Save Mart Reaches Tentative Deal with Union

Save Mart Supermarkets, which also owns Lucky, has reached a tentative deal with its labor union, averting a feared strike.

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 8 announced the deal, which ends , on its website Wednesday.

Details of the deal won't be released until workers ratify the agreement, but will reportedly save the grocery chain money, preserve medical benefits and provide employees with more hours, according to a statement released by the group.

“This tentative agreement with Save Mart addresses the employer’s legitimate needs for temporary financial relief while preserving the core achievements of decades of Union Solidarity,” the announcement quoted the presidents of all three union chapters as saying.

“This agreement maintains the highest wages, the finest benefits and the most generous pension plans in the grocery industry.”

The deal will also give the store "temporary labor cost reductions to assist Save Mart in its current economic challenges," according to the announcement.

This tentative deal covers 173 Save Mart and Lucky stores in California; talks with Raley's and Safeway workers are ongoing. The Sacramento Bee reported that the union's deal with Save Mart gives those other chains less leverage to hold out for better deals.