Grocery, meat workers wrap up more contracts

Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 ratified several more contracts last month on the heels of a ratification vote in Eugene-Springfield after more than a year of bargaining.

In February, Salem, Corvallis, Albany, Sweet Home, Lebanon, and Newport all settled contracts. Support has averaged around 92 percent.

Local 555 represents more than 1,100 workers at Safeway, Albertsons and Fred Meyer stores in these areas.

Key provisions in the contracts are identical to those in Eugene-Springfield, with union wokers winning hard-money wage increases (not bonuses in lieu of wages, as employers initially tried to get). Wages will increase $1.30 an hour over the life of the agreement, retroactive to February 2007. There will be no health reimbursement accounts (which would have resulted in large increases in deductibles), and employees may volunteer to work Christmas Day, but can’t be scheduled to work.

Ratification votes are scheduled this month in Vancouver, Wash., Medford, Roseburg, Coos Bay and Brookings.