Giant, Safeway Workers Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Giant and Safeway workers in the Washington, DC, area represented by United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 on Tuesday overwhelmingly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement that provides for significant wage increases, improved health benefits and strengthened retirement security. After lengthy and contentious negotiations in which management proposed dozens of givebacks and workers reached out to customers and the community, Local 400 says the contract contains no concessions affecting current or future members of the bargaining unit. “Our members’ activism and solidarity is why they won one of the best collective bargaining agreements in the supermarket industry,” said Local 400 President Tom McNutt. “Whenever management tried to push us into making more sacrifices, our members made clear on the floor of the store and everywhere else they were willing to do whatever it takes to get a fair deal. They stood back to back, shoulder to shoulder more than I’ve ever seen, and that is why this contract improves their economic standing and health and retirement security.” “This is a fantastic contract,” Chris Bell, a Receiving Manager at Giant 243 in Stafford, VA, told Union City moments after the Giant vote. Key contract provisions include across-the-board wage increases that exceed increases in the cost of living for most members, full funding of health benefits with no increase in members’ out-of-pocket costs and improved coverage in areas such as HPV vaccinations and endodontic care, and continued retirement security with all current pension benefits maintained and new steps to resolve funding issues for at least the next 10 years. “This is one of the few contracts in the supermarket industry where all pay increases are provided in higher hourly wages rather than a one-time bonus,” noted Local 400. Concessions defeated by Local 400 included creation of a new wage tier for new hires, an increase in health care co-payments, an end to health care Maintenance of Benefits, and treatment of Sunday as part of the regular work week. The contract runs April 1, 2012 through October 31, 2013, its 19-month duration “due to the uncertainty around implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its impact on the health and welfare plan covering Giant and Safeway workers.” Local 400 represents some 17,000 grocery workers employed at 126 Safeway and Giant stores in Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Bell was a member of Local 400’s Activist Contract Team (ACT). “We went to the community, local politicians, church groups and talked right to the customers, explained what was going on,” said Bell. “We asked for their support and everyone rallied around us and their support made this happen.” Added Stan Hart, a clerk at Giant 310 in Bowie, MD, being on the ACT gave Local 400 members “a chance to go out and find out just how much the community was behind us. I wasn’t sure when I first went out there, and it was really amazing to see how much support there was for us.” Lester Price, who works at Giant 147 in Fort Washington, MD, has been with Giant for nearly 25 years and in the union for 39 years. “It felt great to be involved,” Price said. “I stood up for a part of something I’ve been sitting down for. I was thinking about retirement but getting active like this, I told ‘em I think I’ll hang around a little while to make sure the shop steward I have coming up now will be aggressive enough to take care of the problems. Somebody’s gotta carry the torch.” Hart added that “We’re not done here; it’s not just about this contract, but about getting other workers into the union, like those at Martin’s, who also want a union.” - report by Chris Garlock; photos by Chris Garlock (above) and Julia Kann (below)