Wegmans employees ratify a new contract

After months of negotiations, Wegmans employees overwhelmingly ratified a new contract.

Wegmans announced that its more than 900 Rochester-based distribution and transportation employees, represented by Teamsters Local 118, voted in favor of a new contract Thursday.

The vote, according to a Teamsters statement released Friday, was 624 in favor and 62 opposed. Union members had rejected the same contract Oct. 29.

“This process was extremely challenging, and we are happy to be returning to our core business of serving our customers during this very important time of year,” said Mike Cullen, Wegmans vice president of distribution, in a statement.

The now-approved contract includes an immediate $1,000 lump sum payment for full-time employees ($500 for part-time); an 18 percent pay increase over the life of the six-year contract; a move to Wegmans fully-funded retirement plan, and a package of retirement assistance options valued at over $10 million.

“We went toe to toe with Wegmans and went through every sentence of our collective bargaining agreement,” said Kevin McIntosh, the local’s business agent and lead negotiator in the talks, in a statement. “We took it to the wire and got everything we could for our members.”

The retirement plan issue was one of most critical during the nine-month negotiations.

It included Wegmans’ proposal to withdraw from the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund and transition this group to the Wegmans Retirement Plan, which covers all other eligible Wegmans employees, including another Teamsters group.