just a problem for our workplaces —they are problems for our entire community. Greed and inequality are also underlying and insidious drivers of systemic racism and sexism —pitting us against each other, while an economic appetite of extraction and churn threatens the future of humanity itself. These toxic realities of greed and inequity also threaten our most cherished aspirations of democracy, freedom, and a better life for the next generation.

If together, as organized workers and communities, we want to fight back and build a better future, we are going to have to face these challenges head-on. While we recognize we still have a lot of problems and a lot of work to do to make things better in 2024, we also think it is important to celebrate the fact that we have been a leader in our region and around the nation —attacking these problems, making an impact, and being part of the movement to turn things around for the better.

Here’s a snapshot of some of our accomplishments from 2023, our wins as a collective union of workers in action. 

In 2023...

• We won important reforms at our UFCW International Convention and began the much-needed campaign for greater reforms in the future. Learn more about our local's fight to bring democracy to the UFCW >>

• We joined the 'year of strikes' when thousands of UFCW 3000 members voted to authorize ULP strikes: The nurses at Providence Everett and workers at Macy’s in Southcenter, Alderwood, and Bellingham went on strike in 2023. Both strikes were joined by hundreds of community supporters while thousands signed petitions in support of these striking workers.
  Providence strike recap video >> 
  Macy's strike recap video >>

• We passed a Safer Staffing Law! Working in a first of its kind in the region, a coalition with SEIU Healthcare1199NW, WSNA and UFCW 3000 worked to pass the historic ESSB 5236 Safe Staffing legislation that will take steps towards ensuring safer hospital staffing levels across WA. Learn more about the Safe Staffing legislation >>

• We opened a new Union Hall in Des Moines! After completing the sale of our flagship office of over 20 years in Seattle to the Seattle Labor Temple, we held an open house in our brand new union hall in Des Moines. This new location will save money, be more accessible to members (it is located on the new Light Rail route), and be a gathering space for members. Learn more about UFCW 3000 office locations >>

• Our elected Executive Board made of rank-and-file members adopted a powerful new 5-year strategic plan to guide our union and prioritize our work until 2028. Learn more about the Strategic Five Year Plan >>

• Our Executive Board also helped begin a national call from labor unions for a ceasefire in Gaza. Learn more about the petition for peace >>

• Had fun! Thousands of members and their families attended UFCW 3000’s summer events at Wild Waves in Federal Way, WA, and Silverwood in Idaho. Save the date for the next Summer Picnics at the Park: Silverwood is August 6 and Wild Waves is August 8.

• Union member bargaining teams won 8 first-time contracts and ratified 30 new contracts with higher wages, improved benefits and better working conditions.

• Held off the grocery store mega-merger by being instrumental in building a national coalition of unions that includes UFCW locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, 1564 and 3000 and community groups including 55 from our own region to oppose the Kroger and Albertsons mega-merger. We have successfully lobbied —through data, testimony, and evidence to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who has recently ruled in our favor and decided to reject this proposed mega-merger! Learn more about efforts to stop the mega-merger >>

• In 2023 we organized hundreds of new members! New organizing wins from determined organizing committees both big and small resulted in hundreds of new members joining our union. Welcome Ferry County, Downtown Dog Lounge, REI Bellingham, MultiCare Auburn Pros, and Fred Meyer Port Orchard General Merchandise, and our first Cannabis producer contract at Mfused, who won a standard-setting contract in the cannabis industry.

• People powered politics in action: Our member-led endorsement committee interviewed 57 candidates for local office. 68 members participated in our Political Action Advisory Committee and were able to help win a new just cause standard for grocery store workers around retail theft. Learn more about our People-Powered Politics agenda >>

• The Essential Workers Organizing Academy is up and running! The program was broken up into three distinct phases: training, internal organizing, and external organizing/preparing for strikes. Apprentice organizers supported on campaigns that included Macy’s, Bartell Drugs, Fred Meyer, PCC, Providence Everett, as well as political and community projects. Congratulation to the first EWOA graduating class of 2023! Learn more about EWOA >>

• Enforced our rights: Together as members, stewards, and union Reps we work hard to ensure members’ rights are protected and that the process is transparent, and management is held accountable to our members, our contract, and the law. In 2023 we had to file 182 grievances against management that could not be resolved at the worksite level. 

• Got the training to empower ourselves: Over 300 members participated in a union training in 2023. These trainings included topics like Weingarten training and enforcement, Leaders in Action, New Member Meetings, Grievance Training, Retirement Seminars, and more. Learn more about upcoming union trainings >>

• No union should be an island. We support others in their struggles and UFCW 3000 attended strikes, showed solidarity and gave other support for Starbucks Workers United in Washington and around the nation.

And in 2024 we’ll fight for even more.

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.” 

Swain’s General Store - Contract Vote Scheduled!

Our Union Bargaining Team has finalized the time and location to vote on our fully recommended Tentative Agreement with the Employer that:

• Significantly reduces the number of hours required to attain Journey status.

• Increases wages.

• Includes retroactive pay to January 1 of this year.

• Maintains our quality healthcare through the Sound Health and Wellness Trust without passing hourly cost increases on the employees.

The Vote will be held at The Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor Hotel (221 N Lincoln St). UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions! 

Friday, March 22

The Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor Hotel (221 N Lincoln St).

• 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

• 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

• 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Our Bargaining Team is recommending a “Yes” vote on this Tentative Agreement! We look forward to seeing you at the vote!

Our Union Negotiations Team (left to right): Mike Nichols, Floor Clerk (Shoes); Robert Sommers, Receiving Clerk; Richard Drake, Receiving Clerk/Warehouse Contact; Shawn Price, Cashier/Person In Charge (not pictured)

Swain’s General Store - Tentative Agreement Reached!

On Tuesday, March 6, our Union Bargaining Team met with management for our fourth and final bargaining session. We have reached a Tentative Agreement with the Employer that:

• Significantly reduces the number of hours required to attain Journey status.

• Increases wages.

• Includes retroactive pay to January 1 of this year.

• Maintains our quality healthcare through the Sound Health and Wellness Trust without passing hourly cost increases on the employees.

A notice of the specifics of when we will hold the ratification vote will be forthcoming. We appreciate everyone’s patience through this process and look forward to discussing the Tentative Agreement with you at the vote meeting.

Our Union Negotiations Team (left to right): Mike Nichols, Floor Clerk (Shoes); Robert Sommers, Receiving Clerk; Richard Drake, Receiving Clerk/Warehouse Contact; Shawn Price, Cashier/Person In Charge (not pictured)