Lucky Locks Out Workers as Supermarket Strife Grows : Labor: Bay Area dispute erupted with walkout of Safeway employees. Save Marts are also affected.

The Lucky Stores supermarket chain began locking out its workers in Northern California as a labor dispute spread to more than 400 stores.

Lucky began locking out its union employees in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday night, company spokeswoman Roberta Wong said. By midnight Friday, she said, all 180 Lucky stores in Northern California, as well as 17 Save Marts in the Bay Area, were to have locked out their workers.

The lockout is part of a labor dispute that erupted Thursday when thousands of employees at 208 Safeway supermarkets in Northern California went on strike after negotiations over a new contract broke down.

Altogether, about 32,000 grocery clerks, butchers and baggers will be affected by the dispute.

It is the first major strike at Northern California supermarkets since a 1980 stoppage that lasted six weeks.

All three chains have vowed to stay open, with reduced hours, using managers and replacement workers.

Union leaders said the strike was hurting Safeway, with many customers choosing to go to other supermarkets rather than cross picket lines.

Teamster truck drivers are also refusing to cross the lines.

Officials of other local supermarket chains said they expected their business to get a boost from the strike.

Safeway, operated by Oakland-based Safeway Inc., and Lucky Stores, owned by American Stores Co. of Salt Lake City, are the dominant supermarket chains in the Bay Area. Save Mart is based in Modesto.

The three chains are seeking concessions, including reduced health benefits.

The three companies had agreed to lock out workers in the event that one supermarket chain was struck.

No new talks are scheduled.