Grocery workers to vote on strike against Albertsons (my comments on this)

[Omaha Steve]

After the last grocery strike in Southern California the Omaha and New Orleans stores were all closed. The reason given was that Albertsons could not compete with non union Walmart. My wife Marta and I were Albertsons blue. We were very loyal customers that still miss it to this day. Albertsons was sold off piece by piece some time later.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/buenapark/article_1625731.php

Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Grocery workers to vote on strike against Albertsons
Contract is extended through April 9, so no strike would occur before then.
By ANDREW GALVIN
The Orange County Register

Albertsons employees represented by the supermarket workers' union will vote Sunday on whether to give their leaders authorization to call a strike, a union spokesman said Tuesday.

If approved, no strike would occur before April 9, when the current contract extension runs out, said Todd Conger, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 324 in Buena Park.

A contract between the UFCW union and Southern California's three big grocery chains – Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons – expired two weeks ago and was extended through Monday. The new extension is for three weeks, after which either side could terminate the contract with 72 hours notice, said Adena Tessler, a spokeswoman for the three chains.

Little progress has been made in talks toward a new contract, Conger said.

"We firmly believe that the employers have stalled this thing because they believe our members don't have the stomach for (a strike)," he said.

Tessler said "the companies are committed to sitting down and working with the unions, and that's what they've been doing." She called the union's plans for a strike vote "disturbing."

FULL story at link.

[mitchtv]

1. Albertson's has been notorious in its perfidious treatment

of their employees.

[senseandsensibility]

2. Almost all of the Albertson's seem to be gone up here

in the Bay Area. I didn't know it was because of the strike. I support the workers.

[Omaha Steve]

3. It was a double edged sword...

We let the area manager know we would not shop at the local stores while the strike was going on. When they announced the closings, we knew we did the right thing, but lost the stores. We were traveling in Southern California the day our local store closed. I asked our host we were staying with about which stores locally were involved in the strike. We went over for some supplies and got a chance to talk to employees that had stayed out. It is hard to explain all the feelings that we had over the entire situation.

[okieinpain]

4. personally I think unions are shooting themselves in the head.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Tell us how you really feel about this

Should the union drop all negotiations and just take any offer? That is the #1 job of all unions, to collectively bargain. Just curious about your thoughts.

[okieinpain]

8. not take any offer but one that doesn't put them on a collison course

with the company. hell try and come up with their own benefits that would easy burden on the company and still provide a good service to their members. ask for other benefits that help the employee and employer like better educational benefits. It just looks like they are always pushing the companies to dole out money, when a lot of these companies are fighting for every inch.

my company is non-union and probably benefits a lot from being non-union. I'd bet a paycheck that if the issue was put before the people I work with they would turn down the offer.

[sandnsea]

9. Union Busting

So your company has nothing to compete with and can leave you hanging out to dry. That's what has happened to grocery workers.

The grocery workers in Oregon are fighting for their contract now. They make pennies above our minimum wage. Funny, Costco can afford to start workers at $10.50 - but grocery stores can't?? Bullshit. Because of people who are misled and believe the corporate shit over the worker.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=69

Wake The Fuck Up.

[Bridget Burke]

6. Well--that must make you happy!

No more unions. Just trust in the bosses.

[okieinpain]

7. not really, I just think sometimes they don't help themselves with

strikes or threats of strikes. a large number of people don't see why they are needed any more. I work with a lot of them. me personally after working within one, and working outside of one I would have to say I'm 60% for union 40% against.

I feel like they put themselves in an adversary's position a lot, instead of realizing the writing on the wall and try to help out the employer and employees.

take gm for example, gm does not have the market share it use to enjoy, and I'm thinking they really never will get back that lost ground. so why not admit it, and start encouraging your people to position their requests around the fact the wages and benefits need to be in line with toyota's and the other companies. that would go a long way in improving their image with non-union people who might wonder why a union is needed.

[anitar1]

10. I was an employee of albertsons a few years back

When we were ready to strike, we were literally sold out by our union. Albertsons was one of the worst stores I have ever worked for, although Safeway employees feel the same about that corporation. The treatment of employees was very bad. Most of the employees I knew loathed the corporation.An article in the NYT about Albertsons said,"They are the poster child about how NOT to run a business". True. I still will not shop at the big stores. Only local and Costco for me. Although I realize that some people have no choice.