Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 324

Workers at Southern California Food 4 Less locations from UFCW Locals 1428, 770, 135, 1167, 324, 1442, and 8GS all came together in a strong show of solidarity last week for a fair contract.

Customers standing in support of Food 4 Less workers at Local 770’s action.

Kroger, the parent company of Food 4 Less and Ralph’s, has been treating its Food 4 Less employees worse than those at Ralph’s, and when they went into negotiations with workers on June 19th, they offered nothing but takeaways.

Not willing to stand for unfair treatment, on June 26th a majority of members from the local unions voted overwhelmingly to strike should one become necessary. But after returning to the bargaining table on July 2nd, Kroger’s offer was no better.

So this week, on Wednesday July 9th, members and workers from each of the Food 4 Less locals came out in full force to hold actions at dozens of Food 4 Less stores across southern California. There, they asked customers and community members to stand with them in their fight for a fair contract, and were met with an outpouring  of positive feedback.

UFCW members collected signatures from customers pledging their support for the workers, passed out information, and proudly wore their solidarity buttons at the actions.

At one of the actions attended by members of Local 1428, workers from non-unionized retailers like Big Lots and Lowry’s came out to support the workers, and talked about how they wished they had union representation at their workplaces.

The locals will return to the bargaining table again within the next few weeks, strong and united.

A Food 4 Less worker wears her “Hard Work Fair Pay” button.

Passing out info about a fair contract to customers and community members.

More than 60,000 UFCW grocery workers in Southern California ratified a new contract agreement with Ralph’s, Albertsons, and Vons that increases wages and protects benefits.

UFCW members at Vons, Ralphs, and Albertsons grocery chains in southern California have ratified a new contract, avoiding the possibility of a strike.

The new contract that expires in March 2016, covers 60,000 members from UFCW Locals 8GS, 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428, and 1442. The two-year agreement provides members with a fair wage
increase and bonuses. Health insurance coverage will continue with no increase in employee premiums and no increase in out of pocket expenses to members for the full two-year period. Retirement benefits are also secured through additional contributions by the employers. The contract is designed to protect members through the instability of the merger process between Albertsons and Vons.

After four months of negotiations, the agreement was ratified by all seven locals just one week after a final marathon session of seven consecutive days and nights of back-to-back bargaining between representatives of the UFCW locals and the corporations that own Ralph’s, Albertsons and Vons, with the assistance of Federal Mediators.

During negotiations, workers from across the region showed their solidarity by wearing “Stand Together” buttons and sharing photos with “Stand Together” signs at work.