Smart & Final President’s Stand on Labor Pact, Retiree Benefits Borders on Fantasy

As chief negotiator for the Teamsters unions in Southern California’s food industry, I was completely baffled by the argument in Roger M. Laverty III’s letter to the Times (“Column on Smart & Final Ignored Company’s Side,” Aug. 13) regarding the Smart & Final Iris strike and dispute over retiree medical coverage.

Laverty’s statements were far from fact and, as president of the firm, he should know better. He knows:

1. In contract negotiations with the union, the company said retiree benefits were not a subject of mandatory collective bargaining and he refused to talk about them.

2. Last February, Smart & Final sent a check to the joint industry and union trust fund to cover February contributions. Then the company stopped payment on the check.

3. Smart & Final said it expected the rest of the food industry (i.e. Ralphs, Vons, Lucky, Albertsons, etc.) to pay the freight for Smart & Final on the retiree issue.

4. On July 12, just hours before a union news conference called to expose Smart & Final’s true attitude toward its retirees, the company, by messenger, sent the union a copy of a letter to its retirees pledging them medical coverage “as of this date.” It is now more than one month since that date and no retiree has been given hard evidence of medical coverage, if any, provided by Smart & Final.

5. The company has consistently refused to put the issues in this dispute to the impartial judgment of an arbitrator.

6. Smart & Final’s economic package is a far cry from the master food agreements in Southern California. It is substantially lower and severely weakens job security.

It is obvious that Laverty prefers a forum of his own cut, like the letter to The Times, where his statements can be free-wheeling and unchallenged. And that’s great if you can get away with it.

But his argument is untenable and borders on fantasy, based on the facts as they exist.

J.L. “JERRY” VERCRUSE

Los Angeles

The writer is secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 630.