By: Manuel Ocaño / Special for Real America News Updated 15 Apr 2022, 22: 47 pm EDT
Some 47,000 workers at more than 500 supermarkets in Southern California yesterday ratified a collective bargaining agreement with a salary increase of up to $4.28 per hour in annual incremental increases for the next three years, your union reported.
The Union of Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) reported that the employees of seven union affiliates, including the 770, in Los Angeles County.
The previous three-year contract ended on the 7th of March and the workers demanded a raise of $5 per hour, with recognition of merit, after having faced the pandemic as essential employees and in the face of inflation that is close to 8 percent.
Supermarket chains Ralphs and Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions initially offered a raise of only 50 cents that will gradually increase to $1.80 per hour.
The workers included in the contract are in positions from North Los Angeles to the Mexican border.
The workers also managed to increase the minimum weekly working hours for the new contract from 24 a 28, for part-time or part-time employees.
Mr. Juan Aguilar has worked for the Vons company 43 years, last two years in store in Sierra Madre and Colorado in Pasadena.
Don Juan, in charge of stocking the shelves or shelves of the supermarket do at night so that customers find a good supply in the morning, he told Real America News that the new contract has benefits that satisfy him even to plan his retirement.
“Before the pandemic, the salary was tight; It was not enough for us to cover expenses,” said don Juan, but as an essential worker, a permanent worker at the supermarket, the arrival of the coronavirus meant a bittersweet situation in his case, as in that of many other supermarket workers in Southern California. .
Don Juan was asked working extra hours and even doubled his shift, but that was because many of his co-workers were infected with Covid-19, and some even died.
He said it was a difficult season because, without new hires to replace workers who were absent due to illness, those who continued without getting infected had to do their job and assume go the one that their absent companions would have done.
During the entire difficult period Don Juan did not get sick from the pandemic and more recently he returned to more regular shifts.
Partly because he has worked for Vons since 1979, don Juan is guaranteed full time. However, he knows that his benefits have been rather exceptional, and that most of his colleagues lack those types of benefits.
“For me the new contract is very good to think to retire, but the best thing is that it benefits all of us who work in supermarkets”, he said.
Kim Sisson, a supervisor at a Vons in La Crescenta and a member of the union bargaining committee, said, “This contract not only gives workers more money but also begins to address pay disparities in the stores. ” and address safety concerns.
For Erika Bentzen, employee at a Ralphs of Thousand Oaks believed that this time “we made history, because it was the first time that the workers were part of the negotiations and I think it made a difference to have us there.”
The The result of including the bases in negotiation has been that “this is the best contract in the country and I am excited by the great progress we have made including medical coverage”
UCFW spokeswoman 770, Bertha Rodríguez, explained to Real America News that the increase Salary is staggered. Retroactively to March 7 the 28,000 workers have an increase of $2 per hour, in 2023 another additional dollar will be increased, and in 2024 another increase of 1.25 per hour.
In addition to the salary increase, the new contract reduces the time required to move up the pay scale, which also means more workers will receive their benefits sooner. “This results in significant increases in net pay, of up to $3,000 per year for some employees”, reported the union.
Said “the new deal also improves dental and vision plans and protects pension benefits.”
The contract “includes provisions to establish health and safety committees in all supermarket stores. This allows workers to make decisions on health and safety issues in stores to protect workers and customers”, reported the union.