About 25 members of UFCW Local 400 who work at nearly 30 local FRESHFARM farmers markets in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia voted in favor of ratifying their first union contract on Feb. 12. This ratification marks the first time farmers markets workers in the country have secured a collective bargaining agreement. These workers voted to join our union family last year.
The three-year contract includes:
- Higher wages, including for those who speak a second language, along with guaranteed annual raises.
- Vacation time for seasonal employees across the organization for the first time ever.
- Improved workplace conditions and safety standards, including a labor-management committee to address ongoing concerns.
- Grievance and arbitration procedures to guarantee just discipline.
“We came together as a collective to improve our working conditions and create good jobs at FRESHFARM,” said Yuval Lev, who has been a FRESHFARM market operator for three years and served on the union’s bargaining committee. “We’re proud to codify these hard-fought gains in this historic contract and continue doing the work we love to serve the community. A big thank you goes out to everyone who has supported us – our fellow workers, farmers and vendors, and community members. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at our unionized farmers markets!”
