Strike updates

Faindlaw (AP) reports: “No Progress in Calif. Labor Strikes.”

“An estimated half-million [LA] commuters faced another morning rush hour without city buses or trains as a transit strike entered its sixth day.”

“Though negotiations between mechanics and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have apparently stalled, talks with train operators, bus drivers and the authority have gained momentum.”

On the So. Cal. grocery strike/lockout, no new negotiations were scheduled.

“The supermarket chains tried to sway public opinion with a full-page ad in Southern California newspapers Sunday that described their contract offers as ‘more than fair.’ ”

Rick Icaza, president of the UFCW Local 770, took issue with the ad, which also ran Friday.

“How can it be fair if you reduce our medical benefits?” he asked.

“Average pay for clerks is about $15 an hour and most do not work full time. Workers currently pay no premiums for full health coverage and have a $10 copay for doctor visits and prescriptions.”

“The companies want them to pay $5 a week for individual coverage or $15 a week to cover a family.”

This is quite modest as copays and employee contributions go these days, even for skilled union employees (many of these employees are at best semi-skilled). I have $25 copay for doctor and $30 prescription (preferred nongeneric), and $1500 a month premium.

Here’s the union’s response to the company advertisements. Here’s Albertson’s 2nd quarter financial summary.

The grocery companies, while paying big bucks for full-page newspaper ads, seem not as interested in using their websites to promote their positions on the strike issues as the union is.

Here in St. Louis, our UFCW grocery strike goes on. Public support still seems significant, but store hours and services are expanding. The union avoided a real bad PR problem the other day by encouraging food pantry drivers to cross the picket lines to pick up donated food. Imagine the irony otherwise: food about to spoil due to reduced demand caused by strike can’t be given away; the poor go hungry. Ouch!