Southland Butchers Take Vote on Strike

Union locals representing 10,000 Southern California meat cutters and meat wrappers began voting Sunday on whether to strike if no agreement is reached before their contract expires Nov. 4.

Dan Swinton, spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said the first of the six union locals voting Sunday, Local 421 in Los Angeles, voted by a more than 9-1 margin to strike.

Members of Long Beach Local 551 approved a possible strike by a similar wide margin, other union officials reported Sunday night.

“I think you can speculate that unless a satisfactory agreement is reached . . . there will be a strike,” Swinton said.

A strike would affect Albertson’s, Alpha Beta, Boys’ Markets, Foods Co., Hughes Markets, Lucky Stores, Ralphs Grocery Co., Safeway, Stater Bros. and Vons.

Officials of the Food Employers Council, which represents the 10 chains, could not be reached for comment Sunday. Earlier, a spokesman said only that the council hoped that a settlement would be reached without a strike and that the supermarkets would remain open if a walkout occurred.

Crippling Strike

Union members voted by secret ballot at meetings in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Culver City, Rialto and Santa Barbara, Swinton said. A San Diego local will vote later this week.

Union officials believe that the markets would be crippled by a strike because they expect thousands of food clerks to respect the meat cutters’ picket lines. Like the meat cutters, the clerks are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and their contract expires next year.

Previous negotiations between the six locals and their employers have been described as meaningless by Gerald McTeague, chief union negotiator. Negotiations went into federal mediation a week ago.

According to Swinton, the union’s chief concern is that the supermarkets are trying to undermine long-standing work conditions and fringe benefits. The employers have proposed reducing the guaranteed workday from eight hours to four and creating a new meat clerk job classification with less pay, he said.

Other Changes Asked

The employers have also asked that a clause that requires a journeyman meat cutter to be on the job when the store opens be deleted or diluted, Swinton added.

According to Swinton, wage proposals have not yet been made. He estimated that meat cutters make slightly more than $13 an hour.

Independent supermarkets and small neighborhood stores would not be affected by the action.

The Teamsters Union is also in negotiations with management for a new contract covering more than 12,000 supermarket truck drivers and warehouse workers, and they could be on strike during a walkout by the meat cutters.