Portland metro grocery workers have been without a union contract for the last 1 1/2 years. With the rising cost of living and health care, our union has been trying to bargain a new contract with our employers seeking better wages and health benefits. Many of my co-workers with families have struggled to make ends meet with their salaries and our health insurance has been deducting $19.41 a week on top of our union dues, which is $40 dollars a month. Our union dues are supposed to help pay for our health insurance costs but without a contract, it is the one extra cost that we didn’t need to be deducted from our paychecks.
As a single guy, I can absorb those extra fees because with my salary I can support myself just fine. But people with families, it’s really hard on them. I’ve heard some families cutting back on their grocery bills just so they can make the extra health insurance cost.
This weekend, I went to my union’s ratification meeting to vote on the new recommended tentative agreement contract. The union and our employers agreed that we should get a 25 cent raise and another 25 cent raise the second year. We will also get a 25 cent per hour for the last 12 months of retroactive pay in lump sum for the time we have been without a contract. Our insurance deductible has gone up to $100, from $200 to $300. Those are some of the highlights and the vibe in the meeting room were mixed. However, our union has said they have been working tireless hours for the last week and they feel that this is the best offer that we can get. They have negated many proposals our employer has suggested like eliminating Sunday premium pay which we get an extra dollar for working and night premiums in which we get an extra 25 cents for working after 7 in the evening.
I think during this bargaining for a new contract, we do not have any real leverage because of this economy. Many people are looking for jobs and with the way things are, our employers can easily find someone else to fill the void. The union didn’t have any concrete leverage because their intentions are to not go on strike. If we did, how are families going to survive with no income coming in? However, I must say that they came away with small victories in the contract and finally after 4 years, we get another raise. I think my salary justifies me because it’s more than enough to support myself and my extracurricular activities but to families it barely affords food on the table.
Update:
We have accepted our new contract for 2 1/2 years.
With my new-found wealth, drinks are on me!
