INSALACO WORKERS VOTE FOR UNION

PITTSTON, Pa. -- Employees at Insalaco Markets here have voted for the first time to allow a local of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to represent them in negotiations with chain management. The union also won the right about a month ago to organize the 40-unit chain's drivers and warehouse employees. The union has been attempting to organize Insalaco's employees for 20 years, according to Thomas Lazur, president of UFCW Local 72. It intensified those efforts after the chain was acquired by Penn Traffic in 1993, he added. Executives at Insalaco could not be reached for comment. The chain is a division of Penn Traffic Co., Syracuse, N.Y. According to Lazur, "a large majority" of the chain's 1,400 store employees have signed authorization cards to allow the union to represent them. He declined to be specific about the voting percentage because he said the cards are still coming in. Lazur said employees are filling out contract proposal forms and preparing to elect members to a union negotiating team. He told SN he expects negotiations to begin sometime in March. Local 72 represents more than 7,500 workers throughout northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania, including 2,500 employees at locations of Acme Markets that Penn Traffic acquired late last year.