BURLINGTON, VT—After five months of negotiations, UE Local 203, which represents grocery workers at two City Market co-op locations, won a new contract that guarantees $2 increases in wages to every member and $2.25 increases for a quarter of membership. They also won a five percent wage increase for all workers in year two of the contract. Overall, the contract is worth 2.7 million dollars, the largest financial gains in the history of the local.
“I am proud of our negotiation team and our membership” said John Donoghue, Local 203 president and bargaining committee member. “Together we fought and won an awesome contract that puts our local in a strong position today and tomorrow. This is the best contract we have won in UE Local 203’s 20-year history, and we showed that our union understands the meaning of ‘co-operation.’”
The members were especially focused on economic gains during the negotiations, concentrating on improvements members have been needing for years. At City Market, turnover has been a big issue — highlighting the need for higher wages to keep workers at the co-op. Many members want to build a career there; in order to allow for this and increase retention, members rallied around wage increases during the entire contract fight. Initially, management tried to divide the members by offering a two-tiered wage scale. The members immediately rejected it and made sure management knew they would not accept anything that split up workers based on whether they were hired before or after the contract was ratified.
The local was able to rally its membership against the proposal by hosting membership meetings during every bargaining session to update and educate their fellow workers. Mass emergency meetings were held to inform members of egregious proposals by management. They held a button campaign, instituted weekly t-shirt days, and filled the bargaining room with members to observe sessions. The local also organized a large picnic where everyone gathered together to discuss negotiations and gather direct feedback on what was happening day-to-day. They made signs, signed up new stewards, and handed out buttons and shirts for members to wear together at work.
After five months of intensive negotiations, members held a honk-and-wave rally in front of the flagship store in the middle of the city during rush hour. This proved to be incredibly successful in pushing management to back off the two-tier wage system for good. After a second honk-and-wave rally that brought in community support and more actions in the shop, the local was able to secure a contract that members were proud of.
“It took five months and multiple actions including honk and waves, flyers, and button campaigns, but we finally prevailed,” said Melissa Pennington, a member of the bargaining committee. “In the end we were able to: shorten discipline periods, extend a transportation reimbursement to cover parking expenses, win higher pay rates for critically undervalued positions, clarify job descriptions to more clearly define qualifications, and secure a wage increase of at least two dollars for every employee, with five percent in the second year. Most importantly, we were able to demonstrate to management, our members, and the community at large that THIS is the power of a union: when we fight, we win!”
The city of Burlington has become increasingly harder to live in due to rising housing costs. The members focused on this throughout bargaining and sought to win as many economic gains as possible for the workers. All jobs in the shop are ranked on different grades between two and eight depending on the work that is done. The members were able to win grade increases for many members, moving drivers from a grade four to a grade six, pushing meat cutters from a grade six to grade seven, and ensuring all buyers were moved to equal positions on grade seven. These grade increases all meant an increase in pay for the members.
Local 203 was also able to make big strides in discipline and discharge. They won a decrease in the amount of time members have discipline on their records, lowering the amount of time a verbal warning is on someone’s record by an entire month. The new contract also guarantees that management will inform the chief steward of any disciplinary actions, allowing the local to reach out to members and educate them on their rights. New internal job posting language requires management to include “measurable qualifications.” This clarification on internal job postings was a major win for the local, which has been fighting for this language change for ten years.
Lastly, members won improved transportation reimbursement. While members who take public transportation can get a bus pass based on existing language, workers who need to drive to work were forced to pay for parking in private lots. The members won 50 dollars a month reimbursement for parking so it will no longer be a financial burden to get to work.
After the contract was signed, Local 203 Financial Secretary and bargaining committee member Brian Bossard said of his first negotiating experience, “I didn’t realize the lengths we would have to go to in order to get the contract we deserve. Management’s wage proposals were out of touch with the reality of the needs of their employees. It ended up taking us over two extra months, two contract extensions and two major actions for us to even get them close to where we needed to be. I now can really appreciate what a hard fought process with management negotiations can be.”
“Our actions were well-timed to bring pressure to the situation, and in the end we were able to win a contract that was overwhelmingly — almost unanimously! — approved by the union membership,” said bargaining committee member Bobby Bauer. The contract was ratified on September 20, 2024.
“In the end, it felt like a huge triumph to see the gains we made not just in our wages but other areas of our contract!” added Bossard. “Solidarity isn’t just a word we use, it’s what matters most for us to get the things we need and deserve.”
The Local 203 bargaining committee consisted of President John Donoghue, Vice President Gary Stuard, Financial Secretary Brian Bossard, Bobby Bauer, Kathleen Coonrod, Patia Forest, and Melissa Pennington. They were assisted by Field Organizer Abbie Curtis.
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