Fry’s, Safeway strike averted

Associated Press

Workers at Fry’s and Safeway stores in Arizona will remain on the job and will not be walking a picket line Friday.

According to a news release, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99, Safeway Stores and Kroger Company, the owner of Fry’s and Smith’s, reached a tentative settlement on a new collective bargaining agreement late Thursday evening.

The strike would have affected three of the four major grocery suppliers in Sahuarita and Green Valley.

Local 99 will submit the tentative agreement to its Safeway, Fry’s and Smiths members with the union’s recommendation that it be approved. The union and the companies have agreed to extend the existing contract pending the outcome of the membership vote.

Union spokeswoman Ellen Anreder said no details of the tentative agreement will be released until the union and members have a chance to review the agreement and vote.

The union said in a news release early Friday there will be no work stoppage and all stores will continue to operate as normal.

Fry’s spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said the Arizona stores will be operating normally.

“It’s great that we got our own people in our stores. We look forward to the ratification process. You’ll see the same friendly faces that you’re accustomed to,” Glynn said Friday morning.

The previous five-year contract between the union and the companies expired in October 2008, and employees have worked under a series of extensions, the last of which expired Oct. 31 of this year.