With historic Safeway & UFW accord, the nation’s 2nd largest food retailer to back organizing rights for strawberry workers

UNITED FARM WORKERS OF AMERICA, AFL-CIO
18 West Lake St. Suite L
Watsonville, Calif. 95076

SAFEWAY INC

5918 Stoneridge Mall Rd.
Pleasonton, Calif, 94566

Embargoed Until: 12 noon, September 15, 1997

News Conference call 12 noon Monday

With historic Safeway & UFW accord, the
nation’s 2nd largest food retailer backs
organizing rights for strawberry workers

A major effort by West Coast strawberry workers to improve their lives through union organizing picked up key support on Monday when the United Farm Workers and Safeway Inc.–the second largest retail food chain–signed an agreement supporting basic human rights for 20,000 California berry pickers. It marks the first time in more than 30 years that Safeway and the union founded by Cesar Chavez are working together on issues of concern to agricultural workers.

Announcement of the Safeway and UFW agreement means 27 retail food companies– including four out of the nation’s top seven supermarket firms–covering 4,630 stores in 41 states and four Canadian provinces have signed pledges backing rights for strawberry workers.

Safeway operates 1,368 food stores in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. retail operations are located principally in Northern California, Southern California, Oregon, Washington state, Colorado, Arizona and the Mid-Atlantic region. Canadian retail operations are located primarily in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan. The company is estimated to have more than $22 billion in annual sales.

With the action by Safeway, more than 50% of the stores in eight of the largest U.S. retail food markets have formally supported strawberry workers’ rights (see attached sheet). Other major supermarket companies that have taken the same or similar stands are American Stores (which owns Lucky, Jewel and Acme markets), Yucaipa (owners of Ralphs stores) and A&P. This latest agreement was also achieved with active help from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents employees at Safeway and Vons stores.

Under the agreement, Safeway endorses the right of strawberry harvesters "to organize and bargain collectively under the provisions of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act" without fear of discrimination. It embraces "the right [of strawberry workers] to seek enforcement of laws and regulations for proper field sanitation, clean drinking water and [hand]-washing facilities." Safeway also calls on "all of its vendors to abide by the applicable laws and regulations governing such conditions and conduct," the agreement states.

For its part, the accord says, "the UFW recognizes that Safeway’s first obligation is to its customers." If customers, "through their purchases, [say] they want or do not want an item, that preference will be reflected in its merchandising."

UFW President Arturo Rodriguez says the agreement "is another sign that change is coming to California strawberry fields. Safeway’s support for what are basic human rights for some of the poorest workers in our country deserves the community’s acclamation and gratitude," he adds. "We look forward to a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation between the UFW and Safeway."

The text of the Safeway and UFW agreement follows:

Safeway agrees to pledge its commitment to the issues raised by the United Farm Workers (UFW) on behalf of the strawberry workers in California. Safeway recognizes that farm workers are a essential part of the nation’s food production system.

Safeway endorses the following rights for strawberry workers, to include the right of these workers to organize and bargain collectively under the provisions of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act; the right to seek enforcement of laws and regulations for proper field sanitation, clean drinking water and washing facilities and the right to work in a discrimination-free environment.

Safeway requires all of its vendors to abide by the applicable laws and regulations governing such conditions and conduct, and will continue to encourage the strawberry industry to recognize these basic rights.

The UFW recognizes that Safeway’s first obligation is to its customers and if its customers tell it, through their purchases, they want or do not want an item, that preference will be reflected in its merchandising.

Both parties shall make public the terms and conditions of this Agreement to the extent it is necessary to effect the mutual ends thereto.

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Safeway Store Count by Division

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Retail Food Markets Where More than 50% of Supermarkets Support Strawberry Workers’ Rights