Union partners approve new three-year contract with Dierbergs

UFCW Local 655 partners approved a new union contract on Wednesday featuring historic pay raises and improved healthcare benefits

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655 represents more than 1,800 Dierbergs employees throughout the St. Louis region. On Wednesday evening, those workers approved a new three-year union contract with the hometown grocery chain.

“This is arguably the best contract in our history,” said UFCW Local 655 President David Cook. “Many of these men and women worked through a pandemic and not only are they receiving substantial pay increases, but we’ve also been able to improve their healthcare benefits without raising costs to workers by a single penny.”

Union partners gathered in the District 9 Machinists Hall in Bridgeton where 64 percent of them voted to approve the new contract. Dierbergs joined Schnucks Markets as negotiations between the grocers and Local 655 began in late February — much earlier than in previous years — because all parties agreed that it was critical to get money in workers’ pockets quickly. The Dierbergs ratification follows Schnucks employees approving a new three-year contract with an identical wage scale in mid-May.

“We are pleased we could work together to finalize an agreement that demonstrates our investment in the long term career of our Associates,” said Greg Dierberg, CEO of Dierbergs Markets.

“I want to thank Dierbergs for engaging good faith bargaining,” Cook said. “We may not always see eye-to-eye but working with a hometown employer to come to an agreement that benefits both parties is the ideal outcome, and I’m proud that we’ve gotten there with this contract.”

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services participated in bargaining from day one, and Cook thanked them for their hard work.

“FMCS plays a really important role and they are critical in this process,” Cook said.