(The following story by Thomas Lee appeared on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website on October 29.)
ST. LOUIS — Negotiators for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 and the area’s three largest grocery chains have reached a tentative settlement to end the strike and lockout that are in their fourth week.
Details of the agreement have not been released. It would cover about 10,000 workers.
The union will hold a special meeting Friday morning for workers to vote on the 47-month agreement. If a simple majority of workers accepts the proposal, the strike and lockout will be over. If members reject it, the strike and lockout will continue.
The meeting has been called for 9 a.m. at America’s Center downtown.
The strike against Shop ‘n Save began Oct. 7 after workers rejected by a vote of nearly 2-to-1 a proposal that the grocery stores called their last offer. After the strike vote, Dierbergs and Schnucks locked out their workers. The rejected offer had been recommended for acceptance by the union’s leadership.
The rejected deal would have required workers to assume a greater share of medical bill costs through higher deductibles and co-payments for some services, though store officials said it focused on the union’s request to keep health care costs in line.
It offered a raise of 75 cents an hour, with 25-cent raises in the second, third and fourth years, plus a 20-cent-an-hour bonus. The raise only applied to workers making at least $9 hourly. Union members said baggers get a nickel-an-hour raise.
The contract included two additional vacation days and more full-time jobs for workers at the grocery store chains.
The stores have remained open and have gradually lengthened their hours, using nearly 9,000 replacement workers. In all, 97 stores on the Missouri side of the St. Louis area have been affected by the dispute. Illinois stores have not been affected.
The strike took a dramatic turn Thursday night when both sides agreed to go back to the bargaining table. Robert Kelley, president of Local 655, credited the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for bringing the two sides together. A news blackout was imposed on the renewed negotiations, with no word leaking out until word of the tentative settlement came today.
Previously, the grocery stores had indicated little interest in starting the talks again.
John Tucker, area director of mediation services for the federal agency, praised mediator Roger Hendrix for getting both sides back to the table, adding: “He did an outstanding job in a difficult situation.”
The union asked members to bring their green voter verification cards plus a photo ID to the meeting, where doors open at 7:30 Friday morning.