Union wins historic wage increases for nearly 2K grocery workers in Kitsap

Sara Llorenty, 64, of Bremerton, has worked at Safeway in Silverdale for almost 18 years as a deli clerk.

With the approval of a three-year contract negotiated by labor union UFCW 3000 with the owners of Safeway, Albertsons and Kroger, Llorenty and other journey grocery workers at stores in western Washington, including Safeway and Fred Meyer, will have their wages increase between $4 to $9 an hour over three years, maintain a health plan with no increased costs, get safety training they need in their workplaces and more.

Llorenty, who also cares for her 98-year-old mother, said the job of deli clerk is the only job she can do. With the rising cost of living in Kitsap County, the wage increase will help Llorenty support her family, "especially now that all the things are going high up in prices, so that's gonna really help," she said.

"I never tried to jump into any of the others (jobs) because I cannot do it," Llorenty continued, explaining why she hasn't tried to apply for other positions over the past 18 years. "I know my limitations and I try to be helpful in what I can in my department."

Nearly 2,000 grocery workers in Kitsap County are under the contract and will benefit from the ratified agreement, which was voted on by union members around Puget Sound last week, according to Tom Geiger, special projects director of UFCW 3000.

UFCW 3000 (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union) is a labor union with over 50,000 members working in grocery, healthcare, retail, cannabis and other industries across Washington state, northeast Oregon and northern Idaho, according to the union.

Contract overwhelmingly approved

The vote on the contract lasted five days, from April 25 to 29, in six locations in Puget Sound, including the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton on Thursday.

The union's bargaining team prepared for months, and workers prepared for a strike if the sides could not negotiate.

"This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live," the union said.

Union officials announced Friday night that grocery workers voted "overwhelmingly" to ratify the new contract, Geiger said, though it did not release voting tallies.

The improvements in the ratified contract include wage increases of $4 to $9 an hour over the term of the agreement for the most veteran workers, elimination of lower pay scales in departments such as deli, bakery, fuel and e-commerce and an increase of 150% in wage escalators, which is the required minimum amount for each raise in the wage scales, according to the union.

The specific wage increase for each worker varies depending on position and seniority.

Naomi Oligario, who is on the union bargaining team and also a cashier in Safeway in Port Orchard, is earning $22.40 dollars per hour. Her wage will reach $26.40 dollars per hour in May 2024 because of the agreement, she said. Oligario has worked in Safeway for 37 years.

"We fought hard in there to get them, and I think we all deserve more ... but it is a substantial increase from our last contract," Oligario said, adding that workers didn't lose anything from the new contract.

In the agreement, there are no increases to health care premiums or deductibles for members.

Llorenty said that helps the raises remain true increases since workers won't have to pay more for healthcare.

The agreement also includes increased funding for members' pensions, and store-level safety committees will have a stronger ability to address serious safety issues workers may face, according to the union.

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Grocery workers took risks when working on the front line amid the pandemic, Oligario said, adding that COVID-19 has hit her household three times, and once, the family believes, was in a situation where Oligario's daughter, who is a grocery worker as well, got infected by others at her workplace.

In addition to the risks of contracting COVID-19, workers have been confronting situations of customers doing drugs in store bathrooms, intruders shooting in stores or vehicles being stolen out of parking lots, Oligario said.

"There's a lot of things that need to be addressed to make sure that our workers are safe when there were people coming in and doing stupid things to our co-workers," Oligario said.

The contract also includes a half million-dollar contribution from the employers to fund a new workplace training program that will allow pathways to higher-paying positions and career mobility within every store, the statement said.

The union is glad to see the result of the vote, Geiger said.

"I'm a senior. We haven't had a significant raise in forever. I feel we deserve more, but I feel this is what we were able to get now," Oligario said.

Reach breaking news reporter Peiyu Lin at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Nearly 2K grocery workers in Kitsap to get historic wage increases