 Kroger store employees working at 39 stores in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new union contract yesterday. The contract provides increased pay while maintaining healthcare and retirement benefits and covers approximately 4,200 Kroger associates. The new contract takes effect immediately and extends through August 29, 2020. The workers are members of United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400. “I think we made it clear to the company that we were willing to fight to protect our benefits,” said Tami Faulknier, a 34-year Kroger employee who served on the union negotiating team. “Our customers were overwhelmingly supportive and I think that helped a lot,” said Allen Nuckels, a Kroger grocery clerk from Oak Hill, WV. “I lost count of how many times someone saw us at a rally and stopped to ask me, ‘Are you guys on strike? Because I won’t cross a picket line!’” “These days, it is extremely rare to ratify a contract without losing a single benefit,” said Local 400 president Mark Federici. “I cannot overstate how much the support of Kroger customers and the rest of the community made a difference in these negotiations. Together, we were able to preserve healthcare and retirement benefits that thousands of hard-working men and women rely on.” photo via UFCW 400 Twitter
Comments are closed.
|
