On May 4, RWDSU/UFCW Local 262 members who work at the Chetak distribution facility in Edison, N.J., ratified their first union contract. The 50 Chetak employees work as drivers for Deep Foods, an Indian food manufacturer, and IndiKitch, an Indian food eatery owned by Deep Foods. These workers overcame an intense anti-union campaign of intimidation and retaliation from management to win a union voice last year.
The two-year contract will give workers back pay from 2016, and assist delivery drivers by providing them with electric pallets. The new contract also includes wage increases, retirement benefits, and immigrant, worker safety, and security trainings and protocols.