CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Following votes taken over two days at stores throughout the region, UFCW Local 400 members working at Kroger stores under the West Virginia contract voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
The agreement was unanimously recommended by the Bargaining Advisory Committee and members voted 701-208 in favor of adopting the contract. Ballots were tallied over Zoom video conference to allow members to witness the count.
A union representative released the following statement:
By standing together, our solidarity resulted in a new three-and-a-half-year agreement that guarantees:
- Health care funding that experts say will fully fund our health care for the life of the contract
- Real raises for EVERYONE
- Premiums for ALL department heads
- No increase to prescription drug costs maximums + a new diabetes program to reduce drug costs
- New hours eligibility measurement period doesn’t start until after ratification
- All raises retroactive to November 1, 2020
While no contract is perfect, this agreement is a significant improvement from the last offer that we resoundingly rejected. By standing together, we were able to preserve our health care funding for the life of the contract and make other improvements that resulted in a fair deal.
Review the contract: https://wvpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201117-Kroger-West-Virginia-Tentative-Agreement.pdf
