CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It appears there’ll be no interruption in warehouse deliveries to Jewel Food Stores in the Chicago area, as a strike has been apparently been avoided.
The union representing Jewel-Osco warehouse workers and drivers reached an agreement on a new contract with the grocery chain late Sunday night, minutes before a strike that could have disrupted deliveries across the Chicago area.
The old contract expired over the weekend, and according to one union official, the situation was not looking good, as the 850 members of Teamsters Local 710 were about 15 minutes away from going on strike when things got serious at the bargaining table.
“The solidarity within this group is inspiring. The situation was not looking good yesterday, and we were literally 15 minutes away from going on strike when the employer finally realized just how serious the situation was,” Local 710 Secretary-Treasurer Mike Cales said.
“We stood together through the very end, and it will have a major impact for the entire bargaining unit moving forward."
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The new five-year contract comes after lengthy negotiations that stretched late into the evening and will still have to be ratified by the 850 workers at Jewel’s Melrose Park distribution center, Teamsters Local 710 said in a statement.
The specifics of the contract have not been made public. Union rank and file will vote on the deal over the next couple of weeks.
Jewel has not yet issued a statement.
The union said they were fighting for better health care contributions, staffing levels and starting pay for new hires, and claimed that most employees were being forced to work six days a week.