Giant & Safeway Workers Overwhelmingly Approve Deal

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Giant and Safeway members voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ratify a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement that preserves their health and retirement security and increases wages. "This is one of the best retail food contracts in the country," said Local 400 President Mark P. Federici. "Our members will keep their current health care benefits, Giant and Safeway will pay all benefits in full through the life of the contract and our members' pensions will be properly funded.” In addition, the new agreement “increases our members' standard of living,” Federici said, “and it's one of the few contracts in the country providing all of its economic benefits in the form of hourly wage increases rather than a one-time bonus." A “sustained campaign of member activism” was credited for the win. “We told the companies we are strong,” said Maria Gomez, a member of the Bargaining Advisory Committee who works at Giant #799. “We told them we are ready to fight. And that is what made the difference.”