Pick Quick Negotiations Update

 First off, we would like to extend our thanks for your patience and understanding throughout this slow and drawn out process. As you know, these negotiations have been unusually difficult.

The lack of information and movement during contract negotiations has increased the spread of misinformation in certain stores. This makes the slow process even worse.  As always we encourage you to keep in contact with your Union Representatives via phone, email and of course when you see them in your stores.

The last contract negotiating session took place on Friday, June, 24, 2016. As we mentioned in our last update both sides are still far apart. Many of the open issues that still need to be resolved are significant parts to securing a fair and good contract you'll be proud of. The goal of your negotiating committee hasn’t changed and will not change no matter how long this process takes.

There has been no movement since then due to scheduling conflicts. We are still working to secure a date that works for both sides to resume negotiations. As of today a new date has not yet been scheduled. You will be informed as soon as we secure a new date.

It's your continued daily support of us on the negotiating committee that gives us the strength to continue this effort until we can reach a fair agreement.

Stay strong, and united for a fair contract.

We will continue to keep you posted as soon as any new dates are scheduled, any news breaks or if anything changes.

New England Locals Stand Together During Stop & Shop Negotiations

Our brothers and sisters throughout New England are negotiating with Stop & Shop. We've been with them during negotiations and have been attending regular meetings to pledge our support to the more than 35,000. The company has already taken up ads throughout local newspapers for replacement workers. Our UFCW brothers and sisters have been negotiating in good faith, asking for nothing but respect and to take care of the men and women who have made Ahold so successful.

It's very important to pay attention to these negotiations, as they will affect our negotiations with Stop & Shop.

Here's a message below updating progress on the New England Stop & Shop negotiations:

 A MESSAGE TO ALL STOP & SHOP MEMBERS & THEIR FAMILIES

RE: New England negotiations

February 23, 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As part of our great union family, we all have a responsibility to work together to improve and better the lives of all our members – regardless of what town we call home.  Right now, more than 35,000 UFCW members in New England – represented by five Locals –are engaged in contract negotiations with the Stop & Shop Company. From the very beginning, these Locals have negotiated in good faith, and all we’ve asked of Stop & Shop is to do what is right by our members and their families.

The simple truth is that Stop & Shop is a success because of you and all our members who work there. It is because of your dedication and commitment to serving our customers and the communities we love, that Stop & Shop succeeds.

Instead of doing what is right, Stop & Shop presented contract proposals that were nothing short of a slap in the face to these men and women – people just like you.

Not only is Stop & Shop refusing to respect the hard work of our New England members, they are proposing dramatic changes to these contracts.

Stop & Shop’s actions are wrong.

While your contract may not be involved, what the company is proposing is a threat to every member of our union family.

Make no mistake, Stop & Shop’s actions in New England – if unstopped – will set a lower standard that the company will use when YOUR contract is up for negotiation. This is an issue that MUST matter to all of us.

Join with us, and stand with our brothers and sisters in New England. Help them, and help all of us, fight for the better life and good contract we all earn through our hard work. 

So, here are the two things we’re asking you do:

First, call the Stop & Shop Customer Service Number at 1 (800) 767-7772, and tell them to stop threatening our New England members and their families. Tell them that you and your local stand with our New England union family. Tell them to do what is right.

Second, please tell your family and friends to do the same. Every call will send a clear message that we are a proud union family.

We stand together. We fight for each other – no matter where we call home.

Thank you for all that you do, and for the privilege of serving you:

Richard Abondolo

President, UFCW Local 342

John T. Niccollai

President, UFCW Local 464-A

Harvey Whille

President, UFCW Local 1262

Sam Ferraino, Jr.

President, UFCW Local 1360

Bruce W. Both

President, UFCW Local 1500

John R. Durso

President, RWDSU Local 338

D'Agostino Contract Unanimously Ratified

Nearly 1,000 Grocery Workers Earn Wage Increases, Protection Against LGBT Discrimination & Increased Guaranteed Hours for More Part Time Workers

Last week UFCW Local 1500 members working at D’Agostino Supermarket unanimously ratified a new three-year contract.  The contract provides five raises over the next three years to nearly 1,000 men and women working at D’Agostino’s 13 stores.  “I’m very proud of this new contract,” said negotiating committee member Jasmine Dalton, “We got the raises that we deserve, maintained our benefits and increased the guaranteed hours for more part-time workers. It’s a win,” Dalton concluded.

The agreement significantly expanded the amount of part-time workers who receive a guaranteed minimum 20-hour workweek, a key benefit for retail jobs. "This is huge for us," said Terry Quinones, lead union negotiator, "Retail scheduling is usually sporadic, making it difficult to balance a personal life and schedule. Now, even more part-timers can have an ease of mind knowing they have a minimum set number of hours each week. This is going to help hundreds of our families," Quinones said.

The new contract maintains all health and welfare benefits, and protects all members of UFCW Local 1500 from any discrimination because of: race, color religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, genetic information or gender identity or expression.

Union Negotiations Update

Here's an update on all current union contract negotiations: 
 
King Kullen & Stop & Shop:
Tomorrow, February 19th, Union Trustees will meet again with company Trustees to resolve Pension and Welfare benefits.  As we previously updated, progress continues to be slow, and this has stalled the negotiation process.  President Both and Secretary-Treasurer Speelman indicated all Union Trustees will continue to demand that employers pay the appropriate level of contributions necessary to responsibly maintain benefit plans.

Fairway Market:
A new era began at Fairway Market in September with the introduction of new CEO, Jack Murphy.  We'll begin our first negotiations with the new leadership on Friday, February 20th.  We expect CEO Murphy and other operating officers to be in attendance for the duration of negotiations.  These negotiations are crucial in setting the tone for the future of our collective bargaining agreements with Fairway Market, an emerging company throughout the Northeast.

D'Agostino's:
Negotiations have yet to begin, although our contract proposal meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 26th at 7PM at the Holiday Inn on West 57th Street.  All D'Agostino's members should attend with their proposals for the next collective bargaining agreement. 


We'll be keeping you updated digitally through emails, our social networks and on our website ufcw1500.org.   If you know any coworkers that would like to be on our Contract Update list, please sign them up here, or tell them to send us an email.


Thank you,

Bruce Both
President
UFCW Local 1500

Tony Speelman
Secretary-Treasurer
UFCW Local 1500

Please reply to this message with any questions, comments or suggestions.

9,000 Stop & Shop, King Kullen Workers Standing Together...Again

By: Tony Speelman

At our Shop Steward’s Seminar in October, my message to the Stewards was the same as all Local 1500 Executives, stand together.

Stop & Shop and King Kullen negotiations are ongoing as you read this, and as expected the billion-dollar employer Stop & Shop is attempting to tighten their grip even further on our union contracts. Even scheduling dates for negotiation sessions were long dragged out process.

The company approached us with one date they were available for negotiations. Finally after tremendous pressure from us, they succumbed and we have been meeting throughout the month of November. My point is everything from scheduling negotiations, to actual negotiations is difficult with Stop & Shop. We aren’t surprised and we don’t expect you to be either. Stop & Shop’s negotiations history with the UFCW is frustrating.  Just take a look at this chart below:

This chart does not and is not intended to bash our brothers and sisters in other Locals throughout our area, but it is intended to shed a light on how difficult this company makes the negotiation process, and how little urgency they exhibit when there are thousands upon thousands of jobs on the line. While negotiations with Local 342 and Stop & Shop are going on with at the same time as ours, keep in mind that if there is a possible stop work action between Local 342 and Stop & Shop, our contracts allow us to stand the line with our brothers and sisters from Local 342. We do not have to cross the line. 

I am not saying it will come to this, but we are all aware it’s quite possible when negotiating with Stop & Shop. My message is clear as always, communicate with your union. Do not believe or buy into company propaganda, which includes rumors heard throughout the store. Do not back down; stand up for your union and your coworkers.

Stop & Shop’s plan is to divide us and take away our solidarity. Our job as union members is to stick together to demand more from our employer. The only way we can do this is with full commitment from every member. Negativity, double guessing and bad talking the negotiation process is doing no good, it’s just what Stop & Shop wants to hear.

This holds true for all members who aren’t working at Stop & Shop or King Kullen, we’re all in this together and we all need to stick together. Last year we saw hundreds of Local 1500 members volunteer to support Stop & Shop workers if a potential work action would occur, and I expect the same for this round of negotiations. That feeling of solidarity is special. I get goose bumps just writing about the selfless actions of fellow UFCW Local 1500 members who are willing to stand up for their brothers and sisters.

Please enjoy a safe and healthy holiday season. As always my door is open to speak to anyone who has any questions or comments. You can always tweet me @Aspeel1500. Happy Holidays, stay together, united and we will succeed!

King Kullen Negotiations Begin Thursday Oct. 30th

By: Tony Speelman, Secretary Treasurer

On Thursday, October 30th,  we'll be heading into our first negotiation session with King Kullen.  Our elected King Kullen negotiation committee will be led by President Bruce Both.  At this first meeting, the committee will present the company with our proposals that were submitted from contract proposal meetings in September. 

We'll be keeping you updated digitally through emails, our social networks, on our website and blog ufcw1500.org.  So, if you know any coworkers that would like to be on our King Kullen Contract Update List, please sign them up here.  Two-way
communication is essential during negotiations, and this is the first step.

Please feel free to email me with any questions!

Emergency Stop & Shop Strike/Lockout Update Meeting: Sunday Nov. 24th

Stop & Shop Long Island Handbill for Distribution

Get up to date on the latest info from negotiations with Stop & Shop.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we need to come together and discuss Stop & Shop's greedy demands in their contract proposals, and our next actions.

There are two meetings on Sunday, November 24, 2013, both at 7 PM

Meeting A: Long Island
7 PM Long Island Marriott Hotel
101 James Doolittle Blvd. Uniondale NY

Meeting B: Upstate
7PM Mt. Kisco Holiday Inn
One Holiday Inn Drive, Mount Kisco, NY

Please attend and spread the word to your coworkers about this emergency meeting.

Contact us for any questions you may have.

Stop & Shop Upstate Handbill for Distribution

We Stand In Solidarity w/ New England UFCW Stop & Shop Workers

Current Stop & Shop fruitbowl logo, shared with Giant-Landover (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UFCW Local 1500 leadership and our 23,000 members are standing in solidarity with our 33,000 brothers and sisters working at Stop & Shop, represented by UFCW Locals 328, 371, 919, 1445, and 1459 during contract negotiations still continuing ongoing.

 “All of us in the UFCW must stand with the New England Locals and help them secure the best possible contract for their members,” said Secretary-Treasurer Anthony Speelman Even though negotiations were still taking place, Stop & Shop choose to place ads in newspapers seeking to hire replacement workers in the case of a strike or lockout as a scare tactic.

 “The threat to hire replacement workers by Stop and Shop always has and always will fail to scare or divide UFCW members in any part of the Country,” said Speelman “ I guarantee you that any attempt to do that in Local 1500’s negotiations this Fall will be met with a forceful response from the New York State labor movement.”

http://ufcwstopandshopnegotiations.com/

 Members can show their support for the new England Stop and Shop workers by sending a tweet @UFCWUnited, visting them at http://ufcwstopandshopnegotiations.com or liking them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UFCWStopShopNegotiations

Monday Morning One Liners: New England Stop & Shop Members OK Contract

New England Stop & Shop Negotiations:

Hartford Courant: Stop & Shop workers view economic climate, Vote Yes.

Brian Petronella, president of Local 371 in Connecticut, said the contract, which takes effect retroactively to Feb. 21 when the previous agreement expired, maintains a pension plan and keeps a health plan intact with full-time workers paying slightly more for health care.

From: http://www.gazettenet.com/2010/03/08/workers-ratify-stop-amp-shop-contract

Boston.com:“Through the hard work of negotiators, we were able to reach an agreement that maintained our great health and pension benefits and provided general wage increases,’’ said Jim Carvalho, a spokesman for UFCW Local 1445, which represents 36,000 Stop & Shop employees in southern New England.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/08/stop__shop_strike_averted_as_unions_in_southern_new_england_accept_latest_offer/

CBS Coverage with video: http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/86768002.html

Stop & Shop Press Release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stop--shop-and-labor-unions-reach-tentative-agreements-86725007.html

Providence Journal: http://www.projo.com/news/content/STOP_SHOP_CONTRACT_8_03-08-10_0IHMNC2_v17.3eabce1.html

NEWS22 (video):http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/3-unions-ratify-stop-shop-contract

A Labor Professor analyzes the legitimacy of Strike Threats: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/03/06/4660297.htm

Supermarket News:http://supermarketnews.com/retail_financial/labor_pact_0307/

In a posting on the website of one of the locals, UFCW Local 1445, the union said 84% of the workers had voted in favor of the new contract.

Local reports said the new agreements call for full-time workers to "pay slightly more" for health insurance, which had been one of the sticking points of negotiations.

Employees will also receive a one-time payment up to $750, the reports said, in addition to scheduled raises during the next three years.

Shaw's workers reject final offer...

United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 791 members overwhelmingly rejected the Shaw's final contract offer over the weekend.   The vote was 228 to 8. Picket lines began outside the Shaw's warehouse in Methuen Sunday. All perishable food – dairy, produce and meat - for Massachusetts and Rhode Island stores come from that warehouse.  

“The members were basically insulted, to say the least,’’ said Peter Derouen, a spokesman for United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 791, which represents 309 workers at the Methuen facility.

Shaw’s said it “worked hard’’ to try to avoid a strike and is developing a contingency plan to keep the strike from affecting shoppers, according to a statement to NECN-TV.  Local News picked up the story here.

New York

Progressive Grocer: New Duane Reade in Chelsea offers more Grocery,  Fresh Food selections:

Duane Reade’s new location in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City marks the debut of greatly expanded fresh food and grocery sections offering such items as fresh sandwiches, single-serve entrees, baked goods and freshly packed salads and vegetables. According to the New York-based drug store chain, the new features, which place it even more squarely in competition with nearby grocery and convenience stores, represent the latest phase of the company’s continuing “brand and customer experience transformation,” in fulfillment of its “brand mantra” of “New York Living Made Easy.”

The Daily News reports that the search is on for companies responsible for the pollution of the filthy Gowanus Canal - and it already has yielded some big names.

WNYC: Labor Union Blues

Union organizing drives might sound anachronistic these days -- many people who are working feel lucky to have a job. But unions are still trying to grow in New York City, even in areas where they have struggled to gain ground, such as government contractors. Matthew Schuerman has been following the story of a union-organizing drive at an E-ZPass center in Staten Island. Here’s his first installment.

Isaac Colinares,27, lives in a one-bedroom apartment in a worn-out neighborhood on Staten Island. It’s about a mile from his job, where he works answering phone calls and e-mails from E-ZPass customers. He started there two years ago....Read more by Matthew Schuerman

David Letterman is challenging the 2010 National Grocer Association's 'Best Bagger' on the Late Night Show.

Nation

Walmart exposed for 'Outdated and Sexist" hiring practices, Al Norman @ The Huffington Post.

U.S. Jobless Rate Steadies in February, sign of recovery?