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The Union & Company met last on Thursday, 9/24/20 to resume negotiations with the assistance of your bargaining committee. Your bargaining committee explained to the Company that since your last offer to settle did not even make it past the bargaining committee, how do you expect the entire membership to approve it? Your committee made the Company aware that it is unacceptable how they are forcing their Company-controlled healthcare, wages, and many other benefit concessions without bargaining in good faith and without even listening to their own employees! The Company refused to talk about the other open items that are still on the table; and they would not even reconsider their position on implementing their final offer, including taking away your overtime after 8 hours, and keeping our employee trust fund just like they let the Dallas employees keep theirs.

When Kroger’s proposed “K-plan” funding is broken down into an hourly contribution rate over the next 3 years, the Company proposed “K-Plan” and our proposed funding of the South Central Trust Fund are Comparable in cost. Your South Central plan would actually save the company money! Again, it is obvious the Company is not worried about saving money, it just shows the Company wants to try and force you to go into their controlled plan next year without your vote!

While we are continuing to propose continuation and proper funding for South Central, your Union made a new proposal to merge with the Memphis H&W Trust Fund on 9/24/2020 in our last bargaining session. This too would keep your seat at the table. Here was our proposal:

 

Article 17: Health & Welfare (proposed on 9/24/2020 to the Company)

The Union proposes that the participants from Local 455, Local 540, and Local 2008, who are participants in the South Central Trust Fund, remain in the South Central Trust Fund; or, merge with the UFCW-Kroger Memphis H&W, or explore merger with other H&W Trust Funds, effective January 1, 2021 or as soon thereafter as feasible.

As previously stated in the last update, this a very important Reminder:

Remember bargaining has not concluded; you have not voted to approve a new contract or the company’s proposed “K-Plan”. Until that happens, the status quo should remain, and that means your healthcare is the same. All other South Central participants in Louisiana, Local 2008 (Little Rock, AR), and Local 540 (Dallas, TX) will ALL be enrolling in the Fund. The South Central Fund is still open for business, as a working Fund with money going into it. You will be getting open enrollment information from South Central and from the Company plan. You should not discard anything. We will update you as this matter develops. In the meantime, enroll in South Central for 2021.

We URGE all participants to enroll in the South Central Plan during the open enrollment window from October 15 – December 15 at www.bams.bz

Your union will continue to push for more bargaining dates and try to get a fair contract that is best for you.

In the meantime, call (1-877-373-3397) and tell the company: You are not interested in their One-Sided offer, their Implementations, or their Company Plan!!

We will continue to build our movement; and we will keep you all informed with bargaining updates! Everyone should opt into and encourage other workers to opt into our text campaign, sign the member petition for a fair contract (that’s currently being passed around the stores), call the company headquarters listed above, enroll yourself and help other workers enroll into our current existing labor management fund (South Central) , and also make time for you and influence other workers to turn out to our store actions!

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