Today, your Bargaining Committee began bargaining for our new Union contracts throughout our Union’s area where we represent workers in Oregon and Washington. Representatives from Kroger, Fred Meyer, and QFC received our initial bargaining proposals for all Fred Meyer and QFC grocery and meat contracts. We also presented proposals for Non-Foods and the newly organized Non-Foods departments in Grants Pass and Springfield, Oregon. This will be the first union contract for these two new Non-Foods groups.
With a focus on the disparity between the many different contracts within our area as well as with other neighboring cities and states, we presented the employer with proposals to address the following topics:
- Overtime for 7th day pay and excessive consecutive day pay
- Create a full weekend premium for all hours worked on Saturday and Sunday
- Create a penalty for all unpaid or late paid wages
- Add a new longevity wage step for employees who have been with the employer for 10 years or more
- Restore holiday pay to time-and-a-half for all hours worked for all employees
- Add more vacation time to recognize employees with significant time with the employer
- Standardize bereavement leave
- Eliminate the cap on how much back pay you can get if you are unjustly terminated
- If the company is sold or acquired, require any future employer to adopt all aspects of our contracts
Your Union would have presented proposals on your wages, healthcare, and pension, but your employer failed to provide the Union with any of the data they must send us. Without this data, we are unable to be fully prepared to bargain on these topics. This data includes the wages Fred Meyer and QFC have started to pay new hires.
In response, the Union has filed Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against Fred Meyer and QFC for their failure to comply with this legal requirement to provide your bargaining team with this information. Your Union will continue to utilize all legal resources to hold your employer accountable to a fair bargaining process.
Our next bargaining sessions are August 5 and August 6. We will keep you updated after our next bargaining session.