PITTSBURGH -- United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 23 here said last week it has approved a new five-year contract with Giant Eagle here.
mplemented retroactive to March 1.
Ron Kean, president of Local 23, told SN that implementing the contract 17 weeks ahead of the old contract's June 26 expiration date will give employees an immediate wage increase of 50 cents an hour, equivalent to $20 a week or $340 over the 17 weeks.
Kean said the overall wage increase of $1.50 over the five years of the agreement is "the largest increase we've seen since the early 1970's." The increases include 50 cents an hour the first year and 25 cents an hour in each of the following four years, until the end of June 2004.
Kean said the negotiations went very smoothly. "Giant Eagle approached us two years ago about opening talks early, and as we talked, they put a decent money offer on the table and opted to maintain health benefits without co-payments, and it sounded good."
Officials at Giant Eagle could not be reached for comment.
According to Kean, contract terms beyond wages and benefits included the following:
New language that allows employees with 36 months or less on the job to receive the full benefits of any increase in the minimum wage, regardless of how much more than minimum wage they are already making.
The creation of four additional assistant manager positions who will receive premium pay over their hourly wages.
New language that allows Giant Eagle to hire one part-time meatcutter per store, to relieve the pressure on full-time meatcutters who may not want to work on weekends.
A change in the ancillary benefits package for part-time employees, who will continue to qualify for dental, optical, prescription and life insurance benefits after 12 months on the job, but who will have to wait 24 months, instead of 21 months under the previous agreement, to add hospitalization and medical coverage.
Language allowing additional specialty food companies to pack out their merchandise on store shelves and approval for sales representatives of soda and snack companies to build endcap displays, although the union retains the right to have its members maintain those displays -- a concession to Giant Eagle to remove advantages non-union companies might have.
