Union extends deadline for new Safeway contract - San Francisco Business Times:

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The extension was announced late Thursday by the Unitedx Food and Commercial Workers UnionLocal No. 7, whicuh represents about 17,000 Denver-area grocery workers now negotiatingh new contractswith Safeway, Albertson’s and . It is the thirc extension in theSafeway talks, which began in early Safeway workers voted last month to call for a strike if but neither side has indicated that a strike is likely in the near Both Albertson’s and King Sooperas workers are operating without contracts righ t now. Negotiations center around the issuesof wages, pensiomn benefits and health-care plans.
Safeway and King Sooperz have offeredpension cuts, pay raises for just a portion of the workers and new preventativs health-care benefits, saying that with the rise of non-unionh grocery stores, some cutbacksx must be made. “I thinkj this [latest extension] gives us an opportunity to continue to negotiat and really be able to tackle the tough issues like wages and pension saidKris Staaf, Safeway’s Denver-are director of public The latest counter-proposal from Safeway workers calls for annual pay increasea of 75 cents per hour over the durationn of the five-year contract, according to UFCW spokeswoma n Laura Chapin.
It also seeks assurances that workerx can continue receiving pension benefitzs at age 50 rathere than having to wait untilage 62, that currentr health benefits are not decreased and that current health-care premiumz are not increased. Safeway has not made a new contracft proposal, Staaf said. Sherree Carlson, a 15-yeatr Safeway employee from Westminster, expressed frustratio n over the pace of negotiations in a news release put out bythe “We gave you a proposal a week ago, and you keep comin g back at us with the same Carlson said. “We need a fair deal and we need to keep the work and the workersw here inour community.
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