By Ylan Q. Mui
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 31, 2008

The union representing workers at Giant Food and Safeway said yesterday that it has reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract after more than a month of bargaining.

President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, C. James Lowthers, said negotiations lasted until nearly midnight Saturday, when the current contract was set to expire. He declined to give details of the agreement, but health care, pensions and wages have been among the key issues.

"They've made an offer that we're willing to present to the people," Lowthers said.

Union members are scheduled to vote tomorrow at the D.C. Armory. Giant Food will close its stores from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to allow members to vote. Union organizers said Safeway will not close stores, but that workers who wish to attend the meeting can ask to be scheduled accordingly.

The lead negotiator for Giant and Safeway, Harry F. Burton, confirmed that the two sides had reached a tentative agreement but declined to comment further.

Progress had been slow in the final days of negotiations, as union members prepared for the possibility of a strike. They made hundreds of signs and reached out to elected officials and religious and community groups for support. Activist organizations passed out leaflets in front of stores and conducted phone campaigns.

"It will come as a big relief to a lot of people," said Mackenzie Baris, lead organizer for D.C. Jobs with Justice, which handed out fliers. "It's reassuring to know that all the community effort hopefully made a difference."

Safeway and Giant had hired scores of temporary employees in case union workers walked off the job. The companies said they will keep those employees until the union approves a new contract.

Though the threat of a strike loomed over the talks, negotiations between the union and supermarkets across the country have been less contentious than they were in 2004, when workers in California went on strike for nearly five months. Earlier this year, employees at Giant sister chain Stop & Shop authorized a strike over health-care coverage but never took that action. They signed a new contract this month.

The Giant and Safeway contract still must be approved by union members before it is finalized. A simple majority of votes is needed to ratify the contract. If rejected, two-thirds of members must vote to authorize a strike.

But Jeffrey Metzger, publisher of local trade magazine Food World, said the union was likely to approve the contract.

"Historically, both sides have always seem to come to a peaceful resolution," he said. "There's a lot of heated action at the 11th hour, but both sides seem to have come to an agreement."