Calif. UFCW grocery workers join St. Louis brethren in striking
CNN.com reports: “70,000 grocery store workers strike.”
“Facing ‘major cuts’ in salary and benefits, nearly 70,000 grocery store workers — ranging from cashiers, to meat cutters, to pharmacists — went on strike in southern California late Saturday, after failing to come to an agreement with their employers.”
The union says the employers want to “shift $1 billion in healthcare costs” onto workers. The “supermarkets say they are trying to keep up with the rising costs of health care as well as compete with other stores that provide lower wages and fewer benefits.”
The stores say “[t]he cost of providing health care benefits to [UFCW] grocery emplyees has risen by more than 50 percent during the four years of the expired contract.”
The grocery stores have “fully executed plans in place in preparation for a strike and will continue operating their stores and serving customers,” according to their press release.
Well, the more the merrier. St. Louis grocery workers are still out. The stores are now adding hours and services (deli, etc.) that had been closed.
I expect the ultimate resolution will not make the union very happy. Any concessions the employers make to end the strike here will have to be relatively minor, given that the employers have so firmly stated their intention not to budge — their credibility in future negotiations is on the line.
The stores here in St. Louis can operate staff-wise, but do appear to be taking a hit in volume from people who are not crossing the picket line. I saw a lot of cars in the parking lot Saturday at a (nonunion) store near my home. That’s only short-term support for the union, since it involves shopping nonunion. Long term it kills their jobs by undermining their employers’ competitive position.
