Following marathon negotiations on December 17th between UFCW Local 555 and Bimbo Bakeries USA, the union negotiating committee reached a fully-recommended settlement with the company.
Highlights of the proposed contract offer included a 60% reduction in monthly out-of-pocket health insurance premiums, the addition of stepchildren, stepparents, and grandchildren covered by funeral leave, political dues checkoff, wage increases amounting to 75 cents over the four years of the contract and protection against increased medical costs for union members and their families during the life of the agreement.
Bargaining unit members were ably represented by committee members Robin Brown (Albany) and Cindy Huffman (Beaverton) and chief negotiator, Brad Witt.
“Cindy and Robin are to be congratulated for their enormous contributions in obtaining the fully-recommended settlement,” said Witt. “They alone deserve credit for our Oroweat members getting wage increases in all four years of the contract . No question about it,” he emphasized, “those two ladies brought home the bacon for their co-workers.”
The settlement offer was overwhelmingly approved by a vote of the membership during a ratification meeting held on Tuesday night, January 19th at Local 555 headquarters in Tigard.
