UFCW Locals 655, 88, 881 win major protections for members impacted by Shop 'n Save sale
The realization that a union contract is a worker’s only real “Job Insurance” was driven home in recent weeks when Shop ‘n Save announced it was selling 20 of its locations to Schnucks Markets and closing its remaining 15 locations in the St. Louis/Southern Illinois region, impacting the lives of 2,500 union members and their families. Most are members United Food & Commercial Workers Locals 655 (some 1,300) and 88 (some 400) in St. Louis and UFCW Local 881 (some 500 in Southern Illinois).
But thanks to strong union contracts, the tragic impact on these workers will be softened considerably because their union was able to negotiate something normally unheard of when a company closes: for impacted Shop ’n Save members, severance pay, a temporary continuation of critical health and welfare and pension contributions to keep benefits and an opportunity to go to work for Schnucks.
Under most circumstances you read about today, companies close and workers are immediately on the street with nothing.
But not so for these union members because of the “job insurance” of having a strong union and a written contract standing behind its members, even in such tragic circumstances, said Local 655 President David Cook.
https://labortribune.com/ufcw-locals-655-88-win-major-protections-for-members-impacted-by-shop-n-save-sale/
