Workers stand up to anti-union threats

Four thousand workers at Acme supermarkets in Philadelphia and its suburbs have worked under a contract extension since February 2008 while their union, Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, bargained with the company.

Even though the union has never threatened to strike or take job actions, on June 9 Acme gave the union its “last and best” final offer and threatened to terminate the existing contract and implement its own proposal unilaterally.

This gun-to-the-head approach by Acme management mirrors auto industry executives’ tactics earlier this year when United Auto Workers were forced, under threat of their livelihood, into no-strike pledges, wage freezes, pension cuts and significant losses in benefits.

In a full page ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer on June 26 exposing the company’s threats, the union wrote: “The company is trying to take advantage of a challenging economic environment to wring concessions from its workers. Its proposals would gut their health care benefits, decimate their pension benefits and lower the standard of living for workers who have labored for Acme for many years.”

Food prices at Acme, as at most local markets, continue to rise as the cost of the economic downturn is passed onto working and poor families. It is doubtful that this giant supermarket chain would pass onto its customers any profits made from cutting employee expenses.

UFCW Local 1776 used the ad to seek support from Acme customers and to pressure the company to resume contract negotiations. Letters calling for management to return to the bargaining table should be sent to Acme/Supervalu, P.O. Box 990, Eden Prairie, MN 55440. Acme is owned by Supervalu, which can be contacted at www.supervalu.com or by calling 952-828-4000.