Negotiators with Raley’s Family of Fine Stores and the United Food and Commercial Workers reached an agreement today ending the 9-day old grocery strike. The agreement, which will not be made public until it is ratified by the Union members, ends 15 months of negotiations between the two sides. The Union will recommend ratification to its members with a vote to occur at a date to be decided in the near future. The picketers have disappeared from the Raley’s store in Grass Valley. Derek Kirk who’s worked at Raley’s eight years says they were told the retirees medical benefits were secured in the new agreement, but he hasn’t seen a copy of the new contract yet.
click to hear Derek Kirk

Mike Teel, president of Raley’s  Family of Stores says  “It is important to remember that everyone including our employees, our customers, our company and the communities we serve have suffered in this labor dispute. So, it gives me great pleasure to know that as of today our employees will be back to work serving our customers with the same attention and care as we have always served our customers at Raley’s and Nob Hill.”

At the Raley’s store in Grass Valley only the meat cutters and deli manager are members of the United food and Commercial Workers Union, 8 employees in all. But Meat Cutter, Bill Cordery says they had support from other local supermarket employees.
click to hear Bill Cordery

Union member Barbara Burt says as she nears retirement age, the medical benefits are more important.
click to hear Barbara Burt

Raley’s officials say the terms of the new contract   will also be shared with the union members working at Bel Air, a grocery store chain owned by Raley’s, which was not part of the strike.