On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, your Union Bargaining Committee met with representatives from Fred Meyer and Kroger to bargain over the Fred Meyer Non-Food employees in Springfield, Oregon who voted yes to join our Union and won their election in February.
Your Union Bargaining Committee and the employer reached Tentative Agreements (“TA’s”) on the following issues:
- No newly organized employee will see a decrease in their hourly wage as a result of joining the Union
- No newly organized employee will lose vacation or sick time that they have accrued if it is above the amount allowed in the Eugene Grocery Agreement
Your Union Bargaining Committee made proposals to incorporate the Non-Food employees into the Eugene Grocery Agreement in all aspects, with specific starting dates, for wages, healthcare and pension benefits. Your Committee is fighting for Non-Food employees to get the same healthcare and pension benefits that their Union-represented counterparts in Grocery already receive. Your Committee is fighting for wages that don’t leave Non-Food employees behind other areas of the store.
The employer is insisting that the Union agree to allow cosmetic products to be ordered and stocked by outside, third-party vendors. Currently, that work is performed by a full-time employee– the Cosmetics Lead– who gets scheduled forty hours a week to perform that work, among other tasks. Your Union Bargaining Committee does not agree to give away your work– an insult to one of us is an insult to all of us.
We will keep you updated as negotiations continue to progress. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Union representative.