Grocery contract appears remote
With a union deadline looming today, talks between the Southern California grocery workers union and the big supermarket chains were at a standstill Wednesday and prospects for a quick agreement looked remote.
Frustrated by the slow pace of bargaining, the United Food and Commercial Workers union this month set a noon deadline for the chains to make a formal contract proposal.
“The employers have been stalling and don’t want to give us a deal -- but whether we will have a strike is up in the air,” said Rick Icaza, president of UFCW Local 770 in Los Angeles. A union news conference is set for this afternoon. The union is pondering a membership vote this weekend to authorize a strike.
Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons say it is the union’s fault there isn’t an agreement. “Since the unions set this deadline, they have moved away from substantive discussions on core economic issues, slowing down the negotiations,” the stores said.
Despite agreement on broad concepts such as improving healthcare benefits and giving employees their first hourly raise since 2002, recent negotiations have stalled over how to pay for the insurance and an employer proposal to almost double the time it takes to reach the top of the wage scale.
The contract for 65,000 workers has been extended twice.
Some shoppers are starting to brace for a strike. “It is really a shame,” said Bette Jordan of Huntington Beach. “I don’t think the grocery workers have recovered from the last strike.”
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