We are both grocery store workers and we are both moms. While our kids vary in age and we do different work at different grocery stores, we share some very basic American values.
We believe that working people should get respect. We believe that when you work hard and play by the rules that you should be able to get ahead. That is the promise that helped grow this country. And that is the very thing that is going to help our country recover from our economic recession.
As working moms we go through the same struggles as many of you. We try to balance the demands of our jobs with the needs of our families. But that balance has gotten harder and harder to reach. Grocery store workers are getting their hours cut and the average work week is now less that 28 hours. And while some of us who have worked for years are paid better, a third of the workers get paid $10 an hour or less. It is getting harder and harder to make ends meet.
As working moms our families depend on a good health plan. When the companies we work for pay their CEOs millions and then propose to cut our health plan and make us pay more for it, we are offended.
As working moms we should have a right to a dependable day off each week. Those of us who work in grocery store jobs understand it can’t be a weekend day. But as things stand now, we can’t depend on even one consistent day off when we can make a doctor’s appointment or schedule a time to do something with our families.
As union members, every three years we negotiate a new contract with the big national grocery store chains that own most of the stores in our region — Fred Meyer, Albertson’s, Safeway and QFC. Right now we are in our third month of negotiations to get a fair contract.
But negotiations have been difficult. For the first two months the companies’ proposals have been to freeze our wages, cut our holiday and nighttime pay, and raise the costs of our health plan. And they have not accepted some common sense proposals that would make our lives better, like getting our schedules more than three days in advance each week and allowing us to have a set day off during the week. Our employers have so far said no to paid sick days. So many workers come to work sick when faced with the choice of not being able to pay the bills or working sick. They feel they have no choice and come in and try to get by.
So when things are difficult, we have learned that you need to stand up and take action. As working moms, we have learned that again and again. That is how we get through the week. In this contract negotiation we are fighting for:
Securing our pension — so we can have retirement that we can depend on after a lifetime of work.
Protecting our health plan — so we can continue to have affordable, accessible health care.
A dependable schedule with reasonable advance notice and a dependable day off each week.
So right now we are joining together with our fellow grocery store workers across Puget Sound — all 25,000 covered by this negotiation and signing the Grocery Store Worker Bill of Rights. For more information go to ufcw21.org
Misty Senn is a meat wrapper at the Mill Creek Fred Meyer and a UFCW 21 member. Debbie Gath is a checker at the Mukilteo Albertson’s and a Teamsters 38 member.
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