Dierbergs Markets Essential Workers Win Path to $15 in Strong New Contract

SEIU Local 1 maintenance workers, food sanitation and more at the grocery store chain win significant wage increases while working on front-lines of the COVID-19 crisis

ST. LOUIS – By an overwhelming margin, SEIU Local 1 maintenance workers, food sanitation workers and more at Dierbergs Markets ratified a strong new contract covering nearly 150 essential workers at the grocery store chain. The agreement includes the highest-ever raises for Dierbergs workers and a path to $15 an hour. Grocery store workers have been working since the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic providing the essential service of helping provide a safe and clean environment to St. Louis-area shoppers.

“From the very beginning of the pandemic grocery store workers were putting our own health at risk in order to keep St. Louis residents safe and taken care of during the COVID-19 crisis,” said SEIU Local 1 Maintenance Clerk Wenda Ross. “Because we came together and fought for our families and our communities, we won a path to $15 and a more stable future.”

The ratification is the latest chapter in the fight for One St. Louis, a region where all working people make at least $15 an hour with good union jobs to make our metro area more equitable across racial lines.  

The new three-year union contract guarantees:

• The highest ever wage increases in a Dierbergs contract including a path to a $15 wage for workers over the life of the contract

• Protected healthcare which is even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Expanded funeral leave to include same-sex domestic partners and grandparents

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Service Employees International Union Local 1 unites 50,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, higher education faculty, food service workers, airport workers and others. Local 1 is committed to improving the lives of its members and all working people by winning real economic justice and standing at the forefront of the fight for immigrant, racial and environmental justice.