About 45,000 grocery workers have authorized a strike at Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions stores in Southern California to protest what they call unfair labor practices.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals representing store workers announced on Monday that members have voted overwhelmingly in favor, giving their leaders authority to call a strike.
A walkout would cause a major disruption for two of the nation’s largest grocery chains during the busiest season of the year. Kroger and Albertsons are the parent companies of Ralphs, Vons and Pavilions grocery stores.
The last major Southern California grocery strike in 2003 and 2004 roiled the region’s supermarkets, paving the way for new chains. Another strike was averted during a standoff in 2022.
The vote comes fourth months after contract negotiations between the union and the grocery chain companies began. The workers’ contracts expired March 2.
In the statement, the bargaining committee of UFCW Locals 324 and 770 said: “Our message is clear: we are fed up with these corporations’ union-busting tactics designed to intimidate us and prevent us from getting the fair contract that we’ve earned and deserve.”
In an email statement, Courtney Carranza, director of communications and public affairs for Southern California Division at Albertsons, said: “We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees, good for our customers, and allows our company to remain competitive.”
A representative of Kroger did not respond to a request for comment.
The strike authorization vote was held in the first two weeks of June, the union said. It did not disclose the results.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume on June 25.
Among the chief sticking points in the talks is staffing levels, with the union contending that a staffing shortage has hurt service and working conditions.
“The companies have dismissed our proposals and claimed that our concerns were ‘anecdotal’, downplaying the real challenges we and our customers face daily,” the union said in its statement. “At the same time, the companies have broken labor laws by engaging in unlawful surveillance, interrogation of members at actions, threats, and retaliation for union activity. This is unacceptable.”
Albertsons owns the well-known brands Pavilions, Safeway and Vons. Kroger operates Ralphs, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Quality Food Centers and other popular grocery stores.
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