Richland Fred Meyer Workers Ratify First Contract!

Richland Fred Meyer Workers Ratify First Contract!

After voting all day today (Friday 10/7), workers at Richland Fred Meyer have overwhelmingly voted to ratify our first union contract!

This legally binding contract includes big wins like:

• A new wage scale with wage increases each year

• Workplace safety language and avenues to escalate concerns that aren’t addressed at the store level

• “Just Cause” protections (meaning we cannot be terminated or disciplined without a reason)

• A grievance procedure giving us the ability to challenge unjust discipline or any violations of our new contract

• Access to affordable high-quality health care for ourselves and our families

• Union recognition and union security to ensure we have a strong union store for years to come

NEXT STEPS – A FIRST CONTRACT IS JUST THE BEGINNING

First, we celebrate. This win took more than three years! Next, we get to work. The next steps will be getting familiar with our new contract, so we can exercise our rights on the job, stepping up to get union training (on contract enforcement, safety, and more), recruiting workplace leaders to become our trained Shop Stewards, and getting to know our UFCW 3000 Union Representative.

Two important things everyone should remember:

If you or a coworker needs any help regarding an investigatory meeting with management, are facing any discipline or corrective action, or believe our contract is being violated, contact the UFCW 3000 Member Resource Center at 1-866-210-3000.

In addition, always remember your rights around meetings with management, called “Weingarten rights” after a 1975 Supreme Court Case:

You have the right to union representation if you are called to a meeting with management that could lead to discipline. Follow these guidelines: The employee must make a clear request for union representation either before or during the interview. (Managers do not have to inform employees of their rights.) Management cannot retaliate for requesting representation. Management must delay questioning until the union steward arrives. It is an unfair labor practice for management to deny an employee’s request for a steward and continue with interrogation. In this case, an employee can refuse to answer management’s questions.

READY TO GET TRAINED UP?

To sign up for further training with our union on things like contract enforcement, Weingarten rights and meetings, grievance procedures, and safety, contact Marc Auerbach, Education Director at 206-436-6519

Richland Fred Meyer - Tentative Agreement Reached! Vote Meeting Scheduled

Our Richland Fred Meyer bargaining committee reached a unanimously recommended tentative agreement on September 29. The tentative agreement includes: 

• New Wage Scale with wage increases in each year of the contract 

• Workplace Safety Language that would improve training and safety in the store and create avenues to address safety concerns that are not addressed at the store level 

• Just Cause Protections, making sure that workers cannot be terminated or disciplined without a reason 

• Grievance Procedure to give workers the ability to challenge any unjust discipline or violation of our new contract 

• Union Recognition making it clear that the contract will cover workers at the Richland Fred Meyer 

• Health and Welfare, ensuring workers will have access to affordable high-quality health care 

• Union Security to ensure that we have a strong union store for years to come

Full details of the tentative agreement will be available at our vote meetings on Oct. 7! 

Vote Meeting 
Friday, October 7, 2022

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

UFCW 3000 Tri-Cities Office 
2505 Duportail St, Suite D 
Richland, WA 99352

Vote meetings are rolling meetings, stop by anytime during the vote times to review the tentative agreement and cast your vote. 

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“Building a strong union store is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We have worked tirelessly over the last three years to win our union vote, and then over the past five months to win a tentative agreement. I am proud to have fought for and won huge workplace improvements in this tentative agreement against many odds, and I am looking forward to continuing to build a strong union here at the Richland Fred Meyer.” 

— Roxanne Reynolds, BT Member 

“We were able to come together as a store and a community, winning a historic first contract in the Tri-Cites. We will continue to fight to improve the working conditions and pay for all Fred Meyer workers.”

— Eden Hill, BT Member 

*NOTE: October 7 Community Action is CANCELED. Thank you to all of the community for the support!

Richland Fred Meyer Community Action

This community has our back! Give us a fair first contract!

Show your support for Richland Fred Meyer workers, join us on the sidewalk outside the Richland Fred Meyer to demand a first contract for workers at the Richland Fred Meyer.

Friday, October 7 @ 1PM

Richland Fred Meyer workers organized at the end of last year and have been bargaining with the company since early spring for a first contract.

Richland Fred Meyer - This community has our back - give us a fair contract!

Richland Fred Meyer

This Community Has Our Back, Give us a Fair First Contract!

Our Richland Bargaining Team met on August 16 and 17 and exchanged many proposals with the company including; arbitration procedures and grievance processes, workplace safety language, union security guarantees, just cause protections, paid holidays, sick leave and other important issues. We are very close to an agreement on many of these critical matters. We have dates set in September to continue negotiations with the employer over these critical issues.

Our team continues to fight for:

• Fair wages with an enforceable wage scale and increases.

• Affordable and quality health care that cannot be changed without the agreement of our union team.

It’s time to show Fred Meyer that this community is clearly on our side and demands that we get the fair first contract that includes fair wages, good health care, secure retirement, and a voice on the job that we deserve!

Save the date:

‘This Community Has Our Back, Give us a Fair First Contract’

Richland Community Rally, October 7 from 1:00-3:00PM

Richland Fred Meyer Bargaining Update

Our Richland Bargaining Team met with Fred Meyer on June 29 and 30 where we received the first contract proposal response from the Employer. Our team was able to return a full response to their proposals that includes: A fair wage packages, Quality and affordable Healthcare, and the Maintenance of retirement. 

Our team is continuing to fight for: 

• A fair grievance process that gives workers the ability to enforce the terms of our union contract.

• Workplace safety.

• Just Cause standards to protect for unfair discipline and discharge.

In addition to two productive days of negotiations our Union Bargaining Committee was able to raise concerns with the Employer around recent unfair discipline and discharge of employees, especially on issues dealing with safety. With a union contract in place, we will be able to directly address these issues and more with the company.   

The Employer is now considering our Union Bargaining Committees’ most recent full proposal and working on a response. Once all parties agree to the proposals and workers have had a chance to vote to ratify the agreement we will have a legally binding contract that will hold the Employer to their commitments and give power and protection to the workers at Richland Fred Meyer.  

Our next bargaining date is July 27. We need to continue to show Fred Meyer that we demand our first contract now. 
Take action by wearing your union button! 

Contract Action Team 
July 13 @ 10AM & 6PM 
at 2505 Duportail St, Richland WA 99352

Richland Fred Meyer Bargaining Update

Our Richland Bargaining Team met on May 9 to continue the bargaining process. Our committee drafted a complete set of proposals for the employer that include:

• A fair wage package.

• Respects those that have dedicated their lives to Kroger during the pandemic.

• Quality Health care that we can afford.

• A retirement that we can rely on.

These proposals are on top of what we have continued to push for:

• A fair grievance process.

• Workplace safety.

• Just Cause standards for discipline with a third party arbitrator.

Our union has now given the Employer a full and comprehensive proposal, that would be the basis of our contract, a legally binding agreement, for years to come.

Now it is the Employer’s turn to give us a counter-proposal and we expect them to give us a full response to all of the concepts that we pushed across the table. Fred Meyer has given us dates in June when we will meet next.

It’s time to show Fred Meyer that we expect the respect, protection, and pay that we deserve.

Richland Fred Meyer Bargaining Update

Our Richland Bargaining Team met Tuesday, April 12 with Fred Meyer to begin the negotiation process. Our committee drafted and made contract proposals to create our new union contract that includes:

• Workplace Safety, contract language that would improve training and safety in the store and create avenues to address safety concerns that are not addressed at the store level.

• Just Cause, making sure that workers cannot be terminated or discipline without a reason.

• Grievance procedure, to give workers the ability to challenge any unjust discipline or violation of our new contract.

• Recognition, making it clear that the contract will cover workers at the Richland Fred Meyer.

• Health and Welfare, ensuring workers will have access to affordable high-quality healthcare.

• Union Security, to ensure that we have a strong store for years to come.

Unfortunately, Fred Meyer did not make any formal responses to our proposals. Although we hoped and were available to bargain sooner, we look forward to our next bargaining meeting with Fred Meyer on Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10 and anticipate that Management will have responses to our proposals.

The push for a first contract continues! While our team meets and continues to work diligently leading up to next bargaining sessions, we need to stay UNIFIED in our fight for a good first contract.

Attend a Contract Action Team Meeting for updates on what our Team is working on:

Tuesday, April 19 • 9am or 6pm

Friday, April 22 • 12pm or 8pm

UFCW 3000 Tri-Cities Office • 2505 Duportail St, Suite D Richland, WA 99352

Your Richland Fred Meyer Bargaining Team: Jeremy Brewer, Eden Hill, Kelly Swallow, Todd Davis, Brandyn Farrell-Parker, Suzanne Geffre, Melissa Lozano, Roxanne Reynolds

UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 Members in Shock Over Shooting in Richland, WA Fred Meyer Store

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2022 1:30 PM
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 Members in Shock Over Shooting in Richland, WA Fred Meyer Store

Richland, WA – UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 expressed deep concern for victims and survivors of a shooting that took place earlier today at a Fred Meyer store in Richland, WA. UFCW 1439 represents workers in this store, as well as other grocery stores in eastern Washington, food processing, and other industries. UFCW 21 represents workers at grocery stores in western Washington and many other industries across the state including health care workers in Richland, Washington.

“Our communities are standing together in support of our co-workers and others in the Richland community who have been impacted by this shooting. Workers in our local grocery stores have experienced many safety concerns over the last two years under COVID. This tragic shooting is another shock to all of us. No one should have to worry about their safety when going into a store to get groceries for their family. We stand together with everyone in our community against this violence.” said Eric Renner, President of UFCW 1439.

“Today, and in the coming weeks, we will do whatever we can to get support to the workers from this store and the local community,” added Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21.

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Combined, UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 represent over 50,000 workers in grocery stores, health care, food processing and many other industries across Washington, northeast Oregon, and northern Idaho