We were also able to have a candid conversation with the Employer about economics. They gave us detailed information on their profits and losses and requested an idea of our top economic priorities.
Read MoreOn May 5, our union, along with other UFCW locals across the country, received notice that Rite Aid is filing for bankruptcy again and plans to close all store locations in the coming months. They aim to sell all their stores by August 2025. As we learn more information, we will send communications out through email and through our website.
While we do not yet know the timeline, it is important for all our members at Rite Aid and Bartell Drug stores to know their rights under our current contract.
If you have any questions about the closures or if you’re considering retirement, please call your union representative, Aaron Bailey, at (206) 436-6631.
Members have severance pay rights if their store is closed (see enclosed)
Your pension is still available and will not be affected by Rite Aid’s closure. For any pension questions, please call our pension office, Sound Retirement Trust, directly at (206) 282-4500.
For Bartell Drug members’ healthcare related questions, please call Sound Health and Wellness at (206) 282-4500.
King County Labor Council also has an online union hiring hall to see other union job openings in our area at www.unionhiringhall.org
If you have any questions about the closures or if you’re considering retirement, please call your union representative, Aaron Bailey, at (206) 436-6631.
Our contracts at Bartell Drugs and Rite Aid have strong language in Article 6.9 (2) around you receiving severance if you are laid off due to a store closure:
Years of Service Severance Amount Two (2) through four (4) years 1 week severance Five (5) through six (6) years 2 weeks severance Seven (7) through eight (8) years 3 weeks severance Nine (9) through ten (10) years 4 weeks severance Ten (10) years or more 5 weeks severance
Article 6.9 (3) — Severance pay will equate to the average hours paid in the fourteen (14) weeks, Sunday through Saturday, preceding separation, not to exceed forty (40) hours straight time pay.
Article 6.9 (4) — Workers who receive severance pay shall be paid accrued, unused personal holidays and accrued, unused vacation.
As union members at Rite Aid and Bartell, we have the right to be transferred to a union store in order of seniority. Work with your union rep and Rite Aid HR on relocating to a store nearby.
If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to your Union Reps, Aaron Bailey (206) 436-6631, or our Member Resource Center (866) 210-3000.
We have gotten reports that Bartell Drugs has told members to put in their two weeks’ notice if workers are leaving the company or moving to a non-union store—you will not receive severance pay if you put in your two weeks’ notice instead of being laid off! In order to receive the severance as outlined in our contract, you will need to be laid off by Bartell Drugs/Rite Aid.
Bartell Drugs Contract
https://ufcw3000.org/find-your-contract/2015/2/4/bartell-drugs-contract
Rite Aid Contract
https://ufcw3000.org/find-your-contract/2015/2/25/rite-aid-contract
The Unemployment Law Project: a free service that supports workers receiving their unemployment benefits at (206) 441-9178 or online:
UFCW Represented Work Locations: Stay protected through a union contract at our other represented locations—on our website find “Who We Represent”:
If you are laid off, you should qualify for unemployment benefits through the Washington State Employment Security Department if all have worked at least 680 hours within the last year. You can file a claim for benefits at 800-318-6022 or online:
WE WON! The 11 unionized stores across the country successfully turned out tens of thousands of members to reject the cherry-picked corporate Board candidates! This was a huge sign to the co-op that REI members and workers want to bring the co-op back to its founding values. Members across the country sent a message to the co-op: STOP UNION BUSTING and BARGAIN A FAIR CONTRACT WITH WORKERS!
Read MoreOn Tuesday, April 29, our Bargaining Team met with Management for our third bargaining session. We are excited to report we reached further Tentative Agreements on:
Read MoreOn Tuesday, April 22, our bargaining team met with management for our second bargaining session.
The employer was able to provide us some responses on non-economics and we were able to reach tentative agreements on:
Monthly employee roster lists to be provided to our union
Access to the workplace for our union representative
An introduction to our union during employee onboarding
Leaves of absence for union business
Safety and equal protection from unlawful harassment
Just cause for workplace discipline
We were also able to provide them with our initial economic proposals, covering retirement, wages, healthcare, and other benefits. We still expect to continue working through non-economic items next week in bargaining but wanted to give the employer a chance to digest these ideas for future sessions.
"It felt like things moved slowly today, but when we reviewed our tentative agreements it was surprising how much we had accomplished."
— Sophia Cerreta, Savory & Bread Departments
Our bargaining team (left to right): Sophia Cerreta, Savory & Bread Departments; Frankie Hull, Delivery Driver; Miller Hammond, Barista; Haley Rydberg, Bread & Pastry Departments
Our union bargaining team: Emelia Carpio, Yoko Newsome, Roxan Seibel, Mohamed Muhidin, Sadia Ahmed
From day one of negotiations, we have fought for a fair contract! We have come prepared for every session, ready to bargain to reach a fair deal. Now, Hudson is delaying our bargaining process with weeks of delay between bargaining sessions. We have given Hudson our full economic and non-economic proposals.
At our last session on April 16, Hudson made:
NO response to our economic proposal
NO meaningful steps to address on-time breaks
NO guarantees to prevent another lapse in our healthcare coverage (because of Hudson!)
NO effort to address the understaffing crisis in our stores
Hudson is also failing to meet its contractual obligations. Here are some things our union has filed contract grievances for what Hudson has failed to do:
Make timely 401k retirement payments for months in 2024
Schedule stockers and specialty stores according to our contract
Ready to fight and win? Here’s what you can do:
Wear your UFCW 3000 lanyard at work
Come update your contact information at our next meeting
Sign our bargaining petition and help your coworkers sign too
Upcoming Bargaining Dates
May 15
June 24, 25, and 26
Union Information Meeting
April 23
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Airport Food Court
Our union will be at the airport food court on April 23. If you have any questions, please reach out to your union representative Aaron Bailey at (360) 409-0551.
We are the Union. The members of UFCW 3000 are over 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, & other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon, and northern Idaho. UFCW 3000 is a chartered member of UFCW International with over 1.4 million workers in North America.
To build a powerful Union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and in our communities.
