By JAN FALSTAD
Billings Gazette

After two days of talks in Billings, the head of a union representing clerks and meat cutters at Montana Albertsons and Safeway stores was pleased.

"We actually made some progress today, but we have a lot to work on yet," said Nicolai Cocergine, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 4.

Progress was made on all the key issues affecting about 750 union employees at 34 Montana Albertsons, Cocergine said, including health and welfare, wages and pensions.

One representative of Albertsons and its parent company, Supervalu Inc., and a company negotiator for the Montana Safeway stores talked with Cocergine and other union members for eight hours Monday at the Country Inn & Suites in the Heights. On Tuesday, the UFCW and Albertsons talked for five hours.

About 40 union workers came to Monday's talks and about 30 attended Tuesday's session, Cocergine said.

Last week, UFCW workers voted to give their negotiators authority to call a strike, if needed. Safeway workers haven't taken a strike authorization vote yet.

Both sides agreed to let union employees keep working under the terms of their expired contracts. If either the company or the union wants to end that contract extension, it must give a 72-hour notice to the other negotiating team.

A spokeswoman for Albertsons was out of town and unavailable for comment.

"We continue to make progress, and everybody's working very hard at the table," said Stephanie Martin, director of communication and public affairs at Albertsons headquarters in Boise, Idaho.

Another round of negotiations has been scheduled for May 18 in Helena.