Unions say they would honor grocery strike ( 800,000 members would also mobilize for demonstrations)

[Omaha Steve]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/BIZ/704100332/1001

Unions say they would honor grocery strike

BY ALEX VEIGA | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES - A federation of labor unions said Monday that its members would honor picket lines should thousands of Southern California grocery workers go on strike or be locked out over a contract dispute with three national supermarket chains, including Cincinnati-based Kroger Co.

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor said its more than 800,000 members would also mobilize for demonstrations, boycotts and food drives to aid striking grocery workers.

"Workers throughout Los Angeles County have made a commitment today, to stand in solidarity with our grocery workers in their fight to make their jobs good middle-class jobs again," said Maria Elena Durazo, the federation's executive secretary-treasurer.

The organization is home to more than 300 unions, including the Screen Actors Guild, the Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Teachers, among others.

Contract talks between the supermarket chains - Supervalu Inc.'s Albertsons, Kroger's Ralphs and Safeway Inc.'s Vons and Pavilions - and their employees' union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, have been taking place since January.

A single contract covering 65,000 workers at the markets' 785 stores from San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield south to San Diego expired March 5. That deal has been extended twice, and the latest extension was scheduled to expire at the end of Monday. It then renews automatically on a daily basis until any of the parties opts out.

FULL story at link.

[Sherman A1]

1. One to watch...

The contract that covers myself in St. Louis is expiring in about 1 month.... Last time we spent 25 days outside on sabbatical in what I refer to as "The October Revolution".

A good number of union grocery clerks will see their contracts coming up this year.

We will need all the support that can be mustered.

:toast:

[Solo_in_MD]

2. IIRC, it did not do much good last time. I find such "pronoucements" by union leaders sort of silly