Local 117 Union Rep Ryan Jarman distributes ballots to Teamster Local 117 members who work at Fred Meyer. 

El gigante de los comestibles Fred Meyer/Kroger tiene un historial de poner a prueba la determinación de nuestros miembros.

In 2011 and 2014, they put substandard proposals on the table that were insufficient to meet the needs and demands of the membership and rejected by the Teamster 117 bargaining committees.

Durante esos ciclos de contrato, los miembros de Fred Meyer se negaron a ser intimidados. Aprobaron votos de huelga críticos por amplios márgenes, distribuyeron panfletos en varios estados, involucraron a los medios y se unieron para un contrato justo.

"This shows that our solidarity is strong, that everyone is behind the union..."

Ahora, la historia se está repitiendo. La compañía se niega de nuevo a mantener los estándares de la industria insistiendo en una oferta inferior al contrato recientemente ratificado por nuestros miembros en Safeway.

But just like in the past, Local 117 members at Fred Meyer are not backing down. Today, in meetings at the Teamsters 313 hall in Tacoma, the group voted 332-1 to reject the company’s latest offer. In doing so, they overwhelmingly authorized a strike.

"Al igual que en el pasado, cuando hemos mostrado unidad, hemos podido conseguir un mejor contrato", dijo Dwayne Kerrigan, un delegado sindical de 11 años. "Esta mayoría masiva que rechaza esta oferta refuerza nuestra posición y debería hacer que la compañía se replantee su postura."

With their resounding no vote, the group followed the lead of their union bargaining committee despite futile efforts by the company to persuade them to vote yes.

“This shows that our solidarity is strong, that everyone is behind the union and jelling together, and that we’re prepared to strike,” said Steve Ballou, a Teamster who has worked at the company for 18 years.

Our union’s vice-president, Marcus Williams, is taking the lead in these negotiations, with the support of union representative, Ryan Jarman, and Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, John Scearcy.

“With this vote, our members at Fred Meyer have demonstrated strength, unity, and resolve,” Secretary-Treasurer Scearcy said. “They will not be intimidated into accepting a proposal that drives down industry standards and hurts Teamster families.”