The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 union announced a tentative labor agreement with the owners of several grocery store chains on Sunday morning.
According to a union news release, details of the agreement are being withheld until union members are able to review and vote to accept or reject. Grocery store workers will begin voting today and the results will be announced Thursday.
The proposed contract is with the Ralphs, Vons, Pavilions and Albertsons supermarket chains.
Union leadership will recommend that members vote to approve the agreement.
“We believe this agreement is a step forward towards our vision of what grocery jobs should be in the future. Consumers and community leaders stood with us to show our value and the impact we have in our stores and communities. We have many to thank for their support,” said Union President John Grant.
In June the union rejected a contract offer from the grocery executives.
Mr. Grant said Sunday’s agreement is the result of more than 40 bargaining sessions and thousands of customers who supported store workers through online petitions.
“We showed the corporate executives the relationships we have with our customers and the impact we have in our stores and communities. And know that when we stand together we win,” wrote Mr. Grant in a statement on the contract.
Ralphs officials released a statement that confirmed the contract would apply to the company’s 18,000 associates who work in 190 stores in Southern California.
The parties were assisted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services.
In the weeks leading up to the deal, the union threatened to strike if Sunday’s contract offer was not acceptable.
“Big Grocery knows that if they won’t meet us at the table this week, they’ll have to deal with us on the picket line,” read a union statement last Wednesday.
