ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Union 8-Golden State in Northern California and members of UFCW Local 1036 on the northern fringe of Southern California have voted to ratify an agreement to join forces.
As a result, Local 8-Golden State will have a seat at the bargaining table when Southern California's union locals meet with major chains to negotiate new contracts in 2011 — “an important step toward marshalling all of our union’s strength throughout California to win the strongest possible contracts for all our members,” Jacques Loveall, president of Local 8, said.
Local 1036 — with members in Inyo, Mono and Kern counties — has been operating under a trusteeship since late 2007 after a disputed election. Earlier this month the local said it would disband, with approximately 4,000 members moving to Local 8, boosting that union's membership to about 35,000; and the other 8,000 moving to Local 770 in Southern California, boosting its size to 25,000.
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