Grocery East Bargaining Update

Our union member Bargaining Committee had our second bargaining session with the Employers to fight for a safer workplace, maintain and strengthen our benefits, and improve wages.

Over the two days of bargaining, we came to several Tentative Agreements:

• Greater Workplace Safety. We secured an agreement for a Master Safety Committee, which will allow us to raise safety issues that are not being addressed at the store level, up to the corporate Management level. We also established yearly walk-through trainings for emergency situations, including natural disasters and active shooter situations.

• Increases to Leaves of Absences for personal illness/pregnancy from 6 months to 9 months.

• The ability to keep our information updated so that we can get critical information about our wages, benefits and working conditions.

We continued to trade proposals over important contract language items, including:

• Funding for Workforce Training, so we can get the training we need and expand the Meat Cutters Apprenticeship Program around the state of Washington.

• Worker Severance and Retention language to ensure that, in the event of any merger or sale of the companies, the Employer must retain workers for a set period and compensate workers fairly if there are lay offs or terminations.

• Allowing workers to accept tips from customers.

We also proposed the following IMPROVEMENTS to our contract:

• Improve vacation accruals and lower qualifying threshold for vacation. We proposed vacation accruals be based off the average of hours worked in the previous 12 months. This will help ensure that no worker gets less vacation per week than they normally work per week. Additionally, we proposed to lower the threshold to qualify for vacation from 1000 hours to 800 hours worked in a year.

• Increased scheduling notice so we can better plan our lives.

• Add Presidents Day as an additional holiday.

• Align past experience credit among all contracts so workers can claim more hours upon hire.

We proposed the following UPDATES to our contract:

• Align notice of technological changes in the store with other UFCW 3000 grocery store contracts.

Finally, we made a comprehensive economic proposal that would:

• Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract.

• Institute one wage scale for all UFCW 3000 Eastern Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho and the same journey wage rate across all grocery scales.

• Gain ground on Puget Sound clerk wage rates, because the cost of living is high everywhere!

• Create raises of multiple dollars for Journey Meat Cutters over the life of the contract, a proposed dollar premium for Head Meat Cutter, and new designation of Head Butcher Block.

• Increase the amount between steps from $0.10 above minimum wage and $0.05 between steps to $0.25 and above the minimum wage and between steps so that every step sees an increase as the minimum wage increases with cost of living.

• Reduce the length of our wage scales so our coworkers can reach the Journey rate sooner.

• Maintain our strong healthcare plan and coverage and improve benefits without increasing employee premiums.

• Fund our pension and increase contributions and benefits for future earned benefits.

• Institute resort store pay premiums for Chelan, Leavenworth, Sandpoint and CDA.

• Award $800 longevity bonuses for workers with more than 10 years of service.

• Create premiums for short staffing & Person-In-Charge pay.

• Make a quicker path to Journey for Meat Cutters that complete the Meat Apprenticeship program.

• Ensure full back pay to date of expiration.

Next bargaining dates: January 10, 11 and 12

Join us and show our unity in fighting for a strong contract!

• Sign a Strike Pledge Card.

• Remember to fill out the Worker Research Committee survey about the state of safety and operations at your store. >>

• Wear your union buttons at work!

• More information:

• To get updates and join the fight to Stop the Mega-Merger, go to nogrocerymerger.com

• For information about your health care plan with Rehn go to www.ufcwhealth.com or call  800-872-8979

• If you have questions about the Pension and the Sound Health and Wellness Trust contact Zenith at soundretirmenttrust.com or call 800-225-7629

PRESS RELEASE: UFCW Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770 and 3000

Economist Report Goes Deep into Economic Analysis of Proposed Mega Grocery Store Merger and the Harms to Working Communities

A new report issued by economist Marshall Steinbaum from the University of Utah delves into the proposed mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons in ways that have not been fully looked at over the past year. This is important information for any people involved in researching, reporting upon, or assessing the potential impacts that such a mega-merger could have.

• Marshall Steinbaum’s new research paper, utilizing a large database of posted job offers, demonstrates that the Kroger-Albertsons merger would reduce individual worker’s bargaining power as well as their union’s power.

• The paper shows that increased employer concentration has negative effects on both earnings and work hours.

• Importantly, the paper shows that union workers receive higher pay when there are two bargaining counterparties in a given labor market as opposed to when there’s only one.

The Presidents from UFCW Locals 5, 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 who have been leaders in the efforts to oppose the proposed merger since it was announced over a year ago provided support for the report:

“Our ability to raise wages and standards in general depends on our ability to pit these companies against one another at the bargaining table—threaten to strike one while directing customers to the other,” the presidents called out. “If these two companies were to become just one company, that power would go away and that harms workers as well as customers.”

The full report, entitled: Evaluating the Competitive Effect of the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger in Labor Markets, can be found here:  https://marshallsteinbaum.org/assets/kroger_albertsons_labor.pdf

Workers across the country have experienced the impacts described in the report:

“In our most recent contract negotiations we were able to leverage one company’s fear of losing market share to their competitor and we used that to get improvements in our contract that they wouldn’t have agreed to otherwise. That helped us get historic raises that would never happen if there were just one company,” says Rachel Fournier, a Los Angeles, CA Ralphs employee.  

“I feel this merger would only bring a negative impact on the workers. Staffing, safety, and our seat at the bargaining table would all come under threat while the corporations reap the benefits from our hardship,” echoed Rena Zagala-Fondren, a Safeway worker from Los Gatos, CA.

A Seattle area worker had an additional response. “For years we have been facing reduced staffing levels in our stores – during and after COVID. Our experience is that this would only get worse if the mega merger were allowed. We need to increase staffing, improve our schedules, and increase our leverage as unionized grocery store workers, not go the other way,” said Sam Dancy, a Front-End Manager at Kroger-owned QFC store in West Seattle, WA.

Jill Young, a just-retired grocery store worker from Grand Junction, CO stated, “I started in ’86, was on strike in ’93 and ’96. Over the years I have been injured more than a couple times and had to take off six months or more to get better. The company tried to cut the leave time to one month. Having a union that was organized, and willing and able to strike was part of what kept that benefit in place. There are young workers just starting out who deserve a future with a union workplace and the leverage I have had. This proposed merger threatens that future.”

Judy Wood, a cake decorator for Albertsons in Orange, CA raised several of her concerns, “The power we have when we bargain collectively leads to improvements in stores for both workers and customers. Workers have higher wages and stores are safer now because we have the power to fix hazards that we won through our last contract bargaining session. If this merger goes through, we will lose some of that power, putting the public in a worse position.”

Benjamin Blum, a night crew employee at Thousand Oaks, CA Ralphs added his thoughts: “Our unionized workplaces have competitive wages and benefits because workers have fought for and won them. If the proposed megamerger were approved, workers will lose leverage and be more vulnerable to a single massive employer that would bully and retaliate against workers.”

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UFCW 3000 Member Story: Shop Steward Matthew Kendrick

Shop Steward Matthew Kendrick

Matthew Kendrick has been the shop steward at the Bremerton Fred Meyer for 4 years. As he has gotten more involved in helping and advocating for his coworkers, he decided to get trained to represent union members during investigatory meetings that could lead to discipline. Recently, he put that training to use when a coworker was being investigated around a shoplifting incident at the store.

Union members have the right to ask for representation before they answer questions that the member reasonably believes could result in discipline. This is often called Weingarten Rights (named after the 1975 Supreme Court case confirmed them), and they are key to ensuring that your right to “just cause” (due process) before employers issue discipline to union members.

The most important thing for union members to know is that they have to request representation before, or during, an investigatory meeting, management doesn’t have to. That is precisely what happened when a coworker contacted Matthew to represent them in an investigatory meeting!

Before the meeting even starts, Weingarten Stewards will make sure that the member understands that they have to answer questions, but that if management is asking leading or unfair questions, the steward can step in to object and advise the member on the best way to respond. Stewards and members also have the right to pause the meeting and find a private place to talk. Most of all, the steward takes notes on the member’s behalf and works with union staff to ensure that management is being fair both in its investigation and in any discipline issued.

Matthew did just that for his coworker and then advocated for reducing the discipline from termination to a written warning. Shoplifting policies are often very tough; terminations are often upheld even when the union files a grievance. But because shoplifting has become so widespread, blatant, and sometimes aggressive, UFCW 3000 reached an agreement with grocery store employers that termination is NOT always the right answer.

When discussing the incident with management, Matthew pointed out that his coworker had been with Fred Meyer for decades and had always been a model employee, sometimes spending more waking hours at Fred Meyer than at home. While there was a policy violation, the worker was acting to protect their coworkers and the place where they all spent so much of their lives, and a warning would correct the problem. Management agreed to reduce the discipline to a written warning instead of automatic termination!

Matthew used an important shop steward skill in this situation: negotiation and persuasion. Grievances and arbitrations are important to hold employers to account when there is no other choice when defending union members’ rights, but informally solving problems in cooperation can often get better results more quickly for workers when they are in a jam.

Matthew’s story is a great example of the difference that union representation can make in an investigatory meeting. And it happened because the worker requested representation!

If you would like to find out more about your rights as a union member, are interested in becoming a shop steward, or want to further your steward education, contact your rep or sign up for training here on our website.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Phil Gillette & Elizabeth Olson

Phil Gillette and Elizabeth Olson

Phil Gillette and Elizabeth Olson both work at the Bellingham Fred Meyer. But their true passion lies in the rabbit rescue that they started.

Bunanza Rabbit Rescue Ranch and Adoption Center got its start in 2015 when someone dumped a post-Easter bunny on Phil and Elizabeth's property in Lynden WA. Soon after they rescued another bunny running down the middle of a highway. Out of love for those first two rabbits in need, Bunanza has grown to include dozens of volunteers and has helped over 750 bunnies find permanent homes – all of them spayed or neutered, socialized, litter trained and vet verified to be healthy.

Phil and Elizabeth are vital members of their community, both at the grocery store and on the expanse of Bunanza Rabbit Resue Ranch!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Jenny Johnson De-Escalates A Dangerous Situation

Jenny Johnson

Unfortunately, grocery and retail workers are dealing with more violence in their workplaces, and it too often involves firearms. Since these workers are in public-facing businesses there is little between them and the world’s problems.

Jenny Johnson works at the Twin Lakes Fred Meyer and was at work recently when a shooting took place. She approached one of the victims who was at one of the front doors wounded. She noticed that he was holding a gun and so she stopped and said she would help as long as he put the gun aside. Once the gun was out of the situation Jenny and a coworker walked the victim over to the customer-service desk and applied towels to the wounds. When the paramedics arrived Jenny was able to keep the victim calm and encouraged him to answer all questions of the first responders at the scene.

But now Jenny is concerned because of the lack of an emergency door near the customer service area. Her coworkers upfront brought up that the Tacoma and Puyallup locations have emergency doors nearby to allow for quick and safe evacuation. We agree that this is a reasonable request of Fred Meyer to keep these workers safe!

Education and Safety Resources are available through our Union!

You and your co-workers are the key to building a strong union that advocates for safety in every workplace >>

Workers Win Case to Wear Black Lives Matter Buttons

UFCW 3000 Press Release

For Immediate Release: May 3, 2023

Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

Workers Win Case for Wearing Black Lives Matter Buttons on the Job –

Fred Meyer and QFC (both Kroger-owned stores) Must Allow Workers to Wear Their Buttons

In a clear statement of the rights of workers to wear buttons and other materials such as masks at work, as part of collective, concerted activity, the Administrative Law Judge, from the National Labor Relations Board Division of Judges in San Francisco today ruled in favor of UFCW 3000’s case for workers wearing Black Lives Matter buttons and ruled against Fred Meyer’s attempts to curtail that right.

Finding in favor of the Union’s core argument that the workers’ actions were protected under Federal labor law because racism is a workplace issue, Administrative Law Judge Mara-Louise Anzalone wrote in their decision that, “by collectively displaying the ‘Black Lives Matter’ message on their work uniforms, the employees in this case acted to advance their interest—as employees—to an affirmatively anti-racist, pro-civil rights, and pro-justice workplace.”

The judge’s ruling also struck down the Employers’ overly broad dress codes.

The ALJ’s decision essentially agreed with earlier findings in this case going back to the September of 2022 finding of Region 19 of the National Relations Labor Board (NLRB) that Fred Meyer and QFC violated federal labor law when they prohibited workers from wearing union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons. There was a lengthy trial before the ALJ when Kroger refused to reach a settlement agreement. The decision by the ALJ was issued today and is subject to appeal to the NLRB in Washington DC.

Sam Dancy outside of his QFC in the summer of 2020

“It feels good to win again! When we as workers speak out through these buttons and collectively say Black Lives Matter and then QFC and Fred Meyer said to take the buttons off, that was insulting and a violation of the law. We knew all along we had the right to call out social and racial injustice in the workplace and in our neighborhoods and this judge’s decision reiterates that right,” said Sam Dancy a Front End Supervisor at the Westwood Village QFC in West Seattle, WA who has worked for QFC for over 30 years. 

UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther concluded, “It is important that workers’ rights and legal standards be protected. Kroger, the owner QFC and Fred Meyer continues to be a problem and needs to do a better job of hiring and promoting workers who are Black at every level of the company and making it clear that it will not tolerate racism from customers or employees.”

Background

After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, many UFCW 21 members working in grocery and retail stores chose to express their opposition to racism at work and in the community by wearing face masks (otherwise worn for protection from COVID) or other items bearing the Black Lives Matter slogan.

Although Kroger issued public statements expressing sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement, managers at Kroger-owned stores in Western Washington started ordering UFCW 21 members to remove Black Lives Matter masks in August 2020.

UFCW 21 responded to the company’s Black Lives Matter ban by collaborating with Fred Meyer and QFC workers to distribute union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons with the UFCW 21 logo. When managers banned the Union buttons, UFCW 21 filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Kroger’s ban and the Union response received widespread local and national attention. In September of 2021, Region 19 of the NLRB ruled in favor of the UFCW 3000 grocery store workers. The case was unable to reach a settlement and therefore went to trial in April of 2022 before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who today ruled in the favor of the workers and found Kroger’s Fred Meyer and QFC were in the wrong and had violated the workers’ rights. As a result of the ruling, the workers will be allowed to wear the buttons.

UFCW 3000 represents over 50,000 workers at grocery stores, retail, healthcare, and other industry jobs.

UFCW 3000 Members & Grocery Store Workers Across Nation to Hold Actions Opposing Kroger-Albertsons Megamerger

Coming soon to a store near you!

Leaflet Actions in Front of Kroger and Albertsons Stores “Stop The Merger – protect jobs, shoppers and access to food”

Grocery store workers from seven UFCW Local Unions – representing over 100,000 Kroger and Albertsons workers in eleven states and the District of Columbia – will hold actions in front of stores between April 4th – 13th to connect with customers about the impacts of the proposed megamerger.  Since the companies announced the proposed merger in October, workers, unions, consumer groups and others have raised the alarm about the negative impact on workers, shoppers, and suppliers such as farmers and ranchers. In mid-March a national coalition of over 100 organizations was announced with a new website: https://www.nogrocerymerger.com/

If the $24.6 billion megamerger is approved, it will drive out competition, increase food prices, create food deserts, and put up to 100,000 union jobs at risk. The growing opposition is asking the Federal Trade Commission to block the megamerger from moving forward and prevent its negative impact on both consumer and labor markets.

All the local unions include: UFCW 3000 (WA & northern ID), UFCW 400 (MD,  DC, VA, WV, OH, KY, TN), UFCW  7 (CO & WY),  UFCW 770 (Southern CA), UFCW 5 (Northern CA), and UFCW 324 (Orange County CA/Southern Los Angeles County) and  UFCW 367, South Puget Sound of Washington State.

Join Us!

As part of these actions in states across the nation. UFCW 3000 will be holding over twenty-five actions across Washington state, including the following dates, times, locations:

4/4/2023 11:00AM
Fred Meyer Port Orchard,
1900 SE Sedgwick Rd, Port Orchard, WA

4/4/2023 11:00AM
Fred Meyer Ballard,
915 NW 45Th St, Seattle, WA

4/5/2023 10:30AM
QFC 825,
2500 SW Barton St, Seattle WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 3317,
3355 Bethel RD Port Orchard, WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 414,
4301 212th St SW, Mountlake Terrace, WA

4/5/2023 11:00AM
Safeway 464,
17246 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA

4/5/2023 12:00PM
QFC 826,
15600 NE 8th St Suite K-1 Bellevue, WA

4/5/2023 1:00 PM
Haggen 3450,
2601 E Divition St, Mount Vernon, WA

4/5/2023 1:45 PM
QFC 829,
460 E North Bend Way, North Bend, WA

4/5/2023 2:00 PM
Albertsons 471,
301 Marysville Mall, Marysville, WA

4/5/2023 2:15 PM
Haggen 3436,
757 Haggen Dr, Burlington, WA 

4/5/2023 3:00 PM 18325
Fred Meyer 13,
18325 Aurora Ave. N

4/5/2023 4:00 PM
Albertsons 3412,
1128 N Miller St, Wenatchee, WA

4/5/2023 4:30 PM
Safeway 3213,
15332 Aurora Ave N Shoreline, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Albertsons 453,
4621 Sunset Blvd. NE, Renton, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Safeway 494,
152 Roosevelt Way E, Enumclaw, WA

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
Albertsons 483,
4010 A St. SE, Auburn, WA

4/6/2023 3:00 PM
Fred Meyer 172,
10201 SE 240th St., Kent, WA

4/6/2023 3:00 PM
Fred Meyer 209,
9925 State Street, Marysville, WA 

4/6/2023 4:00 PM
Safeway 252,
690 Gage Blvd, Richland, WA 

4/6/2023 4:00 PM
Albertsons 265,
6520 North Nevada St., Spokane, WA

4/6/2023 6:00 PM
Fred Meyer 101,
Wellsian Way, Richland, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
Safeway 1524
1401 NE McWilliams Rd, Bremerton, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
QFC Ballard,
5700 24th Ave NW, Seattle, WA

4/7/2023 11:00 AM
Safeway 1524,
1401 NE McWilliams Rd Bremerton WA 98311

4/6/2023 12:00 PM
QFC Holman Road,
9999 Holman Rd NW, Seattle, WA

4/7/2023 12:15 PM
Fred Meyer 171
5050 WA-303, Bremerton WA

Taking Our Fight Against the Corporate Grocery Mega-Merger to the FTC!

UFCW 3000 Leadership with allies ready to testify before the federal trade commission

UFCW 3000 and our fellow UFCW locals continue to work aggressively to stop the mega-merger between Albertsons/Safeway and Kroger (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC).

Recently, union presidents from UFCW Locals 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 presented compelling evidence to the Federal Trade Commission on the negative impacts of this merger and our negative experiences with past grocery mergers. Representatives from 10 states’ Attorneys General offices attended, along with UFCW 3000 member and leader Naomi Oligario, a longtime Safeway worker from Port Orchard who shared her story of how the Safeway-Albertsons merger caused her and two other family members to lose their jobs.

We will not stop fighting against this corporate greed and overreach, and bring frontline grocery store workers’ voices front and center so our lawmakers, regulators, and employers hear directly from experts who work in these stores and serve our communities every day.

Take Action!

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Read on to hear some of what Naomi and our president, Faye Guenther, shared.

“My name is Naomi Oligario. I started working at my local Safeway store, in Port Orchard, Washington in 1985. I raised my four kids with my income and benefits from this job. My kids were Safeway babies. As they have grown up, over the years, at one point or another, each have worked at a Safeway store. And my customers are like family too. It is a tight relationship that we all have. We share our triumphs and our tragedies.

In 2015, after nearly 30 years with the company, after coming in on extra shifts, doing extra work to make the store run, after working through holidays, I found out one day, without any advance notice or for-planning, that my store would be bought by Haggen, and that no one would be allowed to transfer to another store. […]

I lived through the debacle of my Safeway store closing, and the new Haggen opening, but quickly it became clear that this was not a good situation. The prices were too high. Many of my loyal customers, within three weeks or less, came to me with tears in their eyes and apologized to me. They said they’d tried but could not shop here anymore. Sales dropped through the floor. Our hours were cut, and quickly many staff were having to look for work elsewhere any where they could find employment… This impacted three income earners in my one family. But the fallout from that failed merger was huge. It was not just me and my family. Similar experiences were felt by workers at over a hundred closed stores. […]

It’s just greed. Plain and simple. A few months ago, back in November, I was in the Senate Subcommittee hearing room and saw the Kroger CEO say they would not close stores or lay off workers. Under oath he said that to a US Senator. But they’re not telling the truth. They will end up closing stores and laying off workers just like happened to me, my family and my co-workers seven years ago. And our customers will lose out again too. This merger is a bad idea and needs to be stopped.”

Naomi (L) and FAYE (R) traveled to speak directly with the ftc on the proposed merger.

“My name is Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 3000, representing 50,000 workers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. I represented workers in Fred Meyer in 1999, prior to its purchase by Kroger. In 2008, I represented workers in Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and Haggen. […]

Haggen was a 90-year-old, union, family-owned company, headquartered in Bellingham, WA. After the divestiture of 146 stores to Haggen (as a result of the Albertsons/Safeway merger), we watched this once-local company go bankrupt in a few short months. Workers were hurt in too many ways to enumerate here today. Instead of offering competition, all remaining Haggen stores now belong to Albertson.

The divested Haggen stores were in trouble fast. Something was wrong and workers started calling us immediately. At the store by my house, the banner was changed, but the only things that changed in the store were higher prices and wilted lettuce. Customers fled. Hours were cut, impacting everything from pension contributions to healthcare qualifications and leave banks. 

After bankruptcy, we had to then negotiate with Albertsons, to try restore workers who re-applied to get their seniority back which impacted Sunday pay, healthcare and every other wage and benefit issue.”

Watch: Albertsons-Kroger Merger Update Webinar

Attention all UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Members at QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway and Haggen
 
Ever since the day in mid-October when Kroger and Albertsons announced they were proposing to merge, we have been taking action to protect grocery store workers and our customers. What are all the threats of the merger and what actions have we taken already to protect jobs and community? Please watch the webinar above on the proposed Albertsons/Kroger merger to learn more about the activities our local union, in coordination with a handful of other UFCW locals, has been doing since the announcement. While much is still not known about what specifically these companies propose, it is clear that the proposed mega-merger would impact workers’ jobs, our shoppers and our communities.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Terry Lakes

Terry Lakes, UFCW 3000 member & GROCERY STORE WORKER AT FRED MEYER

It’s #MemberMonday, and today we’re spotlighting Terry Lakes, who currently works at Fred Meyer in Auburn, where she’s worked for the past 33 years!

Terry is originally from Iowa, but moved to Auburn, WA at a young age and considers both places her home. While Terry started her career in healthcare, working in a nursing home, she has been in the grocery industry for so many years because of her bond with her coworkers and customers. For Terry, her coworkers are like family! Terry is always ready to greet you, whether you’re a customer or a coworker, with a warm smile.

Terry’s solidarity with her coworkers has also motivated her to be a leader in her workplace. Since 2015, she’s been a shop steward, and in recent years, she’s also been active in getting coworkers, customers, and community members involved in contract campaigns.

When she’s not working, Terry loves to read and tend to her home. We are so grateful to Terry for the knowledge, expertise, and compassion that she brings to not only her store but our entire Union. Thank you Terry!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Maureen Williams

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.

Fred Meyer North Bellingham: We Won Our Union in General Merchandise!

We are proud to share that Fred Meyer has recognized our union at North Bellingham in the General Merchandise side, and we are joining our coworkers as members of UFCW 3000!  

This took many years of work, and it’s worth celebrating our big win. Union protections include a legal contract with guaranteed wages and benefits, and union workers also have job protections and rights on the job that non-union workers don’t have. We will also have access to high-quality and affordable healthcare through our CBA, and a pension that the company will be making contributions to at 2.8% of salary.

Winning our right to unionize is just the beginning. Now it’s time to take the next steps:

• Learning about our rights

• Learning our contract

• Recruiting workplace leaders to become our trained Shop Stewards

• Getting to know our UFCW 3000 Union Representative

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Some of our most important rights on the job are around meetings with management, known as “Weingarten rights.” 

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.

CONTACTING THE UNION

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. 

OUR UNION REPRESENTATIVE

Our UFCW 3000 Union Representative is Aisha Womack. Aisha represents workers at multiple work locations and employers, and can help address workplace issues, organize for change in the workplace, support contract bargaining and enforcement, and more. Contact Aisha at 360-419-4681.

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 our Union Rep Aisha at 360-419-4681, or call the union’s education director Marc Auerbach at 206-436-6519.

Stop the Kroger Albertsons Merger and the Cash Grab - Add your name!

Stop the Kroger Albertsons Merger and the Cash Grab - Add your name!

We would like to send an email to the FTC’s AntiTrust division and add your name to the growing list endorsing the letter we sent on 11/3 expressing concern about this proposed merger.

On November 3, 26 organizations, including UFCW 3000, wrote a formal letter to the Federal Trade Commission raising serious concerns regarding the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons. That letter concluded with the following:

 “The bottom line is that this proposed merger is bad for workers, bad for consumers, bad for communities, bad for the economy—indeed, bad for everyone not associated with Cerberus Capital Management or owning shares in these two companies. We urge you to take immediate action to stop the special dividend payment and block this merger altogether.”

UFCW Locals Applaud Actions of Attorneys General to Protect Workers and Consumers Impacted by Albertsons Proposed $4 Billion Payout

UFCW 5 - UFCW 7 - UFCW 324 - UFCW 367 - UFCW 770 - UFCW 3000 - Teamsters 38

 For immediate release: October 26, 2022
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

In part of the proposed merger announced by Kroger and Albertsons less than two weeks ago, the companies buried that Albertsons is planning a $4 billion payout to shareholders. Today, six Attorneys General including CA and WA pushed back on Albertsons to protect workers and consumers by demanding the companies stop the issuance of the special dividend until regulatory review of the merger is complete.

We expect the CEOs to respond positively to the Attorneys General by the end of the day on Friday and stop the issuance of the special dividend. Any effort to rush this payment threatens thousands of jobs of essential grocery store workers and millions of shoppers who would suffer from reduced competition, reduced choice and increased costs in markets across the United States. 

We applaud Attorneys General Ferguson (WA), Bonta (CA), and Racine (DC) for their leadership and action to protect workers and consumers in our state.

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Essential Grocery Store Workers Say: Stop Albertsons’ Dividend Payment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2022
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421
Union members and leaders available for media interviews

Seattle, WA – On the heels of the proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, on Tuesday, Albertsons announced that it will pay out a $4 billion dividend to shareholders November 7, 2022. The 64,000+ hard-working members of UFCW 3000, UFCW 367 and Teamsters 38 strongly oppose this dividend payout and are calling upon elected officials and regulators to stop this payment and the resulting devaluation of the company at a time when consumers are facing crushing inflation.

“Taking billions in assets out of a company that is running well, employs hundreds of thousands of essential workers, and provides daily necessities for millions of customers is a bad idea for the workers as well as customers,” said Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 3000. “That $4 billion could be much-better spent to lower prices of food for consumers facing unprecedented levels of inflation, pay workers more or invest in safer stores for workers and customers. Our essential grocery store members will do everything we can to stop Albertsons from squeezing workers and customers to the bone to shower executives and shareholders with billions.”

UFCW is looking to regulators and elected officials to join us in putting public pressure on Albertsons to invest this $4 billion in workers and lower prices for families, rather than enriching executives and shareholders.

“Our stores are already underfunded,” said longtime grocery store worker Kyong Barry who works at the South Auburn Safeway/Albertsons store in Washington State and is a member of UFCW 3000. “Albertsons just wants to pay out stockholders and bosses instead of investing in workers like me or keeping our stores safer for customers. Paying $4 billion to stockholders is ridiculous when skyrocketing food prices are forcing people in our communities to go hungry. Albertsons should be lowering prices instead of padding our bosses’ pockets.”

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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