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Efficiency at United Grocers warehouses

Unified Grocers workers such as Jason Arredondo in Commerce are required to wear headsets through which they are told what to do and how quickly they must do it.

Unified Grocers workers such as Jason Arredondo in Commerce are required to wear headsets through which they are told what to do and how quickly they must do it.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Technology has eliminated many onerous work tasks, but there’s a flip side: It’s now one of the things contributing to a harsher work environment.
Read more: Tracking workers’ every move can boost productivity — and stress

Unified Grocers

“We’re just like human machines,” says Phil Richards, a forklift driver in Santa Fe Springs. “With machines, they don’t care whether you feel good or if you’re having a bad day.”  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Unified Grocers

From 2002 to 2012, Unified Grocers cut its payroll 25% -- but it managed to increase sales 36%. Above, Richard Acuna works in Commerce.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Unified Grocers

Noel Toscano moves boxes in Commerce. A United Grocers executive said cutting labor costs was a matter of survival for the company: “If the independent grocer is going to compete with the major chain, you’ve got to be as efficient as you can.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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