ACME Markets settles with union
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
By: Elizabeth Fiedler
efiedler@whyy.org
ACME Markets has reached an agreement with its workers union. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 represents 4,000 workers in 40 stores around Philadelphia.
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The new four year contract addresses the two big issues of healthcare and pensions. The union had been working under an expired contract since February 2008. Union president Wendell Young.
Young: Our members are going to continue to have a very good healthcare plan, we are going to be able to stabilize the pension plan and we did not have to reduce benefits as much as we thought we were going to have to and the employer was able to avoid paying as much money as in previous proposals.
Young says under the old deal, only new part-time employees had to pay toward their healthcare premiums. Now all employees will have to pay.