Salem Updates

The situation across the country is tough. Many people are struggling. The cost of food, health care, and necessities continue to rise (not to mention the cost of gas just to get to work.) These issues require attention and UFCW Local 555 is devoted to fighting for the membership to ensure they are taken care of. Please follow these negotiations. Pass the information along and support each other.

Bargaining Update - November 5, 2009

On Thursday November 5, 2009 your union bargaining team met with management for our third bargaining session. In our previous sessions we presented management with our complete proposals on all topics that have been identified as areas of needed improvement by UFCW 555 members that work within the Salem Non Food bargaining unit contract.

After substantial dialogue the union bargaining team made significant movement on our proposals in an attempt to show a good faith effort to management that it was our intent to move the bargaining process forward. Unfortunately our movement toward management on proposals that were identified as key for management’s bargaining team was not met with the same enthusiasm that our team had expected. Our union bargaining team was disappointed by management unwillingness to provide our team with a complete counterproposal including wages.

Salem Non Foods Bargaining Team

Salem

Fred Meyer

Non Foods

Bargaining Team

“We came to the bargaining table made a good faith effort to bargain. We put forward proposals and management said it wasn’t enough. It’s disappointing that we couldn’t make more movement and get more issues resolved. ”

Next Steps….

We are awaiting bargaining dates from Management for our next bargaining session.
November 17^th – Bargaining Consortium -UFCW members from around the state will gather to discuss key bargaining issue

If you are interested in being part of the Bargaining Team or would like to attend the Bargaining Consortium, please contact you union representative or call the union office at 800-452-UFCW.

October 14, 2009

The Union bargaining committee met with the employer on Tuesday October 13, 2009. The Union was expecting the employer to provide a counter proposal on economics, however the employer stated they were unable to provide an economic proposal at the time, and provided some proposed language changes instead. Attempting to move bargaining forward, the union made proposals to address several issues raised by both sides, but the employer indicated they were not agreeable to the proposals, and choose to cease bargaining for the day. The next bargaining date is set for November 5, 2009.

September 18, 2009

The Union Bargaining Committee met with representatives from Fred Meyer for the first time today. The Union presented a comprehensive proposal that addressed virtually all areas of the contract including wages. After taking time to review the proposal, the company, while agreeing to some of the Union’s proposals, responded that they were not looking to drastically change the language in the contract, rejecting most of the Union’s proposals. The company did respond with some proposals of their own; the company’s response did not include a wage proposal however. The committee is scheduled to meet with the employer again on October 13, 2009. When asked if they would be providing a response to wages at that meeting, the company representative expressed a hesitancy to engage in wage response at that time.