Central Co-op - Bargaining Economics
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“Seattle Co-op workers are standing with our Tacoma comrades to improve wages, bring stability to the Co-op, and ensure a better future for us as workers and for our communities.”
— Chris Paine, Seattle Produce Department
The union bargaining committee met with Central Co-op leadership on Friday, January 21, and Wednesday, January 26, to continue negotiations. Central
Co-op agreed to language for more timely responses time to PTO requests, gender-neutral language throughout the contract, and some general language clean-up.
Central Co-op has given us an abbreviated explanation of their current financial situation, and then at our next session gave us a brief summary of leadership’s plans to improve the business with more details promised in March after the board meeting. We appreciated the transparency and dialogue as we address our concerns about the current direction of the Co-op.
Last Friday, Co-op leadership made their economic proposals, and while we were happy that they proposed no cuts to our health care, they also proposed a 3-year wage freeze. We responded with our own wage proposal that gives Tacoma better equity, a ratification bonus for Seattle, and will get us back to the bargaining table to go after better wages in 18 months instead of 3 years. We also proposed stronger language to ensure that current employees’ experience is recognized on the wage scale.
We are also continuing to bargain over other issues like:
Safety on the job and during this pandemic
Improving retirement
Clarify PTO cash outs
New and expanded leaves
A free shift meal
Severance for store closure
We will be bargaining next on February 16, stay engaged and wear your stickers and union gear!
Our Bargaining Team:
Gordon Greenwood III - Seattle, Veronica Armstrong - Tacoma, Sydney Stenquist - Seattle, Chris Paine - Seattle, Kate White - Tacoma, Anne-Marie Cavanaugh - Secretary Treasurer UFCW 367, Lauren Vanwormer - Union Rep UFCW 21, Andy Heyman - Bargaining Rep UFCW 21
