Higher wages, benefit improvements and flexible contract language going forward have all been baked into three new contracts between Meijer and some 27,000 members of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 951 following member ratification voting completed last week. The new 4-year deals officially went into effect back on Sunday according to union and corporate officials who both commented on the vote.
UFCW 951 President & Chief Union Negotiator John Cakmackci says, "Not only are all members receiving wage increases, but the length of time it takes them to get to top rate was reduced as we worked to close the gaps in the wage scales." He adds, "The contract will improve health benefits, while reducing the employee contribution for part-time workers."
Meijer corporate spokesman Frank Gugliemi said, in a statement, "The key to our sustained growth is investing in our team and taking care of our customers. This new agreement, along with our continued focus on winning with our team, will help us do both."
Cakmackci says that last year the union surveyed the membership regarding what they'd like to see emerge from the negotiations. He notes, "The contracts we negotiated achieved their goals and were unanimously recommended by the members on the bargaining committees and soundly ratified by the membership." The union does not reveal actual vote tallies in any contract voting.
The three separate contracts are for retail…distribution center/transportation teams…and retail facilities maintenance, and they cover more than 27,000 workers system-wide. The contracts are all four year deal with immediate wage increases. The union says starting rates were "increased significantly, and the top wage rates increased in all contracts."
Other contract improvements include:
- Elimination of the 20-hour per week average to receive paid time off…
- More paid time off for workers hired after 10/23/05…
- Increases in the company's match to employees' 401(k) plans…
- Quicker qualification for paid holidays for workers hired on or after 9/14/03…
- Greater opportunity to obtain a full-time position and promotions…
- Improved scheduling language that strengthens both full-time and part-time seniority…
- Retirement incentives.
Union boss Cakmackci says, "We made good progress in these negotiations, but there is still work to do." He concludes, "I look forward to continuing to work with the company to improve the lives of the UFCW 951 members working at Meijer."
Locally, Meijer has super stores in Benton Harbor, Stevensville, and as shown in the accompanying photo, in South Haven.
