May 1, 2009

LOCAL 7 GROCERY WORKERS ASK COMPANIES TO MEET THEM HALFWAY & PLAY IT STRAIGHT AT NEGOTIATIONS

Since UFCW Local 7 grocery workers have come up with proposals to reduce health care costs and save the major grocers money, they are asking their employers--King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertsons--to meet them halfway and play it straight at the negotiating table.
 
The companies continue to demand a nearly 50% cut in pension benefits. The companies have told the media they are spending money on advertising for temporary workers in the next few days, although they have yet to put forth a wage proposal for current workers. And even though the deadline is today (April 30) and the union has agreed to a one-year extension of the pension fund’s ‘green’, or solvent status, the company trustees are refusing to do the same, allowing the pension fund to fall into ‘red’, or under-funded, status.
 
Workers from the Safeway Distribution Center today met with corporate negotiators for the last time before the contract expiration of May 9, 2009. The corporation’s final offer did not address any of the workers’ proposals – the corporation is still insisting upon raiding their pension funds and freezing wages for two-thirds of the workers. The workers voted unanimously to reject the offer and authorize a strike. (Since the contracts do not expire until May 9, any such action would not take effect until after that date.)
 
 “Spending money to hire temporary workers, rather than spending money on benefits to current workers, comes as a surprise to people like me who are planning to go to work every day and serve our customers,” said 31-year Safeway employee Elizabeth Orrentia. “I don’t want to strike, I just want to keep on working and get a fair shake from the company.”
 
And according to Safeway meat warehouse worker Herman Jaramillo, "If we don't have pensions through the union, and can not depend on social security, what do we have?"
 
“We agreed to the pension plan extension because we want to give the economy time to recover,” said UFCW Local #7 Associate Counsel Crisanta Duran.  “Instead of meeting the workers halfway on the agreement, and others, the companies continue to play games and use the under-funded pension status as a bargaining chip.
 
“Supporting middle-class workers is key to our economic recovery, as President Obama pointed out earlier this year,” Duran added.  “The President said ‘we need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests, because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.’  The major grocers need to help level the playing field for their workers and our economy.”