Welcome to our Union Seattle Kraken Team Store workers

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Welcome to UFCW 3000 Seattle Kraken Team Store workers! After Mariners retail workers joined our union in September, the team made a thrilling playoff run—will the Kraken follow suit? When we fight, we all win!

With Mariners and Kraken Team Stores now union, that’s 200 new good union jobs in our city’s sports stadiums. Together we will be fighting to raise wages and improve standards for workers who support our favorite sports teams. Congratulations to all!


UFCW 3000 Member Story: Maureen Williams

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It’s #MemberMonday, and today’s spotlight is on Maureen Williams, who currently works at Fred Meyer in Covington, WA. Maureen has been working in the grocery industry since she immigrated to the U.S. from her homeland of Guyana in South America.

Originally, Maureen was a seasonal worker and cashier. Through the years, she has worked her way up and is now head of her department! In fact, Maureen is now contemplating retirement in the near future.

Maureen is a proud union member and strong worker-leader. She has been a shop steward since 2017. Most recently, Maureen attended the 2022 Safety Summit and has taken what she learned back to her store & their safety committee.

Maureen says that one of her main motivations for wanting to advocate for her coworkers is the history of the Labor movement in Guyana. One such example is Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, also known as the founding father of the Union Trade Workers in Guyana. Inspired by this history, Maureen believes it’s a necessity to stand up at work for her rights and for her coworkers who might otherwise feel powerless. In her words, being an engaged union member and workplace leader is important because “if there’s not a body of people representing the vulnerable and underdogs, we would be taken advantage of.”

Thank you Maureen for your leadership and strength! It is truly inspiring to witness you connect the organizing we need in our workplace with global movements for justice.

Crossroads Trading - Bargaining Continues

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Crossroad’s management team made it clear their priority is to maintain the status quo, not to listen to worker’s concerns or address wage disparities. When your bargaining team proposed layoff language, Crossroads management said that they didn’t want to give workers much of a voice in the process because they want to maintain ultimate control over business decisions. That’s not right, your voices matter!

Your bargaining team is interested in moving forward with negotiations and ensuring the bargaining process finishes quickly. Crossroads workers have made their priorities clear:

  • Better pay

  • Paid time off and holidays

  • Trans and affordable healthcare

  • Pandemic and safety language to keep workers safe

Crossroads management has only scheduled one meeting time per month and have made it clear their intention is to delay negotiations again until December.

You deserve better from management. Your coworkers are taking action to demand better.

Retail work is real work!

Reach out to your union rep Dominick Ojeda (206) 649-2774 to learn about the plan to win and what actions are coming up.

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s Allowing Little Progress on the Main Issues of Pay, Healthcare, and Retirement

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We met with the employer last Friday on January 15 to bargain. While there was some important progress, there has been little progress on the main issues of pay, healthcare, and retirement. Here’s what happened:

  • The employer tentatively accepted the idea of having severance pay if there is a store closure. But Bartell’s (Rite Aid) does not want to recognize people who have over 10 years of service. Your bargaining committee thinks that is too low, so we proposed an extra week of severance for workers at or above 15 years of service.

  • Bartell Drugs (Rite Aid) has still not made a counterproposal to us on wages since November of last year. They told us that paying workers above minimum wage and increasing that amount by years of service is so “far out” that they didn’t know where to begin. We told them, that editorializing about our proposal was not making their own. They need to make the move, because we aren’t bargaining against ourselves!

  • They are rejecting the idea of Hazard Pay and many other safety protections we proposed during the pandemic.

  • We did not let the subject of wages go at that. We we told them the story of a worker who has been with Bartell’s 30 years and has done just about everything in the store, including helping interview job applicants, and still makes under $15/hr. 

“When I heard this story, it sounds almost identical to mine. I’ve been trained to help with ordering, point of sale merchandising, Rx assistant, cashier, photo department, and just about anything to be done in the store. I am still making less than $15/hr, I can’t imagine working here for 30 years, and still be just above minimum wage! Bartell’s needs to do better for their employees!” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bartell Drugs Clerk and Union Bargaining Committee Member)

Letting the public know about our fight

We will be near the Lower Queen Anne Bartell’s this Friday at 3:30 PM to wave signs letting Seattle know about our fight for a fair contract, a living wage, and hazard pay! We will be outside, masked, and staying socially distant from each other to stay safe. Talk to your Union Rep or shop steward about the action.

Join the Drug Store Workers United Facebook Group

Want to get updates about bargaining, connect with other drug store workers, and build a stronger union? Join the Facebook group for drug store workers!

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s Waffles on Rite Aid Assurances and Questions Hazard Pay and Other Economic Proposals

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Our bargaining committee met with Bartell Drugs Management for bargaining on Friday, December 11. With COVID-19 cases exploding across the country we talked about:

  • The increasingly dangerous COVID-19 conditions in our stores, with some customers breaking social distance at the checkstand and as we stock shelves,

  • The continued security risks with aggressive shoplifting and from anti-maskers,

  • The need for hazard pay as we deal with all of the above.

Bartell’s complained about our proposals’ price tag “in the middle of a pandemic”, but we know that Bartell’s continues to remain very profitable and will do even better when our stores become part of the national effort to vaccinate the country. Meanwhile we struggle to pay the rent, heat our homes, and feed our families.

“At work we raise funds for charities that Bartell’s low pay qualifies us for.” 

— Christina Common (Bartell Drugs Clerk and Union Bargaining Committee Member)

Moving Backwards on Rite Aid Assurances

When Bartell Drugs announced a possible sale to Rite Aid, the Union demanded information about it. Bartell’s sent a letter to the Union saying “its obligations under the Collective Bargaining Agreement will remain unchanged, including responsibilities owed for healthcare benefits, compensation, and other working conditions.”

So we were shocked on Friday when after we asked about an “FAQ” memo sent to employees about the Rite Aid sale, that the answers we got were that Bartell’s was “Not saying we won’t follow” the Union contract, but that “they don’t know what Rite Aid would do.” When we pressed them further about what that meant we were told that “I can only speak for Bartell’s and not Rite Aid,” and that they “don’t know who you will be dealing with at Rite Aid.”

These answers brought-up more questions for us. Most importantly, who should we be bargaining with Bartell and Rite Aid? When the sale was first announced our customers voiced their concern on social media prompting Rite Aid to issue a statement about how they wouldn’t change anything in our Bartell stores. If that was ever really the plan, it sure sounds like it might be changing. Rite Aid and Bartell’s needs follow through on what it promised to the employees and the community that made them a success.

Time to Get Engaged!

Clearly, we have a lot to fight for not just in these negotiations but in our industry as a whole. On Thursday, December 17 at 6 PM we will be having a Tele-Town Hall for Drug Store Workers in our union. Workers from Rite Aid and other drug stores will be joining us to talk about our common issues with COVID safety, the need for livable wages, and getting organized to take on the corporate greed of our employers. 

Since this is a Tele-Town Hall you will get a call to join, but just incase you miss it, or need to join later, the number to call is 888-652-5404, and the meeting code is 5549.

Bartell Drugs - Wages and a Secure Future

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The Union Bartell Bargaining Team met with Bartell’s management on Friday, October 23. Up top we brought up the sale of Bartell Drugs to Rite Aid:

  • We are pleased to hear that if Rite Aid acquires Bartell, they have pledged to stay independent and to honor our Union contract.

  • We asked about layoffs or store closures as a result of the sale of Bartell’s to Rite Aid and were told no closures were planned. 

  • Your Bargaining Team proposed severance pay if there are store closures now, or in the future. 

Bartell’s responded to some of the Union’s proposals, and while there was movement on things like Bereavement and leave for stewards to work with the Union, we were disappointed that Bartell’s proposed:  

  • A wage scale that gave little or no raises for most Bartell workers.

“What I saw was no raises this year, or next year, and then a nickel for a raise in 2022 for me and a lot of my coworkers. We need a wage scale that keeps us above minimum wage, especially if we have been loyal employees for years.” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bargaining Team)

  • Eliminating all of our premium overtime, except for when we work more that 40 hours.

  • Rejected our proposals to increase premium pay like Sunday and Late Night pay.

Bartell’s Needs to Know That We are Serious and That We Deserve More!

We have worked hard to make Bartell Drugs a success, and to serve our customers and our communities. That is why Rite Aid was interested in buying Bartell’s in the first place.

Soon we will have stickers to let Bartell’s know that we won’t settle for less than a fair contract with living wages! 

“I’m not accepting these proposals, and you shouldn’t either. That’s why I’ll be wearing a sticker! If we stand together then we can get a fair contract together.” 

— Christina Common 

NEXT CAT Meeting: We will have another Contract Action Team meeting on November 2 @ 7PM to update you. Make sure everyone has stickers in their stores and to plan our next action!