COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – 25,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951, which includes workers at the Coldwater Meijer store, voted this week to ratify new contracts with the retailer.
Union officials says the deal includes improvements to wages, paid time off, health care, 401(k), and premium pay.
John Cakmakci, president of UFCW Local 951, says, “Not only are our members receiving significant wage increases, but the length of time it takes them to get to the top rate has been reduced due to the closing of gaps in the wage scale.”
There are three separate contracts covering over 25,000 retail, distribution center/transportation, and retail facilities maintenance workers. These contracts are four-year agreements effective February 25, 2024, with immediate wage increases of up to $1.50 per hour. Other improvements to the contracts include:
More paid time off for workers hired after 10/23/05.
25 percent increase in the company’s 401(k) match.
Greater opportunity to obtain full-time positions.
The healthcare benefits eligibility waiting period for full-time employees was shortened to 30 days from 60 days.
New paid family care leave provides paid time off to care for family members with a serious illness.
Guaranteed wage increases every 700 hours worked now instead of 1,000 hours worked in the retail units.
Increased shift, job classification, and building premiums.
February 13 officially marked the end of the right-to-work law in Michigan. The new Meijer contracts reflect this change in Michigan law as closed shop language was negotiated into the agreements.
Under the contracts, all new hires will be required to join the union or pay a service fee as a condition of their employment. Current Meijer workers who opted not to join the union, under the recently repealed right-to-work law, will have until June 15, 2024 to become a member, pay the service fee, or quit the company.
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