Bakers Local 114 approves new contracts

The Portland-based Bakery, Confectionery Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 114 recently settled four wholesale baking plant contracts and five retail contracts, Business Manager Terry Lansing reported to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s August delegates’ meeting.

Contracts were ratified at Franz Bakery in Portland, Williams Bakery in Eugene, Kroger’s Clackamas Bakery and Bimbo Bakeries/Oroweat in Beaverton. The union represents approximately 650 employees at the four plants.

“In each of these settlements we preserved our seven-hour day and 35- hour work week,” Lansing said.

In addition, each employer agreed to cover any premium increases in the health and welfare plan throughout the life of the three-year agreements, which expire in the summer of 2008.

Each agreement also provides for a 91 cent increase in wages for all classifications during the agreement and a $200 increase in pension levels.

“Also, our members at each of these bakeries voted to give an additional 30-cent wage increase towards the funding of our local’s retiree medical plan,” Lansing said.

Negotiations are currently under way for a new contract at the Safeway Clackamas bread plant.

The negotiating team consisted of Lansing, International Vice President Randy Roark, shop stewards from each bakery, Local 114 President Georgene Barragan and Business Agent Gene Beaudoin.

Local 114 also reached new agreements with retail in-store bakeries at Albertsons stores in the Portland, Salem, Albany and Corvallis areas, and Portland-area Fred Meyer stores.

Each agreement is for four years, expiring in the summer of 2009.

Each agreement provides journeypersons with two 25-cent bonus periods of 12 months each, plus 50 cents in hourly wage increases. The contracts increase the pension level by $50 and include stronger seniority language in the scheduling of available hours and recognized consecutive day-off scheduling.

Albertsons agreed to recognize Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday in exchange for an existing floating holiday.

“Each agreement preserved what we had, including no reductions for new hires,” Lansing said.

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