In Negotiations with Acme, Pathmark, and Superfresh for New Contract


Who:   UFCW  Local 1776 in the Philadelphia area has 4000 members in contract with Supervalu/Acme, and A&P-owned Pathmark and Superfresh. UFCW Local 1360 in New Jersey has about 3000 members at A&P-owned stores.

When: Contract expired on February 2nd, 2008 with Acme workers, and will expire soon on A&P-owned stores.  Negotiations are ongoing.

What's At Stake:  Good, middle class jobs that provide for families and sustain communities. 

Workers want to see jobs with:

• a secure retirement

• real wage increases

• affordable, quality health care for all workers

Notes on Negotions with ACME:

Ø      4000 members work at Acme stores in Philadelphia area--which are owned by Supervalu.

Ø      Supervalu/Acme claims the economy necessitates huge concessions from members—but really, the grocery industry as a whole is doing well in this down economy as more families eat and prepare food at home.

Ø      Members have been doing their part, giving excellent service and working hard to make their company successful—but Supervalu has neglected to help their own Acme stores and the Philadelphia community thrive, putting little or no investment into these stores that they purchased a few years ago.

Ø      In fact, Supervalu has shown nothing but greed when it comes to these Acme stores; it seems they bought the stores just to bleed them dry of profit, giving nothing back to workers or the community.

Ø      Members of Local 1776 have been negotiating with Acme for almost two years now.

Ø      Acme has put forth a “last and final” proposal, which they say members must vote on by July 10, or it will be implemented unilaterally. This would trigger a lockout at Acme stores, which no one wants—not customers and certainly no the workers that serve them.

Ø      Acme has offered nothing but insults to workers, rewarding their hard work by proposing they pay as much as $500 a month for health care, and proposing a one time gift card to Acme rather than wage increases. Acme members deserve better

Ø      In addition, workers have been treated to propaganda on this terrible contract offer, forced to watch video announcements from Acme head Judy Spires and receiving one-sided information on the contract with their paychecks.

Ø       The bottom line is this: Supervalu has acted with nothing but selfishness and greed in these negotiations, with no regard for workers, for the long-term health of their Acme stores, or for the good of the Philadelphia community in which they operate. Acme workers and customers deserve better