New contract to avoid strike at Schnucks being voted on today

Meat, Seafood & Deli Workers Local 88 in day-long vote at union hall

The question of a potential strike at Schnucks markets by Meat, Seafood & Deli Workers Local 88 is being determined in a vote being held throughout the day today (Thursday, May 20) at the Local’s union hall. The St. Charles Convention Center – the usual voting venue for the members – was not available.

Should the agreement be rejected again, a strike cannot take place without official sanction from the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), a mandatory requirement before a local can put up picket lines. As the Labor Tribune went to press Monday, Local 88 had not yet received that strike authorization.

In a Facebook Live message to his members last week, Local 88 President Dan Telle announced: (1) the tentative agreement and (2) the new day-long voting procedures. Noting that the new proposal carries the unanimous endorsement of Local 88’s leadership, Telle said that it was “one of the union’s best proposals ever received.”

This will be the third vote by the union’s members. Two previous proposals were overwhelming rejected.

After the last rejection May 4, the next day the union went back into negotiations with Schnucks assisted by three UFCW representatives, Regional 6 Director Tish Ramirez, Assistant to the Director Jose’ Bustos and Bargaining Representative Georges Tounou.

“In addition to improved wages and benefits, we were able to finally negotiate language we’ve been fighting to get for years,” Telle added. The union released details of the offer to its members yesterday (Wednesday, May 19) to ensure all members had an opportunity to review and understand the proposal before the all-day vote, Telle said.