The union negotiating committee voted unanimously on July 7 to recommend rejection of a tentative agreement reached the previous week with City Market, a downtown supermarket/food co-op.
The decision to recommend rejection follows a meeting with the City Market Board of Directors, at which the board rejected three union requests:
1. A policy statement acknowledging that livable wages remain the goal for all City Market workers.
2. Assurances that management would share the same economic pain experienced by workers.
3. Regular access by workers to financial information and the opportunity to share thoughts on the store’s future with the board.
The Local 203 negotiating committee will recommend to the membership that the tentative contract be linked to the co-op’s acceptance of these three principles in a side letter of agreement.
The union hopes to resume negotiations the week of July 13.
The more than 160 workers at the downtown supermarket/food co-op are organized as UE Local 203. Workers came into the union in February 2003.