Safeway, NoCal Unions Dodge Strike Bullet
PLEASANTON, Calif. -- After round-the-clock negotiatons, Safeway Inc. here and United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 5, 8, 101, and 648 reached a tentative four-year collective bargaining agreement covering the grocer’s retail clerks, meat, and deli personnel.
The unions next will present the recommended settlement to their members for ratification in coming weeks. Both Safeway and the unions said they would withhold the detail of the settlement until after ratification.
The locals, representing 25,000 workers at some 300 Safeway stores in Northern California, said they came to terms with Safeway on the day the contract was set to expire.
In a statement, the UFCW presidents said: “Our goals were to achieve substantial wage increases, no employee-paid premiums for medical benefits, improvements to the medical benefits, protection of pension benefits, no concessions. We achieved our goals reaching an agreement that benefits the specific needs of our members working in Safeway stores.”
The unions next will present the recommended settlement to their members for ratification in coming weeks. Both Safeway and the unions said they would withhold the detail of the settlement until after ratification.
The locals, representing 25,000 workers at some 300 Safeway stores in Northern California, said they came to terms with Safeway on the day the contract was set to expire.
In a statement, the UFCW presidents said: “Our goals were to achieve substantial wage increases, no employee-paid premiums for medical benefits, improvements to the medical benefits, protection of pension benefits, no concessions. We achieved our goals reaching an agreement that benefits the specific needs of our members working in Safeway stores.”