On August 5 and August 6, your Bargaining Committee met for the second time with representatives from Kroger and Fred Meyer to continue bargaining for our new Union contracts with Fred Meyer and QFC.
Your Union presented proposals to increase your wages and pension (retirement benefit). Our proposals will hold your employer to the public promises that they have made, in light of the pending merger, to significantly invest in your wages and retirement. Our proposals include:
- Creating one unified rate by classification throughout the Union’s area in Oregon and SW Washington
- Creating one unified rate for Grocery Schedule A, Schedule B, and, Non Food, including Reclamation Center
- Significant wage increases to the journeyperson rate of pay, catching us up to the going wage rate in other major areas on the West Coast
- Decreasing the number of steps in the apprentice bracket to provide raises sooner and allow you to reach the journeyperson rate sooner
- Updating the Pharmacy Technicians’ wages so they align with the rates a licensed professional deserves
- Significantly increasing the contribution to your pension, securing your retirement and ensuring that the benefit you receive will actually allow you to retire
Our wage proposal will catch us up to the amount that your employer is already paying other UFCW-represented members in other parts of the Pacific Northwest and West Coast. The wages that we are proposing, along with the other changes to your pay scale, acknowledge the rising cost of living and the reality that your employer is hiring brand-new employees at the journeyperson rate of pay, regardless of whether they have prior experience or not.
Your employer has made public promises that they will invest in our communities and invest in securing your retirement, and they have been vocal about their appreciation for their long-time employees – the employees who have helped them grow so strong that they can now buy Albertsons/Safeway. It is time that they make good on these promises, by significantly investing in your wages now, significantly investing in your retirement now, and showing their appreciation with an additional, increased wage step for those who have been with the employer for 10 years or more – not just a billboard or TV ad.
Your employer responded to the Union’s proposals with a wage proposal that only addresses Fred Meyer and QFC in Portland and Bend – they propose to “revisit at a later date” the rest of our Oregon and Washington stores. While they responded with a higher opening wage increase than has been the case historically, it falls far short of what is needed to address the pay gap between our area and other Pacific Northwest and West Coast cities and states to address their pattern of hiring in at the top of our pay scale, and to allow you to afford groceries and rent – without the need for a second and third job.
Your Union also made proposals that create a pathway to guarantee full-time employment. Fred Meyer responded by acknowledging that, currently, there is “no contractual path to full time.” The Employer rejected these proposals outright, along with almost all of the Union’s other non-economic proposals.
Our next bargaining sessions are on August 14 and August 15. We will keep you updated after our next bargaining session.