Today our Bargaining Committee met for contract bargaining with the company. Over the past few months, we have attempted to find acceptable compromises that can help us reach a resolution to this ongoing contract fight. Today, as part of that effort, we submitted a new package of counter-proposals that, if they so chose, the company could accept immediately. These new counters move our position several million dollars closer to the company’s position. As of now, the company continues to insist on a number of articles that are completely unacceptable steps back from our current conditions. These include sub-inflationary wages, a reduction to the current Standard Increase raises, two-tier healthcare that divides membership by date of hire, and management rights language that would allow the employer complete control over our working conditions, even with a contract in place.
In order to reach a contract before our strike deadline, we found compromises on a number of positions. These include removing shift premiums to focus on consistent scheduling, and reducing the cost of our overall wage package while still preserving union jobs and the right to bargain over working conditions. All contract articles are available HERE to read and review. We hope that the company will return with a good-faith counter that preserves our rights in the workplace and pays the wages and benefits we deserve. As of yet, the company has not responded with an offer. Instead, they are attempting to cancel our next scheduled bargaining session on October 23rd. The reason? They want to prepare for an Unfair Labor Practice hearing on October 28th. This hearing is only taking place because the company refused the settlement agreement from the NLRB. We hope that they will continue to meet with us as scheduled to do the necessary work of finding a deal that meets our needs and averts a strike.
We made sure to impress upon the company the importance of settling a deal quickly. The company’s inaction has stalled bargaining, and we cannot let this process drag on into next year. We informed them of our ongoing strike pledge, and that we will be voting on authorizing a strike from October 31st - November 14th. Our monthly All-Store Membership Meeting on December 4th will be a special ratification meeting. At this meeting we hope to have a full Tentative Agreement. If we do not, we will be forced to vote on whether or not to accept management’s final offer. If that offer is voted down we will be forced to strike December 17th.
Going on strike is a difficult decision. However, if it is necessary to win a fair contract that secures higher wages and better working conditions, we must be ready to do so. Our most recent proposals are reasonable and financially feasible, and would cost the company less than a strike. We hope that the company recognizes this, and settles an agreement at the table.