Blog General

One of the most frequently asked questions that our Representatives answer is:  How do I become a full time employee? The answer varies from contract to contract, but the large majority of these inquiries come from our grocery stores covered by the Retail Food and Meat Agreement. You may obtain your full time status in […]

All part-time clerks in grocery stores that include Albertsons, Gelsons, Ralph’s, Stater Bros, Von’s and Super A Foods may change their status two times per year to either available or self- restricted. This selection must be done in writing to your employer during the last seven days of January or July of each year. This […]

Have you changed your address with the Local? Help save us postage and money. Every month our Local receives hundreds of pieces of returned mail that was sent out to the membership for various reasons. This mail includes contract updates, dues billings and U-Magazine to name just a few. Each piece of returned mail costs […]

We have seen an increase in the number of companies requiring our members to schedule and take all earned vacations. Even though it is a good idea to take all the vacation that you have earned, we understand the reason that many of you do not; extra money. A large number of members get their […]

It is very important to follow the rules established by your employer when taking your breaks. Your contract spells out exactly the time that you are allowed to take, depending on the length of your shift, but there are certain established company policies that you should follow to keep out of potential trouble. Most all […]

Recently, members have been faced with layoffs, reductions to lower classifications and full-time employees getting cut to part-time in our food and drug stores. Ralphs has reduced or laid off more than 150 meat cutters in Southern California, Albertsons and Vons are on their second round of layoffs in less than a year, and CVS […]

About three years ago, I was contacted by Los Angeles Trade Tech College and asked if our local would be interested in hosting labor classes in Orange County. It was a no-brainer and we quickly agreed to use our union hall as a site where these classes would be held but with one request, we […]

Sales reps and merchandisers are in and out of your store on a daily basis. They sometimes offer merchandise to our members that is either discontinued or a new item as a gratuity or a sample. These items can be as small as a pack of gum or as valuable as a bottle of wine. […]

Your company maintains sweep logs to protect themselves from slip and fall lawsuits. This is the primary reason, but they also want to have a clean and safe store for their customers. These logs often become part of a lawsuit as evidence when an accident occurs in your store. So, when these logs are not […]

The Minimum Hour Guarantee Waiver recently went into effect in the Retail Food and Meat Agreement. This allows employees to temporarily waive the minimum hourly guarantees that are spelled out in the current collective bargaining agreement. This waiver can be done in any week if mutually agreeable between the employee and the employer. In the […]