October 23 Bargaining Update
At our October 23rd bargaining session, the company presented a full counter to our last set of proposals. Despite months of insisting that their previous offer was the best they could do, the company, in the face of an escalating strike threat, made numerous concessions on important issues. These concessions include granting members the guarantee of consecutive days off and improvements on wage increases for long term and capped employees. They also finally relented on their proposed two-tier healthcare model - only to present a 28-hour per week eligibility threshold! This is a completely unacceptable takeback to our benefits, and would force many of our coworkers off of the healthcare that they depend on. Despite the movement made by the employer today, we must continue to organize and fight to win a truly fair contract, without takebacks.
The Bargaining Committee presented updated counters on all outstanding articles at the end of the session, and we will meet again with the company on November 4th. There are only a few outstanding articles that remain to be agreed to in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). All proposals from both NSLU and the Company can be viewed on our trello page. It’s time for us to secure a fair contract; it’s time for the company to give us what we deserve. We have informed the company that we want to have a full agreement ready to present to membership at our December 4th All-Store Meeting. If there is not an agreement by this point, we will continue our preparations for a strike.
As we build towards a possible strike this December, there's been an outpouring of community support towards our efforts for a fair contract. The Food Chain Workers Alliance is hosting their annual summit in Portland from Saturday, October 25th - Tuesday, October 28th. While FCWA is in town for their summit, NSLU members and supporters will be rallying alongside our union siblings to support our respective contract fights. The rally will begin at Chapman Square on Sunday, October 26th at 3:30pm, and will include members of New Seasons Labor Union, Fried Egg Workers Union, Burgerville Workers Union, and the Coalition of Independent Unions alongside the Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA). The Co-Chair of our Solidarity & Education Committee, Jimbo Heiner, will be speaking at the rally. The rally will turn into a march concluding at New Seasons Market’s new Corporate HQ at the Skylight building (120 SE Clay St, Portland, OR).
Other upcoming events are found at nslu.org/calendar. As the company has shown with their concessions today, when we stand together and fight, we win! Now is the time for us to stand together once more, and create the strike threat necessary to win our contract. These upcoming events, and our strike authorization vote, provide the opportunity to demonstrate our resolve in fighting for fair wages, benefits, and rights in the workplace. A strong vote in favor of a strike gives the Bargaining Committee the leverage necessary to win at the table, and avert a strike. By demonstrating our collective power, we can win our demands, and our future!
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