Locked Out Key Food Employees Back To Work, But No Deal Reached

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Dozens of Brooklyn Key Food workers that have been locked out of their jobs for over a month will get to return to work — but only tentatively, union leaders said Friday.

The 38 meat department workers — from seven Key Foods locations in Park Slope, Sunset Park, Greenpoint, New Urecht and three spots in Long Island — reached a deal with the company to go back to work during a 30-day "cooling off period" as their union and executives continue to negotiate a contract.

The workers had been kept from their jobs since April 6 after regular four-year contract negotiations reached a stalemate last month.

Getting the employees, who haven't been paid since the lockout began, back to their jobs had been a sticking point during six rounds of negotiations between the union and company executives since, leaders have said.

On Friday, a federal mediator who has been leading the most recent meetings suggested setting up the 30-day deal as a compromise to that goal, union Executive Director Kelly Egan said.

"The federal mediator said, 'We need something here, something has to give,'" said Egan, who leads the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342 chapter. "(But) if something doesn't happen in 30 days — they're back out."

Egan said the union and workers are viewing the deal not as the end of the lockout, but as a pause, since if a contract isn't reached in those 30 days the employees will again be kept from their jobs. The union has had a "return to work request" filed every day since the workers were taken off the schedules replaced by temporary employees.

The original contract stalemate began when the company threatened to take away retirement and medical benefits for the employees, the union has said. Workers, many who have been with the company for decades, hadn't had a pay increase in four years and said the company was asking them to pay for their own healthcare starting next month.

The lockout is the first time negotiations, which happen every four years or so, have reached this level of disagreement, union representatives said.

Key Food has previously said it will not comment on the negotiations.

Egan said the union will still keep its GoFundMe page set up for the workers to help them with bills that have piled up during the last month. She added that though they are worried about what will happen in 30 days, the employees are glad to be back to work.

"They had their heads up and chest out and they walked back in," Egan said. "They get to collect a paycheck now...but there is still a big fight ahead of us to get those guys the contract they deserve."