River Valley Co-op Workers Opened up Bargaining—and Won Big

River Valley Co-op is a consumer-owned cooperative grocery store with two locations in Western Massachusetts. We have been unionized with Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1459 for the last decade with 175 workers in our bargaining unit. This year, beginning in January and ending in June, we held thirteen bargaining sessions with RVC management and their attorneys in a process that was transformative for our union.

Negotiations were tense and at times, adversarial. Workers took a stand in ways they never had before, strengthening our relationships and faith in our ability to fight and win. We made significant strides in the contract, including $2 an hour raises across the board, union orientation for new hires, and protections for our immigrant co-workers. Our contract was ratified with 77 percent of workers turning out for a nearly unanimous ‘yes’ vote.

What follows are some reflections on what we won, how we won it, and what we’ll do differently next time.

OPEN BARGAINING, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

One tactic that worked in our favor was moving from interest-based bargaining to traditional bargaining. In interest-based bargaining, once one of the parties strike down an idea, it’s permanently off the table. With traditional bargaining, we were able to push through proposals that the employer was initially resistant to. Topics deemed “permissive” by the employer’s legal team stayed on the table and ultimately saw resolution. For example, we were able to expand our pins and button policy and form subcommittees addressing real workplace issues like the possible formation of a four-day work week program.

Opening up bargaining was also essential. Before, the bargaining committee had to sign non-disclosure agreements and all of the negotiations were behind closed doors. This time, any worker could join us at the table. While we asked for workers to remain silent unless participating in caucus, this transparency opened workers’ eyes to the process. We also sent out regular emails with detailed notes, keeping workers up-to-date on what was happening at the table.

In the lead-up to bargaining, we surveyed over 100 workers on their contract priorities and wage demands. This allowed us to focus on the initiatives workers felt the most strongly about such as addressing paid-time off in an effort to prevent burnout and of course, securing a fair wage that met everyone’s needs. We also used the employer’s own living wage calculator formula (provided by National Co-op Grocers) to help us formulate our wage demands.

In order to sustain our momentum and strengthen our relationships, we held weekly social gatherings, occasional strategy calls, and designated days to wear union T-shirts and hats in support. We bought our own button maker and printed many, many union buttons to support the campaign.

Towards the end of the campaign, we held two informational pickets that saw between 125-150 participants, even under heavy rainfall! Our team of union stewards spent a lot of time engaging with our workers in one-on-one conversations. These were the core of our campaign and how we were able to uplift people and bring them into the fight. Email communications were useful but at the end of the day, the people who showed up were the ones we spoke with directly.

SUBSTANTIAL GAINS

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We racked up some significant wins. We won a $2 an hour raise across the board, raising the starting wage from $18 an hour to $20 an hour. Our vacation timeline was condensed by several years, fast tracking workers with at least three years of seniority to substantially more vacation time. We won additional discounts for workers who suffer from food insecurity and are on some form of government benefit like food stamps.

We also won non-monetary gains that give us more of a voice on the job. New hires will now receive a union orientation within their first 30 days of employment, and we’ll be forming subcommittees that address workplace concerns, such as the potential implementation of a four-day work week system and a mechanism for excusing absences due to extreme weather events.

Finally, we won protections for workers receiving immigration-related subpoenas and warrants, as well as a stronger commitment to translating documents in the workplace.

LESSONS LEARNED

We also learned a lot that we’ll take with us as we go into our next contract campaign. We should have started organizing for the campaign earlier and given ourselves more time to build relationships with workers. We made a big push to join our open bargaining committee, and while there was initial interest, participation fizzled out by the end. It would have been smart to re-gear our focus to holding more strategy calls to encourage member participation.

We made too many proposals (45!) and ultimately had to heavily streamline our campaign to make progress. That said, we may return to these proposals for future contracts as we build momentum. For instance, we were unable to address sick time as well as short staffing issues.

I personally lashed out at the employer during a session quite harshly and damaged the image of our bargaining committee. My outburst triggered other workers into making comments that would have best been reserved for caucus as well as received heavy criticism from our bargaining team and union representative. I learned a lot from this experience: while emotions run high at the table, it is imperative to keep your cool. Speak from the heart but manage your emotions, save the outbursts for caucus. When you lose your composure during a session, it causes the other side to see you as lesser, and they will tune you out. Since then, I’ve changed my approach to negotiations and how I work with management to positive effect. I feel more capable as an organizer than ever.

All-in-all, we are so proud of what we have accomplished. Solidarity forever. You can check out our website for more information.

Katrina Jagelski (she/they) is a trans organizer and union steward based in Northampton, Massachusetts.