Unionized workers at seven Baltimore-area Shoppers stores have agreed to a new two-year contract that boosts wages, benefits and workplace safety.
Most of the 400 workers represented by Towson-based UFCW Local 27 voted in favor of an agreement with higher pay scales and top-of-scale raises of $2.20 per hour over two years, the union said. The employer also agreed to no out-of-pocket cost increases or other changes in health care and to a fully funded pension plan.
Jason Chorpenning, president of UFCW Local 27, said the contract is the best Shoppers workers have ever bargained.
“This new contract is a testament to the power of collective bargaining and the unwavering
solidarity of our members,” Chorpenning said in an announcement.
Shoppers, which began in 1949 as Jumbo Food Stores, has been part of United Natural Foods Inc., a Providence, Rhode Island-based wholesale distributor, since 1999. A spokesman for UNFI did not respond immediately Tuesday to a request for comment.
Workers also will earn four weeks of vacation after 12 years, instead of after 13 years. The contract also calls for developing procedures, training and protocols that protect workers in case of a shooting or other violent attack or emergency
UFCW Local 27 represents more than 16,000 members in multiple industries across Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
This story may be updated.