FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2025
Contact: Jim Araby, UFCW Local 5
Phone: (510) 599-0488
Email: [email protected]
Subject: Safeway and Vons Workers Temporarily Extend Strike Deadline Amid Negotiation Progress
Company’s Refusal to Bargain in Good Faith Keeps 25,000 Union Members on Brink of Historic Strike Across Northern and Central California
Concord, CA – July 25, 2025 (Midnight) — After five months of stalled contract negotiations, UFCW 8-Golden State, UFCW Local 5, and UFCW Local 648—at the request of a federal mediator—have agreed to a temporary extension of the strike deadline, citing signs of movement at the bargaining table. A strike set to begin at midnight has been delayed as union negotiators report incremental progress toward a tentative agreement that members can review and vote on.
“We are working towards negotiating an agreement that avoids a work stoppage and appreciate the support of the customers and the communities where they work,” said UFCW Local 5 President John Frahm, UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall, and UFCW Local 648 President Dan Larson in a joint statement. “Our members remain mobilized and ready, but as long as talks are advancing toward a fair deal, we will continue to bargain in good faith.”
Union leaders emphasized that the extension does not signal satisfaction with the current state of negotiations, but reflects a strategic decision to allow additional time for talks to progress under federal mediation. The union remains clear: more work must be done to achieve the improvements members have earned.
While negotiations continue, approximately 25,000 grocery workers from the Grapevine to the Oregon border remain fully prepared to strike if progress stalls. This includes UFCW 8-Golden State members in Kern, Inyo, and Mono Counties, who are covered under a separate but expired agreement and are participating in coordinated bargaining efforts with Albertsons-owned Vons.
Union Priorities Include:
- Fair and competitive wage increases
- Affordable health care coverage
- A strong and stable pension fund
Despite persistent efforts by union negotiators, the company’s ongoing failure to resolve these core issues has already led to overwhelming strike authorization votes from the membership.
