LA Times: Market chains, union (65,000 employees ) close in on agreement

[Omaha Steve]

Source: LA Times

A union leader says 'significant progress' has been made in trying to avoid another grocery strike.
By Jerry Hirsch and Ronald D. White, Times Staff Writers
7:25 PM PDT, July 13, 2007

Southern California's largest grocery chains and the union representing 65,000 employees edged closer to a new contract agreement in talks this week and plan to keep negotiating through the weekend.

People involved in the talks cautioned that hurdles remained but said headway had been made on wage and pension issues, as well as the number of years employees have to work to reach the top pay scale. The two sides still remain apart on how to fund health insurance improvements.

"We have made some significant progress," Rick Icaza, president of United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 770 in Los Angeles, said Friday. "There seems to be a will on both parts to compromise and come up with an agreement."

Icaza's optimistic comments were in sharp contrast to his recent remarks. Just a week ago, he complained that representatives of Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons were stalling in negotiations. He threatened to cancel a temporary agreement, which so far has prevented a strike, if the bargaining failed to start to move forward.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-grocery14jul14,1,1091150.story?coll=la-headlines-business

[zehnkatzen]

1. Yay, Union!

This Teamster says "go for it!"...

[blondie58]

2. welcome to DU, zehnkatzen!

and do you really have ten cats??:-)

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

3. Unions are good for business, especially in these times.

Good for UFCW, they're following SEIU's lead.

MKJ

[Indenturedebtor]

4. Only reason they're making progress

is that grocery is a relatively low profit business imho.

With enough money the populous can be crushed.

[Sherman A1]

5. Good News

We here in St. Louis are in talks right now as well. All we know is that the contract expired in May and talks continue with progress being made. Sort of No News is No News.... but it's better than them not talking.


:thumbsup: