More than 45,000 Grocery Store Employees represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and employed across Southern California have overwhelmingly voted to ratify new three-year contracts with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions. The vote signaled the end of a contract battle that had been brewing since the previous agreements expired in early March. “This ratification vote is a victory for the hard-working Grocery Members who never gave up,” said Todd Walters, the President of UFCW Local 135 - which represents San Diego County Workers. “Our Members stood up to illegal company behavior, slow bargaining tactics and disrespect - and they won.” Included in the contract are significant wage increases for both new and long-time Employees, a new supplemental pension plan, expanded health care benefits and stronger staffing language that gives the Union a say in ensuring safe and efficient staffing levels. Camillia Fulton, a Ralphs Worker in San Marcos and a Member of the Union’s Bargaining Committee, said: “We fought for respect and we got a contract that begins to deliver it. I’m proud of what we accomplished together.”

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