Fred Meyer boycott ends

The negotiators were joined for the first time by a federal mediator upon request from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555.

The negotiations cover a number of grocery chains—including Safeway, CVS, and Albertson’s—but the union on Sunday, Sept. 22 called for a boycott against Fred Meyer after alleging unfair labor practices.

They alleged union employees were talked to one on one and encouraged to quit the union. Fred Meyer denied the allegations.

The negotiations have been going on for over 16 months.

They cover more than 10,000 employees at 54 Fred Meyer stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

The terms of the agreement are embargoed until union members have a chance to vote on whether to ratify it.

“Our bargaining team is happy to report that we were successful in addressing all of our concerns,” the union said in a press release Saturday afternoon.

“Local 555 recognizes that this would not have been possible without the support of our community,” the release stated.

“We are now asking all of our supporters to cease the boycott and resume their normal shopping habits, including shopping at Fred Meyer,” it stated.

Union workers, by an overwhelming 94 percent, had earlier authorized negotiators to call a strike if need be.

The union was seeking gender equity in pay between various job classifications, saying that jobs with majority female employees were paid an average of $3.50 less an hour than jobs held by mostly males.

Fred Meyer countered that the higher-paid Schedule A jobs were open to anyone and the higher pay scale reflecting the difficulty of the work and other factors.

The lower paid Schedule B employees are two-thirds female, and their average pay is $13.69 an hour. The higher-paid Schedule A jobs are 66 percent male, and those employees earn an average $17.22 an hour.

A union spokesperson said both categories, at least at the Portland stores, start at the same wage, and the discrepancy only kicks in after 4.5 years on the job.

Fred Meyer had offered to increase the pay of the lower-paid Schedule B employees by 10 cents an hour beyond what Schedule A employees were offered. A union spokesperson said it would take 35 years at that rate to reach equity.

A union spokesperson said last week the boycott was a first-ever effort for the union, and reports were that it was successful.