Through five months of negotiations, we’ve made it clear again and again with our actions and words that we will not accept a second-rate contract. Unfortunately, Giant and Safeway still don’t get it. We have bargained in good faith only to have the companies reduce the number of days they will meet with us, stick with their insulting proposals, and insist that we are worth less than our counterparts across the country. Their most recent “offers” are nothing short of a slap in the face to the hard-working men and women who have made them successful.

Here is what the companies are proposing:

Starting rates below minimum wage in DC and Maryland, freezing workers at minimum wage for the next three years

Maintaining a 24-hour cap on weekly hours for part-timers hired after Oct. 30, 2013, making them ineligible for benefits

Top-of-scale increases far below other parts of the country

Immediate cuts to healthcare funding

Large increases to weekly premiums for healthcare

Eliminating promise to secure pension benefits

Cuts to future pension benefits

These proposals are unacceptable. The deals currently on the table are not ones we can recommend for ratification. Your advisory committee has unanimously recommended that we begin organizing for a strike.

We are going to continue our work at the bargaining table, but now we need to get prepared for a strike. This is not the outcome we want, but if the companies continue to stick with their current proposals, it may be our only choice to show them we will not accept a second rate offer. Union representatives will be in stores this week holding huddles and distributing materials so you can begin to get prepared financially. You can also read our guide here.

More actions to get you prepared for a strike will follow and we will continue to keep you updated every step of the way.