Safeway Continues to Refuse to Fund Pension

10 Days Until Strike Vote at Safeway

We met with Safeway negotiators today and yesterday for the first time since announcing our intent to take a strike vote if we are unable to reach a fair agreement. The last time we sat down with Safeway was on February 13.

We made some progress toward some of our goals, but Safeway continues to refuse to live up to its obligation to fully fund our pension. We will not settle for a contract that abandons retirees and gives away the pension benefits that we have worked hard to earn.

We’re not scheduled to meet with them again until Friday, February 28. We will continue to work toward a fair contract with:

• Wages we can live on
• Schedules we can depend on
• Healthcare we can afford
• Pension we can count on

In the meantime, we are continuing to prepare for a strike at Safeway. We are distributing letters to neighboring businesses at shopping centers to ask for their support and to inform them that picket lines will appear in front of Safeway stores. Our picket lines are not intended to disrupt businesses surrounding Safeway locations and we will work with local business owners to minimize disruptions.

This evening, we are also hosting the first in a series of trainings for Picket Captains. Picket Captains are union members who are responsible for organizing their coworkers and maintaining picket lines at their store 24/7 during the strike. We have identified picket captains from every Safeway location and we are well on our way to being ready to strike if Safeway doesn’t come to its senses.

Now it is more important than ever to stay up-to-date with your union. Be sure to sign up for text alerts and you’ll never miss the latest union news.

The current proposals from Safeway are unacceptable. On Thursday, March 5, we will take a strike vote at Safeway if we don’t have a fair contract. Make a plan to attend this important meeting: