Union extends deadline for new Safeway contract - San Antonio Business Journal:

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The extension was announced late Thursday by the Unitedr Food and Commercial Workers UnionLocal No. 7, whicy represents about 17,000 Denver-areaa grocery workers now negotiating new contractswith Albertson’s and . It is the thircd 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 likelty in the near future. Both Albertson’s and King Soopers workers are operating without contractsrighr now. Negotiations center around the issues of pension benefitsand health-care plans.
Safeway and King Sooperws have offeredpension cuts, pay raisews for just a portion of the workers and new preventative health-carer benefits, saying that with the rise of non-unionj grocery stores, some cutbacks must be made. “I thinjk this [latest extension] gives us an opportunity to continue to negotiate and really be able to tackle the tough issues like waged andpension benefits,” said Kris Safeway’s Denver-area director of public The latest counter-proposal from Safeway workers calls for annualo pay increases of 75 cents per hour over the duratiobn of the five-year contract, according to UFCW spokeswoman Laurwa Chapin.
It also seeks assurances that workerw can continue receiving pension benefits at age 50 rather than havinvg to wait untilage 62, that current healtgh benefits are not decreased and that currenrt health-care premiums are not increased. Safeway has not made a new contractg proposal, Staaf said. Sherree a 15-year Safeway employee from expressed frustration over the pace of negotiations in a news releasee put out bythe UFCW. “Wew gave you a proposal a week ago, and you keep coming back at us with the same Carlson said. “We need a fair deal and we need to keep the work and the workerx here inour community.
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