Local 338 Pharmacists Authorize Strike to Protect Pensions (6/2/08)

Pharmacy workers at 28 Waldbaum's/A&P stores in Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn, New York, have authorized a strike if their demands for a fair contract are not met.

Negotiations for a new contract have been ongoing for over two months, with the 90 Local 338 members working on an extension of the old contract which expired on March 30.

Negotiations are not going as well as Local 338 negotiators had hoped due to the company's desire to include a clause in the contract allowing them to opt out of the Local 338 retirement fund.

"If the company was given the right to pull out of the current pension plan, which is financially secure, it  would not be in the best interest of our members," said Local 338 Secretary-Treasurer John DeMartino. "Not only would it be a raw deal for the 90 pharmacists at Waldbaum's/A&P, it would set a terrible precedent. They would go after the pensions of the other 8,000 Local 338 members at Waldbaum's, Food Emporium, Food Basics, and A&P stores in the next round of contract talks."

The Local 338  negotiating committee is adamant about keeping the Local 338 retirement fund in the contract without any conditions.