After six weeks of negotiations, today we agreed to an extension of our current agreement and a short “cooling off” period recommended by the federal mediator. While we have have made some progress, we are still far apart on many key issues.
The extension agreements are day-to-day and can be canceled with 72 hours’ notice by either party. We are never happy with an extension, but as always, we are not going to be rushed into a bad deal. We will be back at the negotiating table next week and will continue to push for an agreement that gives us:
- Wages we can live on
- Schedules we can depend on
- Healthcare we can afford
- Retirement we can count on
We need to keep the pressure on in the stores. Union representatives and the Contract Action Team will be in stores and actions will continue. It is important that you participate in these activities so we can continue to show that we are willing to do whatever it takes to get a fair contract.