‘Little Progress’ Reported in Labor Talks

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 yesterday said it has received and reviewed economic proposals from Safeway and Giant of Landover as part of ongoing labor-contract negotiations with the chains, but “little progress has been made,” James Lowthers, president of Local 400, said in a statement on the union’s website.

Mar 28, 2008

WASHINGTON — United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 here yesterday said it has received and reviewed economic proposals from Safeway and Giant of Landover as part of ongoing labor-contract negotiations with the chains, but “little progress has been made,” James Lowthers, president of Local 400, said in a statement on the union’s website. Talks on the new contracts, which cover 23,000 workers in the Washington-Baltimore area who are members of UFCW Locals 400 and 27, are scheduled to continue through Sunday, with a vote slated for Tuesday, April 1. The current contract expires March 29. “Strike preparations are now in place,” the union said. The national office of the UFCW issued a statement yesterday stating that UFCW members around the country were “communicating with customers” in support of the workers.