RWDSU/UFCW members at six Guitar Center locations in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Nevada recently ratified a new contract.
The three-year contract includes an increased minimum wage rate for every position, which will continue to go up every year of the agreement. Tenured employees received an additional seniority wage adjustment. The contract also maintains the union health plan with the addition of a short-term disability benefit.
Other contract highlights include an updated attendance policy that changes the grace period for lateness from five minutes to 15 minutes and the ability to call additional labor-management meetings during the year. The contract also gives current workers a leg up on moving positions within Guitar Center. Going forward, when new part- and full-time positions become available in the bargaining unit, the manager will be required to share the listing with current workers five days ahead of advertising the job to the public.
Importantly for sales associates and repair technicians, the contract maintains the current commission structure – unlike the non-union Guitar Center stores, where commission payouts have been slashed across the company.
The unionized Guitar Center stores covered in the contract are located in Boston and Danvers, Mass.; Chicago; Las Vegas; New York City; and Queens, N.Y.
