Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Grocery store workers in Spokane, Washington, overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract in their first union negotiation. The workers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 3000, secured an increase in journey wages of $4 an hour or more, an all-purpose clerk scale with historic pay raises for many departments, health care benefit improvements with no increases to premiums or deductibles, significant improvements to vacation banks, ensuring vacation is based on hours worked, automatic pension funding increases every time wages increase, and dedicated money to fund training and workforce development.
“In the midst of a proposed grocery mega-merger, we’ve sent a clear message," UFCW Local 3000 said in a statement. "We have power in our communities, we have a voice in our workplace, and we have a strong new contract that will be the backbone for our future.”