UFCW 3000 Member Story: Members Leaders Fight for Safety at the U-District Safeway

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From Left to Right Prince Heart, Kevin Daly, and Sean Ricco at the U-District Safeway

The University District in Seattle has long had reputation of having problems with people experiencing mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Unfortunately the housing crisis has only made these issues more visible and at times more dangerous. Workers at the Seattle U-District Safeway have been dealing with a series of increasingly violent incidents at their store, especially in the liquor department.

Prince Hart, Sean Ricco, Kevin, Daly, and Solas McGregor decided to take action to highlight their safety concerns. They started a petition to discuss their concerns and ways to help solve the problem. After collecting a majority of signatures of their coworkers they “marched on the boss” to talk with store management about the probelm.

Out of their talks they got agreements to post a security guard in the liquor dept during operating hours, an additional security guard to sweep the store, have two members scheduled in liquor so no one is alone, and the use of walkie talkies for dept leads to enable quick communication of potentially dangerous situations. U-D district Safeway workers now have some additional tools to deal with potential violence in their workplace.

Safeway can’t directly control larger problems outside the store, but it is clearly the Employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace and have a plan in place to deal with violence in the workplace. And workers have a right to take collective action to make sure the Employer lives up to that responsibility, and to push management to do more when necessary.

If you and your coworkers are facing problems like these in the workplace, reach out to your Union Representative who can help create a plan of action to fight and win, just like U-District Safeway union members did!

Grocery East Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington?

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Why do the Bosses think you deserve less than grocery workers in Western Washington? 

In our last bargaining session, the Employers told us that because cost of living is lower in Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho, journey union members do not need the same kind of raises as the Westside. Over the last two days of bargaining, we came to correct this.  

We know that Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Oregon grocery workers desperately need and deserve meaningful raises. We presented data on rising rents and home sale prices in our region. We compared Westside and Eastside counties which have very similar housing costs and very different wages.  

We compared a grocery basket in Spokane and near Seattle to show that the astronomical food prices set by these companies are the same regardless of where you live. Our grocery costs are the same, our rents are the same, and it’s all going up. But they insist on keeping a wage scale that pays us DOLLARS less!  

Bargaining committee members shared our stories: having to choose between paying the power or the water bill that month, putting our children’s healthcare costs before our own, and struggling to afford to pay for the gas to get to work. We also shared over 100 stories submitted from UFCW 3000 grocery members under these Eastside contracts. Kroger and Albertsons can afford to pay us the wages we need so we don’t have to choose between buying groceries or putting gas in the tank.  

If Safeway can afford a 4 billion dividend, they can afford to pay us what is fair. If Fred Meyer can afford to buy Safeway, they can afford to pay us what is fair. 

While we educated the Employers on what it’s like trying to survive on these wages, we stayed strong, pushing the proposals we need: 

  • Create Journey wage increases of multiple dollars over the life of the contract that gain ground on the West side.  

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

  • 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 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.   

All the while the employers only came up $0.10 in the third year of their wage proposal. Proposing $0.50/$0.50/$0.60. This is not enough! 

We’ll be back next week for bargaining. Next bargaining dates: February 15 and 16   

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

More information: 

National Press Conference on Opposition to Kroger and Albertsons’ Proposed Mega-Merger

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For Immediate Release – Wednesday January 24th, 2024

PRESS ADVISORY for Friday, January 26th, 2024 (9AM PST, 12 noon EST)

Virtual Press Conference. Register HERE in advance

Grocery Store Workers and their UFCW Local Unions Hold National Press Conference on Ongoing Efforts to Oppose Kroger and Albertsons’ Proposed Mega-Merger

What: A national press conference to update media and expose many of the troubling details underlying the proposed merger as well as debunking the claims being made by the companies about themselves, the reasons for the proposed merger in the 1st place, the troubling picture of C&S as the proposed divestiture company, and more. Short informational session will be followed by a Q and A session for the media.

Who: 

  • Faye Guenther, President, UFCW 3000 (WA)

  • Tom Olson, Grocery store worker and UFCW 7 member (CO)

  • John Marshall, CFA, Capital Strategies Director, UFCW 324 (CA) and UFCW 3000 (WA)

Upon request, post event interviews can be arranged for media with local grocery store workers in Washington State. And interviews with grocery store members at UFCW locals in CA, WA, CO and the Washington DC/surrounding states areas can also be arranged.

When: Friday January 26, 2024: 9 AM PST, 12 Noon EST

Where: Pre-register here in advance of the press conference HERE >>

Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

Update on Our Efforts to Protect Workers and Customers from the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger/C&S Divestiture

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We wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to oppose the proposed merger between The Kroger Company (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons Companies, Inc. (parent company of Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores) and their proposed divestiture of stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

  1. On Monday, January 15, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington court to block the proposed merger. Our UFCW 3000 endorsement of this legal action and a quote from UFCW 3000 grocery store member Yasmin Ashur who works at the Port Orchard Albertsons was part of the news coverage in the Seattle Times news article linked above and other news stories nationwide.

  2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is continuing its review of the proposed merger, and we continue to work closely with them. Many analysts feel it is more than likely that the FTC will challenge the merger. Our local union, in coalition with other local unions from across the United States, has provided extensive information about the proposed merger to the FTC. We remain hopeful that the FTC will also challenge the proposed merger. Both the courts and the FTC have the power to potentially block the merger from being completed.

  3. Recently, Kroger and Albertsons have announced a delay to the merger timeline, until potentially as late as August. No doubt this delay is in response to both news of the lawsuit and the pressure campaign mounted by a broad swath of consumer groups, unions, farmers, ranchers, and others committed to preventing the harmful effects of this merger.

JOIN US!

All our grocery store members are invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, January 23. Please go to the link below to register for your preferred webinar:

MORNING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

8 AM

EVENING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

5 PM

Additional information:

  • This is far from a done deal: Kroger and Albertsons cannot sell stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers unless and until a merger were approved by regulators, and now, because of the Washington State lawsuit, the courts.

  • Contrary to comments made by these companies, this proposed merger is not at all necessary. Nor does their announced divestiture plan remedy our concerns. Both Kroger and Albertsons are doing well financially and making strong profits.

  • The proposed merger is really about greed. These two companies have already profited so much from the labor of grocery store workers all while often under-staffing stores and over-charging customers. Instead of investing in improved working conditions and reduced prices, they have prioritized high CEO pay, large dividends, including an Albertsons $4 Billion give away in early 2023, and massive stock buy backs.

Keeping up the Effort to Protect Workers and Customers

Our efforts over the past year and a half, from actions at the store level, to meeting with regulators, to helping to educate the public and generate hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper stories across the nation, have and continue to have an impact. We can’t let up now. The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger would no doubt be disastrous for consumers in the form of higher prices, for workers in the form of lost jobs, lower wages, and crippling losses to pension and health benefit plans, for farmers and ranchers who will lose a major buyer of their products,  and for thousands of Americans who would find themselves living in food and drug-store deserts without adequate access to everyday necessities. If you haven’t done so already, please tell the FTC and you can also write to Washington’s Attorney General to thank him for his recent lawsuit and let him know why you oppose the proposed merger.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Astrid Kryger

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Astrid Kryger fighting to Stop the Merger!

Meet Astrid Kryger from the North Bend QFC. Astrid has been getting more involved with her union recently after the announcement of the Kroger/Albertsons mega-merger. The impacts of that merger could cause food prices to further inflate, and cause stores to close displacing workers. UFCW 3000 and other UFCW local unions have opposed this merger since it was announced in late October, and just 2 weeks ago UFCW International announced that it was also opposed to the merger and was filing a complaint with the Federal Government to prevent the merger from going through.

Astrid participated in our actions across Washington State to tell the public about how this mega-merger is bad for everybody. Astrid and other grocery store workers handed out shopping bags to customers as they talked to them about opposing the merger and asked them to send a message to the FTC via the Stop the Merger webpage. The bag action was well received by the North Bend shoppers who had much love and support for Astrid and the action at the North Bend store. She is also motivating other members to get informed and take action and is looking forward to learning more and becoming more active with her union and in her community.

UFCW 3000 Member Stories: Dalton Adams

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Dalton was one of many grocry members participating in the stop the merger actions across the country recently.

Dalton Adams is a shop steward at the Downtown Bellevue QFC store and is active in many parts of our union. In January of this year, he went to Olympia to talk with Washington State Legislators about the increasing safety issues he and his coworkers face around organized retail theft and strongarm robberies. The political pressure forced Kroger and other employers to come to the table and work with our union on how to best protect workers.

Safety on the job is a big issue for Dalton and other shop stewards, last fall they came together with workplace leaders from 3 states at a Safety Summit to share stories, learn, and organize to make sure that workers are safer on the job.

Dalton and other stewards are also very concerned about what would happen to their jobs and communities if the Kroger/Albertsons mega-merger was allowed to go through. He and other grocery store workers took recently action recently across the country to inform customers of the perils of this monopoly-creating merger. Dalton asked customers and send a letter to the FTC via the No Grocery Merger Website, telling them to stop this merger from moving forward.

Dalton knows when workers organize, take action, and show solidarity with each other, what we can accomplish together is greater than what we could do alone.

Metropolitan Market Grocery Wage Scale Vote Scheduled

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Metropolitan Market Grocery Wage Scale Vote Scheduled

Metropolitan Market and UFCW 3000 have come to an agreement to modify the parties’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), subject to the ratification of UFCW 3000’s membership. This agreement was arrived at through a collaborative effort. If ratified, the CBA will increase our union scale above other union grocery store workers in the Puget Sound. This agreement also resolves any disputes regarding the wage implementation of the 2022 Allied Grocery Settlement.

Our Union Member Bargaining Team recommends a “YES” VOTE to accept the proposal!

Active members covered by the grocery contract are eligible to vote at whichever location is most convenient during anytime that polling is open.

Wednesday, December 14
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM & 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Drop-in during the voting period to review the Tentative Agreement, get your questions answered, and cast your vote. These votes are open to all active UFCW 3000 Metropolitan Market grocery members in good standing.

Metropolitan Market #153 (Admiral) 2320 42nd Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116

Metropolitan Market #156 (Sand Point) 5250 40th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98105

Metropolitan Market #164 (Mercer Island) 2755 77th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040

Metropolitan Market #162 (Sammamish) 301 228th Ave SE Sammamish, WA 98074

Metro Market #159 (Kirkland) 10611 NE 68th St Kirkland, WA 98033

Metro Market #157 (Uptown) 100 Mercer St Seattle, WA 98109

Metro Market #161 (Magnolia) 3830 34th Ave W Seattle, WA 98199

UFCW 3000 Joins Labor & Community Allies in Calling on Ostrom Mushroom Farms to Recognize Their Workers' Union & Negotiate a Contract

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UFCW 3000 joins United Farm Workers, our union siblings, and community partners in calling on Ostrom Mushroom Farms to recognize their workers' union & to negotiate a contract that addresses unfair wages, dangerous working conditions, and harassment in the workplace.

As a union with over 32,000 grocery store workers, we are committed to safe, healthy working conditions all along the food supply chain. We support these courageous workers advocating for basic rights and dignity in their workplace. Join us by signing the petition in support of Ostrom Mushroom Farm Workers today:

Essential Grocery Store Workers Say: Stop Albertsons’ Dividend Payment

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

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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

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Britt Leggett

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Britt Leggett, grocery store worker and UFCW 3000 member, poses for a photo. She is wearing a yellow UFCW shirt and smiling.

Britt Leggett, grocery store worker at Fred Meyer in Ballard and proud UFCW 3000 member

It’s time for this week’s #MemberMonday spotlight! Today, our story is about Britt Leggett, grocery store worker at Fred Meyer 608 in Ballard.

Britt is an amazing example of a workplace leader. Britt makes an effort to get to know her coworkers in the store — not just how their work affects her day-to-day responsibilities, but also more about who they are as people outside of work and their hobbies. It’s this friendliness and consistency that helps Britt serve her fellow UFCW 3000 members as a shop steward! Britt helps encourage her coworkers to lead efforts within the store to problem-solve issues that may come up in the workplace. With over 200 workers that make FM 608 run, Britt plays an essential role in educating & training coworkers on their rights at work.

Britt’s leadership can be traced to her family’s roots in the Labor movement. Her grandfather, father, and aunt were all active Union members, organizing and advocating for higher standards in the workplace. As Britt says:

“When we are isolated in the workplace we are weak, but when workers come together as a Union we are strong…It is through our combined voices and solidarity with one another that Union workers can achieve our common goals. These are the beliefs and principles of the Labor movement that I am proud to be a part of.”

Britt — thank you for all that you do with and for your coworkers. You model leadership and service every day!

Ken’s Korner Red Apple (Meat), it’s time to vote!

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Ken’s Korner Red Apple (Meat), it’s time to vote!

Member Bargaining team recommends a YES vote!

This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live, both during and long before COVID. This is a Tentative Agreement and is not final until we vote to accept it. Full details of the agreement will be provided at each vote location. Our Union Member Bargaining Team reached this Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES VOTE to accept the proposal from the employers. These votes are open to all active members of UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers in Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom, and independent stores covered by this Tentative Agreement.

CONTRACT VOTE MEETINGS

Active members are eligible to vote.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 - KEN’S KORNER
12pm - 2pm

Claus Meats (Whatcom), it’s time to vote!

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Claus Meats (Whatcom), it’s time to vote!

Member Bargaining team recommends a YES vote!

This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live, both during and long before COVID. This is a Tentative Agreement and is not final until we vote to accept it. Full details of the agreement will be provided at each vote location. Our Union Member Bargaining Team reached this Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES VOTE to accept the proposal from the employers. These votes are open to all active members of UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers in Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom, and independent stores covered by this Tentative Agreement.

CONTRACT VOTE MEETINGS

Active members are eligible to vote.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 - CLAUS MEATS (Whatcom)
8am - 10am

Oak Harbor Marketplace (Meat), it’s time to vote!

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Oak Harbor Marketplace (Meat), it’s time to vote!

Member Bargaining team recommends a YES vote!

This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live, both during and long before COVID. This is a Tentative Agreement and is not final until we vote to accept it. Full details of the agreement will be provided at each vote location. Our Union Member Bargaining Team reached this Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES VOTE to accept the proposal from the employers. These votes are open to all active members of UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers in Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom, and independent stores covered by this Tentative Agreement.

CONTRACT VOTE MEETINGS

Active members are eligible to vote.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 - OAK HARBOR MARKETPLACE (MEAT)
8am - 10am

Grocery Store Workers: Whatcom, Skagit, Island, Jefferson & Clallam Counties Ratify New Contracts

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Large wage increases, gains in safety & training, health care benefits protected with no increased costs, a secured pension, and more.

Grocery store workers across five western Washington counties wrapped up a week of voting and overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract made possible by standing together and taking action. Over the life of this new three-year contract, grocery store workers will see wage increases of $4 — $9 an hour, gains in safety and training, health care benefits protected with no increased costs, a secured pension and more.

Over the past two and a half years these frontline essential grocery store workers stayed on the job during the pandemic, ensuring our communities had the food, medicine, and supplies we all needed. While the grocery store chains made additional billions of dollars in profits, Essential Workers were denied the respect, protections and pay they deserved. Workers in North Puget Sound counties of Jefferson, Clallam, Island, Skagit and Whatcom voted to approve their new contracts in June. Altogether, there are over 25,000 essential grocery store workers of UFCW 3000 in the Puget Sound area working at Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC, The Markets, Haggen, and other independent grocery stores.

“ The new contract gives us more hope, safety, and a promise of greater contracts in the years to come thanks to our strong collective bargaining power! I look forward to our union building a training and certifications to build a career like I have. Trades make our union strong, and this contract is a big step in that direction!” -Sean Stone, meat cutter Safeway 1448 Sequim

The many improvements in the ratified contract include:

  • Wage increases of $4 to $9 an hour over the term of the Agreement for the most veteran workers.

  • Elimination of lower pay scales in departments such as deli, bakery, fuel, and e-commerce, some of which are disproportionately staffed by women, immigrants, and people of color.

  • An increase of 150% in wage escalators – the required minimum amount for each raise, creating a larger “bump” from CPIS adjustments to the minimum wage.

  • Increased funding to our Health Care plan, maintaining and improving our high-quality benefits with no increase in costs for members.

  • Increased funding for our pension - one of the few pensions in the nation that has been able to make the leap from “Red Zone” to “Green Zone” status following the funding crisis caused by the 2008 financial crash.

  • Stronger ability of store-level Safety Committees to address serious safety issues, beyond just COVID protections.

  • A half million-dollar contribution each year from the Employers to fund the new Workplace Training program (WE TRAIN WA), allowing pathways to higher paying positions and career mobility within every store.

Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom counties, it’s time to vote!

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Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom counties, it’s time to vote!

Member Bargaining team recommends a YES vote!

This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live, both during and long before COVID. This is a Tentative Agreement and is not final until we vote to accept it. Full details of the agreement will be provided at each vote location. Our Union Member Bargaining Team reached this Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES VOTE to accept the proposal from the employers. These votes are open to all active members of UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers in Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom, and independent stores covered by this Tentative Agreement.

Contract VOTE MEETINGS

Active members are eligible to vote at whichever location is most convenient, during any time when polling is open. All vote meetings will be open between the hours of 8:00AM — 12 Noon and 4:00PM — 8:00PM

MONDAY, JUNE 6 – BELLINGHAM
FOX HALL EVENTS CENTER, 1661 W Bakerview Rd, Bellingham, WA 98226

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 – OAK HARBOR
Best Western Plus, 33175 State Route 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 – MOUNT VERNON
UFCW 3000 Office, 1510 N 18th Street Mount Vernon, WA 98273

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 – PORT ANGELES
OLYMPIC LODGE, 140 S Del Guzzi Dr Port Angeles, WA 98362

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 – PORT TOWNSEND
HARBORSIDE INN, 330 Benedict St Port Townsend, WA 98368