The Companies Just Don’t Seem to Understand Appropriate Staffing
After several bargaining days, they haven’t yet addressed our most important issues of wages, benefits, and staffing.
We met with Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions and Kroger/Ralphs for three days this week for our second round of bargaining. We were also joined by a Federal Mediator, who serves as a neutral party to help ensure that bargaining is productive.
While we have reached a few agreements on a few issues this week, the companies nitpick our reasonable proposals and haven’t responded to our proposals on some of our most important issues like wages, benefits, and staffing.
A few bargaining committee members spoke about how they had to leave negotiations to close their departments because there aren’t enough staff available to cover. Sitting across from the companies these past two weeks, it’s clear that they don’t seem to understand just how important appropriate staffing is to our health, our stores and our customers. At future sessions we will continue to share our stories.
Financial Analyst and advisor to UFCW 324 President John Marshall presented this fact to the companies and emphasized how this cycle of understaffing leads to weak sales, higher shrink and safety concerns. Both companies are in a vicious cycle caused by understaffing that can only be broken by a significant investment in us, their workers.
How can we show the companies that they need to invest in us?
We have six more scheduled bargaining dates – two next week – February 26th and 27th, and four in March – the 17th, 18th, 25th, and 26th. If Albertsons and Ralphs are going to get serious about negotiating for a fair contract that addresses wages, benefits and staffing at those sessions, it’s critical that the companies hear from all of us.
That’s why your Stewards, Union Representatives, and Bargaining Committee members have been circulating a petition in every one of our stores. Thousands of us have already signed, but if you haven’t had the chance, now is the time to ensure your voice is heard.
Join our campaign kick-off rally on February 28, 2025, at 3:30 PM in Buena Park. 1,000 grocery workers from across Southern California, including our brothers, sisters and siblings from the Teamsters, will converge in Buena Park to show Kroger, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions just how powerful grocery workers are. Many local UFCW unions will be providing transportation to the rally. Talk to your union representative or bargaining committee members to reserve a spot.
Register for the rally here: https://ufcw324.org/grocery-rally-228-rsvp/
Stay involved with the Grocery Workers Rising campaign! Updates are on our website and social media accounts at www.groceryworkersrising.com.
Last year, you took on Kroger and Albertsons, billion-dollar corporations, and defeated them, stopping the merger. Imagine what we can do this year if we all rise up together.
If you have any questions about bargaining, or if there is anything we can help you with, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Steward, Union Representative, or Bargaining Committee Member.
In Solidarity,
Your Grocery Workers Rising Bargaining Committee
