Join picketing grocery workers on Wednesday

Thousands of Puget Sound-area grocery store workers will conduct informational picketing outside dozens of stores on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers and Teamsters unions are in contentious negotiations with Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway. The next bargaining session is Thursday.

TAKE A STAND! Join the workers at your local grocery store and show your support their struggle to maintain health benefits and earn a fair wage. Informational pickets will go up at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Auburn, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bremerton, Issaquah, Lynnwood, Monroe, Renton, Seattle and Tacoma/Puyallup. See the picket schedule and make plans to show your solidarity at your neighborhood’s event.

Grocery store workers represented by UFCW 21, UFCW 367 and Teamsters 38 have been in contract negotiations since March. Despite more than 12 bargaining sessions and a first round of a dozen informational pickets in July, the employers have continued to stick to proposals that would stop providing health care coverage of employees working less than 30 hours a week, deny workers paid sick days, and cut pay including for those who work on holidays.

The CEOs of these companies are paid millions and they are still pushing even their lowest paid workers to earn less. Hopefully these CEOs will change their proposals.

Votes have been scheduled for the end of September. The type of vote — strike or a recommended approval — will depend on what happens in bargaining between now and then.

Please show your support for your local grocery workers by attending Wednesday’s picket in your neighborhood.