PCC workers ratify new contracts

New collective bargaining agreements will “reclaim our co-op for the workers and members who built this place,” says bargaining team

SEATTLE, WA (July 17, 2026) — More than a thousand workers at PCC Community Markets in the greater Seattle-area have ratified new contracts securing industry-leading wages, back pay, and more.

Bargaining team member Atsuko Koseki. Photo: UFCW Local 3000

“After eight months of bargaining, I felt proud to ratify a contract with industry-leading wages, strong protections for immigrant coworkers and customers, and improvements to our democratic governance,” said Atsuko Koseki, a PCC bargaining team member. “To be sure, we didn’t win everything we wanted, but that only increases our resolve to remain united when we return to the table in a couple years.”

The contracts for both Grocery and Meat departments run through December of 2027 and cover more than 1,400 workers at 16 stores. Contract wins include industry-leading wage increases for Grocery and Deli Clerks and Meat Cutters and Wrappers, and includes wage increases for other workers that make strides towards wage parity at stores inside and outside of Seattle, per workers’ union, UFCW Local 3000. Other economic gains include full back pay for multiple job classes, increased premiums for night shift workers and coordinators, retirement contributions that rise with wage increases, and far greater employer contribution to workers’ training fund.

Workers secured those gains through consistent pressure throughout months of contract negotiations, including informational pickets held outside of multiple stores in April.

Workers on the info picket line outside the Columbia City PCC location in April. Photo: UFCW Local 3000

In a post announcing contract ratification, the PCC bargaining team celebrated not just the contract’s economic gains but also how workers organizing is helping reconnect the company with it’s roots as a community co-op.

“The upshot isn’t just an industry-leading contract we’re proud of,” the post read. “Before this campaign, PCC was in danger of sliding into the corporate void. By standing together, we helped slow that slide and reclaim our co-op for the workers and members who built this place.”