A united UFCW Local 555 committee was back at the bargaining table with Fred Meyer on Wednesday, June 16. Non-food members from all across the jurisdiction gathered in Portland to send a message that regardless of where they live and work they all deserve the same benefits.

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Fred Meyer Non-Food workers deserve respect, fair wages and hours, a protected health plan, and a secure pension. For the first time, we are fighting for this standing shoulder to shoulder as Fred Meyer Non-Food workers from Albany, Coos Bay, Corvallis, Longview, Newberg, Portland, Salem, and The Dalles.

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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.

Today, November 9, 2009, your union trustees were victorious in their pursuit of the requested arbitration.  In an affirming decision by federal courts, the employer trustees were forced to enter expedited arbitration with the union trustees. We are pleased with the courts decision and believe that this will allow us to continue protecting the membership as a whole.

We have had many struggles over the last year, and today gives us a great example of how taking a stand on important issues that affect our members, while not always the easy or fast thing, is the right thing to do.

Your pension is overseen by a board of trustees. These trustees include five employer trustees and five union trustees.  Over the last year the employer trustees have refused pension relief offered by the federal government which would allow more time to deal responsibly with the financial problems of today brought on by the current economic climate.

Your union trustees have actively encouraged the employer trustees to do the right thing and accept the assistance provided through the WRERA. Unfortunately the employers have refused to make decisions that are in the best interest of the membership as a whole. Further, the employer trustees have refused to allow a neutral third party to resolve this dispute as has been the custom for Pension plans.  On your behalf, your union trustees filed suit against the employer trustees to force arbitration that will allow for the two sides to resolve this issue in the best interest of those covered under the pension.