Clerks’ Union Looks to Future on Benefits

Re “3 Months, and Still No Deal: Latest Grocery Talks Collapse,” Jan. 12: The Times’ statement that “up to now, all grocery workers have had their health coverage fully paid for by the supermarkets” is not accurate. Over the years our members have opted for lower wage increases in favor of maintaining the level of health benefits. We have been paying our full share all the while.

The employers’ proposal is to split the health trust fund into two separate components for new and current employees. Segregating younger and older participants is a prescription for catastrophic cost increases to the fund down the line. Furthermore, by capping their health fund contributions for new employees at $1.35 an hour, the employers effectively would eliminate health care for these people. Hit with a double whammy of meaningless benefits and low pay, new employees would find themselves relying on emergency rooms and taxpayer-funded health resources.

Your statement that “it now takes a cashier about two years to reach top scale” is misleading. Before a person attains the position of cashier, he or she usually starts as a low-wage courtesy clerk and graduates through various classifications. It is impossible for a person to walk into the grocery industry and emerge two years later with a $17.90-per-hour wage. The average supermarket employee earns approximately $13 an hour and works about 30 hours a week -- a modest $20,000 a year.

Greg M. Conger

President, Local 324 United Food and Commercial Workers

Orange County/Long Beach

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It is time for union leaders to take the grocery stores’ offer to a vote. Competition from big-box superstores is driving down product costs, workers’ wages and medical coverage.

Striking workers want to go back to work. At least workers will have a good job and coveted health insurance for themselves and their families. If they wait any longer, they may be downsized and have nothing at all.

Marleen Martin

Acton