By George Anderson
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union's Local 655 has reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract with the St. Louis area's largest supermarket chains including Schnuck Markets, Dierbergs and Shop 'n Save.
The deal, which must be ratified by the rank and file, is the first to incorporate all 10,000 union members employed at the chains, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Craig Schnuck, chairman, Schnuck Markets said the deal was made because both management and labor have a common enemy. He said, "Wal-Mart is the greatest threat," and that in the meetings the two sides "were trying to work jointly on some ideas (that will) address the threat in upcoming contract negotiations."
Moderator's Comment: What is this significance of the UFCW deal in St. Louis?
This deal and the recent Meijer's agreement in Michigan have us encouraged that both management and labor have come to the realization that they are in business together. [George Anderson - Moderator]