UFCW Grocery Workers take on Supermarkets

On March 5, The UFCW Grocery Workers' contract expires, and there isn't much sign that the UFCW and the store owners are nearing an agreement.  In 2003/04, grocery workers went on strike for four and a half months in response to contract negotiations reaching an impasse, a strike that had major repercussions for the market share of supermarket chains and cost an estimated $2 billion.  Ownership doesn't seem to have forgotten about that, despite the fact that most of that market share has been regained and, in certain places, surpassed.

The union's website, packed full of goodies, can be found here, outlining what they're up against, what they're doing, and why.  You can also sign the petition of support if you're so inclined, and find many other ways to get involved at the website or at the end of this diary.

The UT hit the high points of the situation recently, giving a solid rundown of the basics.  Albertsons (SuperValu), Ralphs (Kroger), and Vons (Safeway) account for about half of the grocery business in Southern California, and are stacked up against the 65,000 regional workers of the UFCW.  They're contending over wage and health care, but the crux of the negotiations is the two-tiered employment system put in place as part of the last contract.

Under the two-tiered system, workers with longer tenure get better pay and benefits, while newer workers are paid less and must work longer to become eligible for benefits.  The union argues this amounts to different pay for equal work and contributes to high turnover, and they're right on both counts.  While the stores are defending themselves by claiming that the market is increasingly competitive and they need to keep costs down, I wonder if they'll feel the same way when the current batch of tenured employees retire (they're getting up there from what I see at my local stores).

With all due respect to these stores, they have turned in billions in profits lately, and San Diego recently took steps to restrict the growth of big-box retailers.  And with the growth of CEO salaries, they aren't really presenting a very sympathetic picture.

The benefits of strong and healthy unions have been covered all over the blogs, I won't dive into it here.  But this is an opportunity for some solidarity.  Sign the petition, email corporate management, spread the news, share your experiences if you've worked in the industry, participate in their Text Respect drive, or any combination thereof.