Negotiations are dragging on grocery workers contract

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Story Published: Oct 23, 2007 at 5:03 PM PST

By Tom Adams

One side says negotiations are going nowhere.

The other side says labor talks are on track and agreement is possible soon.

At issue is the lack of a contract between Safeway, Albertsons and Fred Meyer stores and the grocery workers union.

The 1,100 employees have been working without a contract since February, the month negotiations started.

A bargainer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union says health care costs are just one of big issues.

Collective Bargaining Director, Ric Ball, explains, "Our members on the average make about $9.00 per hour and they can not afford hundreds of dollars applied to their monthly outlay just for their health care, and that's what the employers are looking at."

Local 555 of the union has also filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the stores, because Ball says the management has not proposed any wage package to talk about. Ball tells KVAL, "We've requested it numerous times. We finally had to file an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board, that the employers were not bargaining in good faith because they have not put on the table their wage package."

Store officials declined to comment on camera Tuesday, but spokesman Scott Powers of Allied Employers issued a written statement.

In part the statement says, "We believe that the union's press statement and alleged unfair labor practice charges are devoid of any factual or legal merit. We are disappointed that in response to the employers' commitment to working together, the union is creating this kind of distraction."

The next bargaining session will be this Thursday and Friday in Portland. A Federal mediator will be in charge.

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