San Diego, California – A tentative agreement has been reached between major Southern California grocery chains and the union representing more than 45,000 workers, potentially averting a strike that could have disrupted service at hundreds of Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions locations across the region.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union announced the breakthrough Wednesday after months of tense negotiations and mounting pressure. While the details of the proposed contract have not yet been made public, union leaders say the agreement includes higher wages, increased pension contributions, and improvements in healthcare benefits and store staffing.
“This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the power of our collective action,” the union’s negotiating committee said in a statement. “We stood strong against the companies’ disrespect and made it clear that we were ready to fight for the contract we deserve.”…