August 21

August 21, 2007

Union local rejects store offer

By Jan Falstad
Billings Gazette

Albertsons employees belonging to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 4, the largest local in Montana, voted nearly unanimously to reject the latest contract offer.

According to UFCW Local 4 President Nicolai Cocergine, 98.5 percent of the union members attending last weekend's meetings rejected what he called the company's "last and best offer." Union grocery employees belonging to Local 8 out of Great Falls also voted overwhelmingly against the contract language, Cocergine said.

Montana grocery store clerks and meat cutters have already voted to give their negotiators authority to strike. However, that doesn't mean a strike is imminent.

Cocergine said he has asked the company for some dates to resume talks, but he hasn't heard back yet. The last face-to-face meeting was held July 24 and 25, he said.

"They aren't paying a fair wage. They aren't giving enough money to provide health benefits, and the company isn't putting any new money into the (union) pension plan," he said.

Stephanie Martin, director of communication and public affairs in Boise, Idaho, said 1,032 Montanans, or fewer than half of the grocery store's employees in this state, are union members. Eleven Montana union contracts expired between April 2006 and last February, she said.

The remaining seven Montana union contracts started expiring in April and all of them will run out by October.

"The company is open to returning to the bargaining table so that all parties can continue working to negotiate an agreement," Martin said.

In addition to Montana negotiations, Albertsons still is talking with union workers in Eugene, Ore.

Union workers in Southern California settled last month. Also, a tentative agreement has been reached with 4,000 workers in four unions working in communities along Puget Sound in Washington.

Albertsons is part of Supervalu Inc., based in Minnesota, a sale that was completed in January 2006. Supervalu operates 2,500 retail grocery stores that generate yearly sales of more than $40 billion.

Albertsons runs 535 stores, including Lucy supermarkets, in nine Midwestern and Western states. The grocery operates 34 stores in 24 Montana cities.