In addition to helping locals negotiate strong contracts and raise standards across the country, the International’s National Bargaining Department also plays an important role in helping to calculate the value of wage and benefit enhancements in contracts.
Costing labor contracts requires a solid understanding of the contract provisions that affect wages and benefits and how they are related and change over time. The process starts with requesting the necessary information from the employer, including wages, hours worked, hours of paid time off, and other cost factors for each member of the bargaining unit. Costing these items requires a great amount of technical and computational skill, and sufficient lead time is essential to successfully calculating contract proposals. The National Bargaining Department also assists locals with complicated questions related to the cost of benefits provided by retirement and health and welfare plans.
“Working with the International is an important part of preparing for negotiations,” said UFCW Local 371 President Tom Wilkinson. “Local 371 is one of five locals in New England that are in negotiations now for a better contract for over 30,000 of our members. Having the International assist with contract costing is a resource that every local should use.”
For more information about what the National Bargaining Department can do to help your local cost contracts, contact the department at 202-223-3111, ext. 1527.
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