Swains General Store - Contract Ratified!

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Swains General Store
Contract Ratified!

The votes have been counted and UFCW Local 3000 members at Swains General Store have voted to ratify our new 3-year contract! Our new contract includes:

  • $1.30/hr wage increase paid retroactively back to January 1, 2024

  • Significantly reduces the number of hours required to attain Journey status

  • Maintains our FREE quality healthcare through throughout the term of our 3-year contract

  • A new personal day, and much more

If you have any questions please reach out to a workplace steward or Union Rep Naomi Oligario @ 360-662-1989.

Swain’s General Store - Contract Vote Scheduled!

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Our Union Bargaining Team has finalized the time and location to vote on our fully recommended Tentative Agreement with the Employer that:

  • Significantly reduces the number of hours required to attain Journey status.

  • Increases wages.

  • Includes retroactive pay to January 1 of this year.

  • Maintains our quality healthcare through the Sound Health and Wellness Trust without passing hourly cost increases on the employees.

The Vote will be held at The Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor Hotel (221 N Lincoln St). UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions! 

Friday, March 22

The Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor Hotel (221 N Lincoln St).

  • 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

  • 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

  • 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Our Bargaining Team is recommending a “Yes” vote on this Tentative Agreement! We look forward to seeing you at the vote!

Our Union Negotiations Team (left to right): Mike Nichols, Floor Clerk (Shoes); Robert Sommers, Receiving Clerk; Richard Drake, Receiving Clerk/Warehouse Contact; Shawn Price, Cashier/Person In Charge (not pictured)

Swain’s General Store - Tentative Agreement Reached!

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On Tuesday, March 6, our Union Bargaining Team met with management for our fourth and final bargaining session. We have reached a Tentative Agreement with the Employer that:

  • Significantly reduces the number of hours required to attain Journey status.

  • Increases wages.

  • Includes retroactive pay to January 1 of this year.

  • Maintains our quality healthcare through the Sound Health and Wellness Trust without passing hourly cost increases on the employees.

A notice of the specifics of when we will hold the ratification vote will be forthcoming. We appreciate everyone’s patience through this process and look forward to discussing the Tentative Agreement with you at the vote meeting.

Our Union Negotiations Team (left to right): Mike Nichols, Floor Clerk (Shoes); Robert Sommers, Receiving Clerk; Richard Drake, Receiving Clerk/Warehouse Contact; Shawn Price, Cashier/Person In Charge (not pictured)

Swain's General Store Negotiations Continue!

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Our Union Negotiations Team (left to right): Mike Nichols, Floor Clerk (Shoes); Robert Sommers, Receiving Clerk; Richard Drake, Receiving Clerk/Warehouse Contact; Shawn Price, Cashier/Person In Charge (not pictured)

On Tuesday January 23 and Wednesday January 24 our Union Bargaining Team met with Management to continue contract negotiations. By the end of two long days, we were able to come to tentative agreements on almost all our proposals. We exchanged multiple wage scale proposals, however, and at the end of Wednesday evening Management asked us to consider their last proposal of the day for consideration as part of a fully recommended offer. We made the decision to talk to our coworkers about it first to see how we all feel.

Contract Action Team Meeting!

We will be holding a Contract Action Team meeting at the Teamsters 589 office on Sunday, February 4 at 6:30PM to get your input! Please arrive promptly so that we can discuss this as a group. The address is 1293 S C St, Port Angeles, WA 98363.

Swain's General Store - Negotiations Commence

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On Wednesday, December 20th, our Bargaining Team met with Swain’s Management for our first day of negotiations. Initial proposals were put forth by both teams on economic and non-economic issues and tentative agreements were reached on the duration of the contract, establishing a safety committee, and allowing Union Stewards or Union Representatives time with new hires to introduce them to our Union!  

While the Employer did not present any proposals on economics, we are hopeful they will be able to in our next negotiation session (we are still working to establish more dates after the holidays). Our team was able to present some proposals around economics but given that this was late in the day the Employer did not have time to respond on these issues.  

We are hoping to have a swift and productive contract negotiation when we reconvene in January, but also are hoping to speak with our coworkers before the next session at a Contract Action Team meeting. We want to continue to keep everyone engaged so that we can be united in winning the best contract we can. Please stay tuned for details about this in the New Year! 

"The Swain's bargaining team is negotiating for a better tomorrow!"
- Robert Sommers

Our Swain’s Bargaining Team: Robert Sommers, Michael Nichols, Shawn Price, Richard Drake

Swain’s General Store - Tentative Agreement Reached; Vote Scheduled

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We are excited to announce that, after months of delays, your Bargaining Team has finally reached a tentative agreement with management for a full three-year contract! Details about the tentative agreement, which includes a $2,500 signing bonus, historic wage increases, and increased holiday pay will be available at the vote.

Last year we conducted a mail-in vote due to COVID-19, but due to easing government restrictions and the widespread distribution of vaccines we will be holding an in-person vote this time! However, in order maintain social distancing during the vote, we will be conducting the vote in a large conference room at the Red Lion Hotel instead of the Swain’s breakroom.

Your Bargaining Team: Leanne Price, Michael Nichols, Pamela Anuspach, Becky Peterson-Matthes, Richard Drake, Shawn Price

Vaccine or not, masks and social distancing are required and will be strictly enforced. Masks will be available at the vote if you forgot to bring one.

If you have any questions, please reach out to a Bargaining Team member or call Union Representative Ryan DeGouveia at (360) 662-1989.

CONTRACT VOTE SCHEDULED!

Friday, May 21

  • 8AM – 10AM

  • 12PM – 2PM

  • 4PM – 6PM

Red Lion Hotel @
Port Angeles Harbor

221 N Lincoln St, Port Angeles, WA 98362

Juan De Fuca Room

Swain's General Store - Proposal Meeting

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Our one-year contract with Swain’s General Store is nearing expiration, which means it’s time to begin contract negotiations once again! You should have already received a bargaining survey, therefore, the next step is to hold a proposal meeting where we will discuss the results of the survey and begin crafting our proposals.

The proposal meeting will be held virtually through Zoom on Sunday, November 15 @ 6:30PM. You can join by either downloading the Zoom app or simply calling into the details listed.

We hope to see you there, but in the meantime, please make sure you complete your bargaining survey and return it as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please reach out to Union Representative Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

Swain's General Store - Contract Unanimously Ratified!

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Our new contract was ratified on June 12 with a 100% “YES” vote! Our Bargaining Team worked hard to reach an agreement with a HISTORIC $1.26/hr wage increase, full retro pay back to contract expiration, significant money into our 401k retirement plans, and no take-aways. 

Talk to one of your Bargaining Team members or Union Representative for more information about our new contract.

Swain's General Store - Contract Vote Scheduled

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We will be holding an online vote meeting on Sunday, June 7 @ 6:30pm to answer any questions about the tentative agreement. Details for joining will be mailed out with the vote instructions.

We will send out information soon with more details of the changes in your new contract and how the mail-in voting process works. To review a copy of the full legal document with all changes please visit the link provided in the body of the email below.

View the Document

Upcoming Online Vote Meeting
Sunday, June 7 • 6:30PM • Details for joining will be mailed out!

Swains General Store Bargaining Update

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As you may have heard, our member bargaining team held its first negotiation session with the employer on March 9, 2020. The team presented management with our proposed changes to the Swain’s contract, which included an aggressive wage proposal and fixes to issues such as holiday pay and retirement. To justify the need for significant wage increases the bargaining team shared their personal stories to management. We shared stories about unaffordable housing, skyrocketing property taxes, and longtime employees being paid close to minimum wage. We all know that the employees at Swain’s General Store are the reason the company has gained the community’s respect and remained profitable against competition such as Walmart. Your bargaining team will return to the table soon and hope management listened and will respond with a counter proposal that respects the hard work and dedication of their employees.