Safeway Workers Win Arbitration Victory

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Day shift employees working nighttime hours at Safeway stores won an important victory earlier this month when an arbitrator ruled in UFCW Local 400’s favor. The arbitrator’s award confirmed that “Day shift employees who work between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. must be paid time and a half,” said Local 400 President Mark Federici. The decision “also ensures that our members will be correctly paid for the time they’ve already worked and paid correctly on a going forward basis,” Federici added. “Our union is strong because members participate and stand up for their rights. This award not only exemplifies Local 400’s commitment to enforcing our contract, but our willingness to take the fight to the companies when we’re right."