WHERE'S OVERWAITEA??

With the Overwaitea and Safeway contracts set to expire at midnight on March 29, the Union Negotiating Committees for both employers are nowhere near agreement to a new contract.

Overwaitea management has only agreed to meet for two more days in March, despite the fact the Union Negotiating Committee had cleared its calendar and made itself available.

Of particular concern is the lack of interest so far by Overwaitea management in addressing the key areas where union members expect major improvements. After 10 days of negotiations, Overwaitea management has still not discussed:

* Wage increases

* One wage grid for all

* Job Security (no more store conversions to a cheaper contract)

"We have told Overwaitea at virtually every bargaining session that we need to get down to business on the issues that matter most, but so far the company has not shown any interest in discussing them," says Ivan Limpright, President of UFCW 1518.

"These key issues will impact almost every area of the contract," says Limpright, "and need to become the focus of bargaining, not something held until the end of negotiations. Overwaitea needs to start taking the issues of wage increases and store conversions seriously, because the Union Negotiating Committee and the members sure are. The union's members will not sit by and watch the company drag out negotiations for months and months."

"Every member working in the stores deserves good wage increases," says Limpright. "The cost of living has been rising steadily, with basic expenses like gas, hydro, and food going up and up, and our wages have not kept pace."

"But a good wage increase isn't worth a lot in the end if we don't get rid of Grid B and get everyone on to one wage scale," he says. "Everyone deserves equal opportunity to earn a living wage. That's not the case under the current contract, and the employer wants to continue this practise of low wages and no future, and it's time to make the contract work for everybody again."

"Important as wage increases and getting everyone on one wage grid are, they won't be worth anything if we don't stop Overwaitea management from converting its stores to cheaper contracts whenever they want," says Limpright. "If the company maintains the right to just come in, change the sign, and put everyone under a 3-tier contract like PriceSmart or Coopers, there are going to be real problems."

"These are just some of the very serious issues that need to be addressed," he says, "and the employers demands for rollbacks table are taking us in entirely the wrong direction. The Union Negotiating Committee knows that it's possible to negotiate a new contract that will meet the needs of our members, and allow the employers to continue making good profits. But it's time for Overwaitea to get serious about these issues, because with only a couple weeks left in the contract, we have reached the point where we will have difficulty solving any of the outstanding issues without dealing with the big issues that are at the heart of this round of negotiations."

Negotiations with Overwaitea are scheduled to take place March 19-20, and are to resume with Safeway on March 25-26.