Tenative Grocery Contract Reached

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Sounds like a big win for the grocery workers, from this press release, but we really won't know until the details come out on Sunday after the vote. It is wonderful that there will not be a strike and it appears that they got what they wanted from the negotiations`.

Today Representatives of the Grocery Workers Union and the Management of Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons reached a tentative contract agreement. Details of the agreement are not being released until grocery workers vote to ratify the deal Sunday, July 22nd. All seven locals covered by the contract will recommend ratification to their members.

Negotiators have continued talking under contract extensions since the original contract expired on March 5th. The successful negotiations were mediated by Deputy Director Scott Beckenbaugh and Commissioner Joe Mansolillo of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

"We are pleased to be able to recommend a contract to our members," said Mike Shimpock, spokesperson for the Southern California Grocery Workers. "While we cannot go into specific detail until our members have a chance to see and vote on it, we can say that it includes fair wage increases and significantly improves health care benefits. This represents not only a victory for grocery workers, but for all people working and trying to raise a family and pay their bills. This contract is a step towards the preservation of the middle class in California and the United States," he concluded.

The last we heard from the negotiations the big chains were not offering a pay increase and were calling for more health care cuts. There is no mention of unifying the worker classifications, so we don't know if the deal eliminates the two tier system. The unity is great to see, all of the chains and the leadership from all seven locals have agreed to this deal.