After months of bargaining, 165 members of UFCW Local 3000 who work in the grocery and meat divisions of Fred Meyer #652 in Ellensburg, Wash., ratified their first contracts on Sept. 30.
The two contracts include the following provisions:
- A strong journey wage increase to $4.00 or more.
- Big lump sum bonus checks of $500 for all workers, excluding courtesy clerks who will be receiving $750.
- An “All Purpose Clerk” scale with historic pay raises for many departments.
- Wage escalators, which means strong wage increases throughout the pay scale when the minimum wage goes up and when workers are moving through the apprentice rates.
- Just cause protections.
- Health care with a benefit plan which is set to start on Jan. 1, 2026.
- Major improvements to vacation banks that will ensure that workers get vacation based off of hours worked.
- A pension plan attached to wages that goes up every time wages increase, which is set to start on Jan. 1, 2026.
- Dedicated money to fund training and workforce development to ensure that workers get the training they need to do their jobs and prepare for the future of the industry.
- Stronger safety language to address top issues workers face in their stores.
“I wanted to unionize because I’ve seen the injustices that can happen without a union,” said Paige Winsor, who is a front end cashier at the Fred Meyer store in Ellensburg. “The process was exhilarating, and it felt good to put my frustration towards something that would benefit not only me, but also my co-workers and people who will work at this store after I leave. I’m very excited about how strong our first contract is, and I think it’s mainly from how much care and work everyone involved put into this effort.”
