A vote from my union members to 'possibly' strike over company's reaction to Obamacare

[bigtree]

Don't know all the details yet, but the word was that Giant Food (my job) and Safeway employees have voted to reject the current contract and have extended negotiations to December.

Giant has already begun to limit my part-time hours to well under the 30 hour a week threshold that would require them to provide health benefits. My fears were realized today when the company presented their contract.

I'm going to find out more when I talk to folks tonight at work, but it looks like our holiday will see a tense and determined struggle to make our employer share the wealth and provide its workers with a living wage and health benefits. This could be an important milestone in the fight to keep employers around here from backing off of their obligations to their workers and to establish their role in providing their part-time workers health care benefits.

Could we really strike? The 'overwhelming' vote today says yes. Wow.

Solidarity!

______________________

Giant, Safeway workers authorize possible strike

Unionized employees at Washington area Safeway and Giant Food stores voted Wednesday to authorize a strike against the grocery chains if the two parties fail to agree on a new contract.

The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union has been locked in contract negotiations with Giant and Safeway for several weeks. The biggest point of contention, officials familiar with the negotiations said, has been the rising cost of health-care benefits. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the talks.

The vote “does not mean that a strike will occur, but it lets Safeway know loudly and clearly that members are ready to take this step if they determine it is the only way to get a decent contract,” UFCW Local 400 said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the two sides announced that the contract, which expired Oct. 31, had been extended through Dec. 20. UFCW Local 400 represents 17,000 area Giant and Safeway employees.

Meanwhile, both Safeway and Giant have hired temporary workers to fill in if there is a strike . . .


report: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/giant-safeway-workers-authorize-possible-strike/2013/11/13/b473c906-4cae-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html

[Tigress DEM]

1. Good luck!! nt

[Lugnut]

2. Stay strong and good luck! n/t

[druidity33]

3. Solidarity! K&R, nt.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Going to a funeral

But, when you know where the strike fund is, let me know. We might not see eye to eye on a lot, but this is a Union household. We give what we can to those strike funds, and never ever will cross a line (well except to cover it, but I think that's allowed)

[bigtree]

7. just got back home from work

. . .so sorry for your personal loss, nadin.

Fortunately, no actual strike vote. Turns out one local (400) voted in a threat to strike. At our own meeting (local 27) we were cautioned against striking by the reps there after a majority had raised their hands in response to a question about striking. What they ended up doing was continuing negotiations until Dec. 20., so, we'll see what that brings.

You made an outstanding offer, though, Not many folks realize how important these union battles can be for the rest of the local and national workforce. If we succeed in limiting the employer's attempt to limit hours to avoid paying health benefits to part-time workers, it could have an impact on stores like my wife's, which is non-union, who are already claiming they can't afford to provide part-time workers with benefits and are saying they'll reduce hours to avoid the requirement.

. . .also, Nadin, I know well that we disagree far less than you may think we do at times. Solidarity!

[Laelth]

5. k&r for labor. n/t

-Laelth

[Raine1967]

6. Have a friends that works at Giant -- they said the heart of the issue was health benefits.

I am also assuming that Stop & Shop are falling under the Giant authorization umbrella, is this correct?

I will not shop at Giant if a strike occurs.

[bigtree]

8. I think Stop and Shop has their own negotiations and their own separate contract

Giant and Safeway always vote together around here.

It is health benefits at the heart of the disagreement. Giant forced us into a short term contract over a year ago while they waited to see if the Supreme Court would undo Obamacare. having lost that battle, they've moved on to exploiting the new law to cover their profit-taking attempt to cut off part-time workers from benefits and negotiate a reduction in the maximum amount of hours a part-time employee might be scheduled and still retain that pt classification. Sustained hours scheduled over the maximum is supposed to result in a full-time opening being created (in our current and past contracts). Giant works hard to keep us under that amount.

What they want to do now is to permanently limit part-time workers to under 30 hours to avoid the Obamacare requirement that they provide such workers health care benefits. They've already begun to limit hours, in anticipation. Our union is trying to prevent them from doing that.

I'm thankful that's a sticking point with our union, but, I'm also unsure whether we'll succeed in the end in preserving the potential for more hours scheduled beyond the limits set by the HCA. I'm not really that pessimistic; just worried. They don't really seem to give a shit about us workers, so, I'm wondering where we'll find agreement or a deal.

It's about our employer's response to the ACA; more than it has to do with some flaw in the hourly requirement. That's were our union comes in. We're going to do as much as we can to persuade Giant to continue providing the benefits they've been offering all of the 30 years I've worked for them.

Solidarity!

[Raine1967]

9. Solidarity indeed.

My two friends have been with Giant for a very long time -- they are concerned about what may happen. One friend has already filled out her scripts 3-4 months in advance. She's really concerned about losing that particular benefit.

Stop & Shop stores are generally north of here, that was why I asked.

Solidarity indeed!