After months of negotiations, weeks of protests and the real possibility of a work-stoppage, Kroger’s union-member employees in West Virginia have voted in favor of ratifying the latest contract proposal offered by the grocery chain.
The vote was taken over a period of two days, and the collective bargaining agreement was approved by a count of 701 to 208.
Jonathan Williams, the UFCW Local 400 Communications Director, said, “After tabulating ballots today, members working at Kroger stores under the West Virginia contract overwhelmingly voted in favor of accepting the new contract.”
A statement posted on the UFCW Local 400’s website reads, “The agreement was unanimously recommended by the Bargaining Advisory Committee and members voted 701 – 208 in favor of adopting the contract. Ballots were tallied over Zoom video conference to allow members to witness the count.”
The statement concludes with: “While no contract is perfect, this agreement is a significant improvement from the last offer that we resoundingly rejected. By standing together, we were able to preserve our health care funding for the life of the contract and make other improvements that resulted in a fair deal.”
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