Introducing: the UFCW Grocery Contract Comparison Tool
Click here to check out EW4D’s first-of-its-kind web tool for comparing union grocery contracts across UFCW locals and employers. See how your contract stacks up!
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Right now, the UFCW doesn’t have a master grocery contract for the 700,000 members at Kroger and Albertsons stores across North America. Instead, we have hundreds of contracts with all sorts of different contract language. When we’re divided across contracts and locals, our leverage is weakened.
Without transparency among grocery contracts, members may not know what’s possible — and end up settling for less. Winning better contracts means raising expectations, then organizing with our coworkers to fight and win. Get in touch with EW4D to learn how.
Unfortunately, some UFCW local unions think it’s better to hide their contracts behind password-protected websites or, even worse, to withhold copies of contracts from the membership completely. The employers, on the other hand, have access to every detail of our union contracts across the nation, and use that information to try to force members to accept lower wages, understaffing, and worsening working conditions.
EW4D has collected dozens of contracts from across the country to bring greater transparency to our union contracts. Most importantly, comparing contracts raises expectations and helps members fight for more. Click here to use the tool. -
Coordinated bargaining is a way of bargaining contracts that increases workers’ leverage to win stronger contracts. It’s the labor movement’s response to consolidating corporate power. The bosses know that they have more power when they work together. That’s why they spend billions on corporate mergers and illegally collude with one another.
When workers coordinate their bargaining, they can win big. In 2024, 14,000 workers at California Disney coordinated across UFCW Local 324, BCTGM Local 83, SEIU-USWW, and Teamsters Local 495 to win $6 in wage increases and $24/hour starting pay — a 31% raise.
Unions across the country are getting on board with coordinated bargaining. It’s time the UFCW catches up.
EW4D has called on the UFCW International Union to build towards a national master agreement covering all 700,000 grocery workers at Kroger and Albertsons to maximize our power against the boss. It’s time for the UFCW to heed the call by United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain to align our contracts for May Day 2028 and fight the boss together.
It’s not about where you live. It’s about the power you build on the shop floor. And as union members, we know there’s power in numbers.
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“Staffing Language” in the comparison tool refers to any contract language designed to directly address the understaffing crisis in stores. That includes staffing level agreements, shift filing programs, self-checkout ratios, and labor-management meetings. Minimum hourly guarantees are not considered staffing language, but will soon be added to the tracker separately. Stay tuned!
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The Contract Comparison Tool only shows top and bottom wage rates for Food Clerks or All-Purpose Clerks, and top rates for Meatcutters. It does not include shift premiums, department head premiums, or other wage premiums. So, your wage rate might be higher than the listed “top rate”, if you’re making top rate plus a premium.
Some contracts have different wage rates based on store location. If there is a range of wage rates within a contract, the Contract Comparison Tool will show the lowest starting rate and the highest top rate.
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If you notice errors or gaps in the comparison tool, let us know! You can submit a copy of your contract here to be added to the tool for others to see. Updates will be made to the tool soon, including minimum hourly guarantees and other key contract details. Have a suggestion? Tell us!
USING THE CONTRACT COMPARISON TOOL
Are you in a different industry, like meatpacking, cannabis, or retail, and want to see a contract comparison tool for your industry? Tell us more about your industry here.
Once you’ve compared your contract, you might be wondering what’s next. You can track where and when UFCW grocery contracts expire with our Contract Expiration Tracker to prepare for your next contract bargain.