Trophy Foods Negotiations UFCW Local 401 Update
As a union member and employee at Trophy Foods you may be aware UFCW Local 401 is currently in negotiations with your employer for a renewal of your Union Contract. The union Bargaining Committee began meeting with the company back in the spring, and this involved exchanging proposals and engaging in direct bargaining. The union provided the company its proposals, which were submitted to us by the membership through surveys and proposal meetings.
Those union proposals are designed to improve the Union Contract rights and overall terms and conditions of employment that all members working at Trophy Foods currently experience. Unfortunately, the company proposals, for the most part, seek to roll back these rights and benefits you have earned as a union member! Usually when a company comes to the bargaining table seeking to remove or reduce rights and benefits from its employee group, it’s commonly referred to as ‘concessionary bargaining’.
As bargaining has progressed through the last few months, the company has largely maintained its concessionary position at the bargaining table. This has made it very difficult for the union Bargaining Committee to feel optimistic going forward about our chances of achieving a new contract. We have told the company they must move off their concessionary positions in order for there to be any chance of reaching a new Union Contract at the bargaining table. To this point however, the company has for the most part, maintained these concessionary positions.
We wanted you to be aware of what is happening at the bargaining table with your employer. As an employee and a union member, you have a right to know what is happening and your union has every right to communicate this information to you, regardless of what (or how much) the company may want you to know about the negotiations process. This is especially important when negotiations are not going well as they are in this case, so that you are prepared for what may eventually come.
The parties are set to meet again in October and December and the union Bargaining Committee remains optimistic that when we reconvene, the company committee will come to the bargaining table with a new attitude and commitment towards achieving a fair Union contract.
As always, we are here to answer your questions. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Union Representative David Smith at the union office.
Sincerely,
Your UFCW Local 401 Bargaining Committee
Posted on: September 09,2015