CLARKSBURG, W. Va. — Members of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 in West Virginia met in Clarksburg Monday night and gave final approval on a new three-year contract with Kroger after members in Charleston voted for approval the same morning.
The votes at the two locations had to be combined to determine if the contract was ratified.
Among other items in the new contract, employees were able to increase their wages and preserve their health and retirement security.
“That was the big issue into this contrast, along with wage increases,” Fred Meredith, a Kroger employee from Belpre, Ohio and a member of the Bargaining Advisory Committee said. “With spousal care that was a main factor in the health and welfare. We [also] increased the pension plan. So basically, it was just a good package.”
The pay increase within the contract brought the five stores covered in Ohio and Kentucky to the same minimum wage as in West Virginia, which created some confusion among part-timer workers during the first vote in Charleston.
“The pay scale is a little hard to read and they didn’t read it right,” Larry Southern, Head Meat-Cutter at the Kroger in Bridgeport and another member of the Bargaining Advisory Committee said. “Most of them are going to get a $1.50 [raise] over three years.”
Southern said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici had a better idea of how to explain the pay scale in Clarksburg after the first attempt was made in Charleston.
“It is the activism of our members, and the support they have from their customers and the community, that enabled us to achieve these gains,” Federici said. “Their dedication, strength, and willingness to turn up the heat on Kroger at the store level when it was necessary, is the reason why we have this contract today—a contract that they not only deserve, but rightfully earned.”
During negotiations, the Bargaining Advisory Committee visited all of the Kroger stores in the region represented by Local 400 to speak with fellow employees about the contract.
This, they said, helped them during the talks with the company .
“At times it was cordial and at times it was heated,” Meredith said. “Cooler heads prevail. We had to come together as a unit because we have 4,000 associates out there we have to deal with and we were there for them. At the end, it finally equaled out and we’re very pleased with this package and we recommend this package.”
The collective bargaining agreement takes effect retroactively as of October 15, 2014. It expires on October 7, 2017, and covers 4,000 workers.