Just a few weeks ago, we voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The success of that vote armed our member-led bargaining team with the power to win an agreement that fixed the low-ball, takeaway offer from Kroger and Albertsons that prompted the strike vote in the first place.

Our union member bargaining team reached a Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES vote to accept the proposal from the employers.

“This is the ninth time I’ve sat at this table—this contract allows us to majorly build our power in the region” —Jeff Smith, Fred Meyer GM

This tentative agreement pioneers new staffing language, establishes first-ever staffing programs at our stores, secures strong wage increases, fully funds our healthcare plan with no benefit cuts, provides a pension we can count on, adds a major investment into our apprenticeship and training fund, and significantly boosts our bargaining power in the region and in the western U.S.

Though some of our contracts don’t expire until later this year— including those of us in Fred Meyer GM and in Teamsters 38— and though many of us are covered under interim agreements, our fellow grocery workers at Kroger and Albertsons will take strike authorization votes following a disappointing final bargaining session with the employers from May 19 to 21.

As the time to reach a deal came down to the wire, the companies acted with no urgency. They made our team wait for hours between proposals, and when they did pass something back, they only moved an inch here and there. Their posture at the table spoke volumes: They don’t value our work, and they don’t think we’re ready to fight for what we deserve. We’re happy to prove them wrong.

Our bargaining team unanimously recommends a NO vote on the contract and a YES vote to authorize a strike so corporate knows they can’t push us around.

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!

Jason Millione and Aric Martinez know a thing or two about fresh cut fruit. The two are produce clerks at the Mill Creek Fred Meyer and have 16 years of experience between them. Their store used to lead the district in Fresh Cut sales.

Congratulations to all our 2025 union scholarship recipients! Scholarships are reviewed and awarded yearly by our UFCW 3000 Scholarship Committee made up of rank-and-file members from our Executive Board.

Depending on how our upcoming negotiations go, our Bargaining Team may recommend a NO vote, a strike authorization vote, or a contract ratification vote.

Join your coworkers at a monthly Contract Action Team meeting—Let’s stay organized to win a strong contract this year.

From April 28 to 30, our member-led Bargaining Team yet again sat across the table from Albertsons and Kroger. We presented data to the companies showing that they have made record profits over the last five years—and yet their CEOs keep slashing staffing to fatten their own wallets and line the pockets of their investors.

Our bargaining team is made up of coworkers across different stores and departments. Once our fellow union members at Safeway, Fred Meyer, and QFC reach an agreement, we will begin formal negotiations with Met Market that will build off of their contract. We know we can continue raising the grocery industry standard and believe Met Market should be that industry leader.   

Contract Vote Proposal Meeting

Contract Vote Proposal Meeting

We want to give a quick update as not everyone has been attending the weekly/semi-weekly Zoom meetings on Thursdays. In the future, we will invite everyone via gmail calendar when the next meeting is scheduled.

On Thursday April 3, our union members grabbed bullhorns, hoisted up informational picket signs, and marched outside of Fred Meyers and QFCs across Puget Sound to fight for better wages, better staffing, and better stores.

April 2, 2025 marks UFCW 3000’s quasquicentennial, a word so fancy that nobody quite knows how to say it. Regardless of how you pronounce it, the absurdly Latinate term means we’ve been around for 125 years. During that time, we’ve grown from a crew of nine butchers in downtown Seattle to the largest private-sector union in the Pacific Northwest, representing more than 56,000 workers in grocery, retail, food processing, health care, laundry and textiles, cannabis, and others industries.   

In this week’s meetings with Kroger and Albertsons/Safeway, our member-led Bargaining Team heard the first staffing proposal from Kroger. Unfortunately, their proposal fell well short of what we need to ensure safe stores for workers and customers.  

The LMC’s purpose is to study and make recommendations to the BOT (or PCC’s Leadership Team, as appropriate based on the nature of the recommendation), for action on those matters on which it deliberates. Our focus will be on addressing important matters such as labor, staffing and workplace improvements, training needs and profit-sharing structures.

Working the self-checkout area ranks as one of the toughest jobs in our grocery stores, mostly because running these departments with skeleton crews forces cashiers to serve multiple customers and to deal with multiple problems at the same time. The working conditions are more than just frustrating—they can be dangerous, too.

Only days after Kroger’s CEO resigned for unknown ethical reasons, our bargaining team faced Kroger bargainers who seem hell-bent on stripping away workers’ rights.

On March 5 and 6, our Bargaining Team met with Safeway and passed proposals on staffing and scheduling, retail theft, immigration protections, PPE and safety, and other non-economic items.

Join your coworkers at a monthly Contract Action Team meeting—Let’s stay organized to win a strong contract this year.

Last week, our union and Teamsters 38 held a webinar to discuss our proposals to ensure better staffing at grocery stores across the region.

“Now is the time for the changes we have been pushing for: Kroger should stop investing in failed tech and mergers and instead invest in stores and communities with lower prices, more stores, and workers with better staffing and better wages,”