California Grocery Clerks Go on Strike...

Reuters ^ | 10/12/03 | Kevin Krolicki

[SouthWall]

The union representing some 70,000 Southern California grocery workers called a strike against Safeway Inc.'s SWY.N Vons and two rival supermarket chains responded on Sunday by locking out union workers.

Picket lines organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union formed at stores from Los Angeles to San Diego, the first grocery strike in 25 years in the area, one of the nation's most populous and a key market for the chains.

In response to the Vons strike, Albertsons Inc. ABS.N and Kroger Co.'s KR.N Ralphs, which are covered by the same master contract, locked out union workers from the first shift on Sunday.

All three chains kept stores open with replacement workers who had been hired in preparation for the possible strike, said Sandra Calderon, a spokeswoman for Vons.

[SouthWall]

There is a great picture on Drudgereport.com showing a striker outside a Von's supermarket. In the background, behind the striker, a sign says "now hiring."

I saved the picture, but do no know how to post it. I know html, but how do you upload pic?

[finnman69]

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[yankeedame]

I know I just heard on the 12noon news that the Kroger workers here in the Dayton, OH area are going on a "sympathy strike". (The sympathy not being, of course, for the consumer) Thank heavens Wal-Mart sells milk and eggs.

[Tulsa Brian]

Gee, this wouldn't have anything to do with the recent recall of Davis, would it? The lib unions creating a phoney crisis to harass the new governor, would it?

[Joe Hadenuf]

Fire them all, they need to pay for all their own medical benefits like everyone else. Let them go to county hospital and get in line with the illegal aliens.

We don't need baggers anyway. They don't have them in Europe, as everyone bags their own stuff. Fire the lazy cashiers too. We can scan our own stuff. Fire the stockers too, as we can just pick through the boxes. Sell the shelves.

There lucky to to even have jobs that pay them money.

Look at all the hard working illegal aliens, they don't complain, they could care less about benefits and they work harder, for less money than lazy Americans.

They're all just a bunch whining, freeloading lazy American's. Fire them all.

[SouthWall]

Thanks

[Poohbah]

The lockout is a negotiating tactic--force the union to deplete its strike fund three times faster than planned. The union begged for Albertson's and Ralph's to keep their employees--not a wise tactic, because it told everyone that the UFCW strike fund is not up to the task. Gotta wonder what happened to all the strike fund donations over the years?

[dakine]

Meat Cutters $19.00 an hour! Last time I had a job I made $6.75! My, how times have changed!!

[AmishDude]

Shut up and bag.

[TheBigB]

Glad I live in a right-to-work state (TN). I have never in my life even seen a live picket line, as the employees down here know that if they strike, they're out on their @sses.

[Roarkdude]

If you cross the picket line (like me) make sure you take a flyer from a striker. It has a list of other union stores to avoid.

[FourPeas]

Clerks in my neck of the woods are very well paid with good benefits, too. If it's the same situation in CA, in this economy, this could easily backfire.

[FourPeas]

make sure you take a flyer from a striker

That, and it costs them money.

[Zevonismymuse]

Shut up and bag.

I am trying to go every day to Albertson's in Buellton to cross the picket line. Most union workers are Clinton Lovers. These people are the "soccer mom" vote who have taken bread off my family's table.

My husband lost his job in Santa Barbara when the greenies drove Mobil Oil out. Now my husband has to commute 2 hours a day to Ventura. I don't member any of these greedy, unskilled cry-babies coming to his rescue.

I can scan my own groceries.

[AmishDude]

Yep. All of the supermarkets are going to self-scan (coming to a supermarket near you very very soon) which basically only needs one person to monitor 4-6 lanes. Many people prefer to bag themselves, too. I was surprised when I lived in NJ to see unionized grocery workers. It's an entry-level, zero-risk, zero-skill job. It's McDonald's.

[stylin_geek]

I think this strike is a very unwise move, especially with jobs being scarce. If I were a company, I would consider this to be an ideal time to bust the union out.

[strela]

If you cross the picket line (like me) make sure you take a flyer from a striker.

WAAAAAYYYYY too scratchy and rough. Charmin is MUCH better.

[Myrddin]

Gotta wonder what happened to all the strike fund donations over the years?

Look at the elegant union halls, fancy cars and big salaries for the union bosses. That's where the money goes. I've worked on the management side of 3 strikes while I worked at PacBell. The union strike fund barely offers a crappy bag of groceries to the striking employees. If a union member dares to cross the the line, they can be fined all the money they earn and more. If you live in Southern California, the last thing you need is to go on strike with exorbitant rents and mortgages.

The usual PacBell strategy was to keep the union walking the picket line until the payroll savings exceeded all the increased pay and benefits that they were willing to conceded at the bargaining table. The union members ALWAYS lose. The hourly pay losses will always exceed what the fat cat bosses negotiate at the table. It's a game that keeps the union bosses rolling in money and the members pockets raided to cover political contributions to Democrats.

The secondary benefit accrued at PacBell was more subtle. They figured out how to run the company more efficiently with fewer union people. The strikes give them a chance to test new ideas. The usual consequence is a phaseout of jobs that can be done more efficiently. In the central offices, the wire chiefs take care of fixing stuff that their incompetent subordinates can not or will not fix. Making such fixes during an active contract would be cause for a grievance to be filed.

How does this apply to a grocery strike? The Walmart model of non-union employees that can do those jobs without exorbitant pay and benefits packages. Installation of self-scan checkout machines (we have them in Idaho at Fred Meyer's) to achieve a 4X reduction in cashier costs. Unemployment rates are sufficiently high to provide a large labor pool of folks willing to work for a lower compensation.

[Myrddin]

California is a right to work state too. Most employees have an employment agreement that is "at will". The employee or employer can terminate the employment arrangement for any or no reason at all.

[budhabaier]

Grocery Clerks, Baggers, etc. are unionized? This is crazy. No wonder Walmart is going to bury these companies. I've always thought of these as entry-level, zero-skill jobs. Minimum Wage at best.

[Weimdog]

A union full of unskilled workers telling you to shop at non-union stores. Enough said.

[Zevonismymuse]

These guys are about to have more remorse than the air traffic controllers. This might be the best thing that ever happened to the major grocery chains. You are correct; anyone can do their jobs, including the customer.

[TheBigB]

No, CA is not a RtW state. See here:

http://www.nrtw.org/rtws.htm

[Weimdog]

Thje Walmartization of America in all it's glory.

[exile]

I'd like to know what these "unfair" labor practices are. It seems like everytime I go into the supermarket, the cashiers and baggers are usually too busy yaking and flirting to actually help you in any way.

[Sacajaweau]

Add that to the dock strike which Bush rightly shortened. The unions are pieces of crud whi care for themselves. People will start leaving them.

Former "scab".

[DumpsterDiver]

I've worked on the management side of 3 strikes while I worked at PacBell.

I also used to worked for Pac Bell.

The union strike fund barely offers a crappy bag of groceries to the striking employees. If a union member dares to cross the the line, they can be fined all the money they earn and more.

That's why although union dues were deducted from my check, I wasn't a member of CWA.

The union members ALWAYS lose.

True, but I always saved up some money and considered a strike to be an unpaid vacation, so I enjoyed myself.

In the central offices, the wire chiefs take care of fixing stuff that their incompetent subordinates can not or will not fix.

I worked on the frame and we always returned to a big ol' mess.

What area did you work in, Myrddin? I worked in a central office in the harbor area of L.A.

[VxH]

>>A union full of unskilled workers telling you
>>to shop at non-union stores. Enough said.

Pretty much a no-win situation from the sheeple's perspective.

Facinating game of chess though...

[Snerfling]

the supermarkets are going to self-scan

Our local Home Depots started trying them out a few months ago. I was an early-adopter, so I usually had them to myself. Now everyone is using them so there are lines. Obviously, HD is gonna put more in since it's been so successful.

If people can self-scan all types/size/weights of hardware goods, they can certainly scan grocery items. Obviously, grocery store mgmt has been getting market G2 on this activity (as well as experiencing it themselves on a Sat morning after doing their own HD run).

As some other posters have pointed out, this is the end of the union and the existing checking/bagging business model.

[oyez]

The supermarket chains say they are asking workers to help pay insurance premiums in response to spiraling health-care costs.

Welcome to the club. Everyone is being asked to shoulder the burdon of health care, maybe with the excetion of of government workers in which the government is only too happy pass the cost to the taxpayers. I say forget it, pay up and go back to work. You get more bang for you heath care buck these days. I bet their plan pays 80% of the cost for Viagra and those other elective items.

[Myrddin]

I started in Toll COE at 525 B St in San Diego. When the Trade St data center opened, I moved to the PREMIS/LAC site support staff. When that was complete, I moved to the SOAC/LFACS implementation tasks. Upon completion of that task, I took on the COSMOS hardware replacement. My last major project was the Quick Service system that permits customers to call an IVR and change Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-way calling and Speed Call-8 without dealing with a service rep....in English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese too. I helped the CSFT development staff by building a software equivalent of the special multi-drop modems used for the SORD printers. The hardware devices used on the physical printers were too slow to put on the CCI supermini computers. I set up 4 serial ports running a protocol machine that handled the addressed multicast protocol. That allowed the supermini to suck up 4X the bandwidth from SORD and write electronic versions of the SORD orders on a hard disk file instead of overrunning the internal hardware buffer of the serial converters.

My first strike duty was a directory assistance office. Yuck. 18 paper directories. Drunk perverts calling to find a bar or a cathouse.

The second strike found me at Trade St. 12 hour shifts and free food.

The last strike I worked was more "hands on". I had security duty for all the central offices in the Imperial Valley. Holtville, El Centro, Calexico, Imperial, Brawley, Calipatria and Niland. I had to call the control office on entering each building. Most of my "work" in the office was running to the stock room to swap defective cards from the 5ESS or remotes. I had two bad experiences in Calipatria. The worst one was getting hit with pesticide by a passing agricultural aircraft. My ability to breath properly was hindered for almost 4 hours as I sat on the floor inside the Calipatria CO. The second unpleasant experience in Calipatria was having a solid blanket of cockroaches streaming over the ground as I was using the payphone on the side of a convenience store. They ran over the top of my shoes. Yuck.

I didn't leave any messes behind for the union staff. Half the union staff in the Imperial Valley returned to find their old step offices had been converted to 5E remotes during the strike. The guy who was commuting DAILY from El Cajon to El Centro was one of the parties relieved of that task.

[oceanview]

even the apple juice at walmart is made in china (i kid you not, i threw it out after buying it once). i will not buy food there, except for soda and stuff like that. no fresh foods, meats, cold cuts, fish, etc.

[Myrddin]

Thanks for the reference. Another good reason for relocating from California to Idaho. I was REQUIRED to join IBEW 569 when I worked on the waterfront in San Diego. I was employed by Marine Electric Company as a field service engineer. Marine Electric paid my union dues directly AND paid more than union scale anyway. The only reason we "joined" the union was to keep the shipyard workers from walking off the job when we were working on the electronics aboard the ships and boats. I didn't really want to join the union or pay their $60 initiation fee. The union thugs "convinced me" by vandalizing my car to the tune of $400 damage. Another co-worker had his car windows bashed out with a baseball bat AND all his camera equipment stolen. That cost him over $1,000. What a great way to encourage new membership. Not!

[DumpsterDiver]

My first strike duty was a directory assistance office. Yuck. 18 paper directories. Drunk perverts calling to find a bar or a cathouse.

LOL. Many moons ago I was a long-distance operator. I volunteered for the graveyard shift and drunks and perverts were our regular customers.

Half the union staff in the Imperial Valley returned to find their old step offices had been converted to 5E remotes during the strike. The guy who was commuting DAILY from El Cajon to El Centro was one of the parties relieved of that task.

I never missed SXS after they cut it over to ESS. Come to think of it, I didn't mind X-BAR being cut out either. Mostly, though, I'm just happy to no longer be working. At heart, I am a bum!

[AmishDude]

So when is McDonald's going to figure out that I can push the "Big Mac" button myself?

[Myrddin]

So when is McDonald's going to figure out that I can push the "Big Mac" button myself?

MacDonald's corporate headquarters has a test kiosk made to order for you. It works like an ATM, but the output is burgers and fries. Touch screen entries. The only maintenance is to keep fresh supplies of ingredients in the machine. Those burger slinging jobs are about to be automated as well.

I just hired a guy to remove one of my cottonwood trees. It is 60 feet tall and almost 40 feet across at the crown. He quoted me $750. He put in 4 hours this evening and removed about 15% of the tree. I'm having it cut into firewood. It was blocking my DishNet view AND posing a threat to my house. There is a job that won't get outsourced. The guy has all the work he can tolerate. As a bonus, I'm getting firewood from two of his other jobs. That saves him the drive and fee at the dump. I still have nearly all of last year's firewood because of the very mild winter. I'm going to take my digital camera out and photograph the job as he works through the tree. That will go on a CDROM so the guy can make a new work portfolio to demonstrate his capability.

[xm177e2]

I've always thought of these as entry-level, zero-skill jobs.

You've obviously missed all of the critical nuances.

[xm177e2]

A union full of unskilled workers telling you to shop at non-union stores. Enough said.

No, I think he said the flier has a list of union stores that aren't on strike.

[sickandtired2]

Well I dont know about the so called Hard working aliens, but all i know is anyone that is still striking should be fired!! They are putting alot of stress on familys, men and women, with this strike. I have to pay (ON my Own) medical insurance and im not B****ing about it.They are keeping familys lives at a stand still. Ive talked with alot of neighbors and they are very pissed at the grocery workers that we have shopped next to for many years, and theres alot of bad feelings now.And for the Hard working aliens, I guess not all of them are hard working, because we had an incident with one breaking into our house while we were out. That ones in JAIL!!!!

[ChadGore]

The adventures of the Electivly Unemployed.

[Joe Hadenuf]

And for the Hard working aliens, I guess not all of them are hard working, because we had an incident with one breaking into our house while we were out.

No kidding, what a surprise.

Maybe that's why 90 percent of the illegal scum in LA county jail are in there for theft, and robbery. They steal everything that aint welded down.

But rest easy, as only about 5,000 a day are entering illegally.

Go Bush!

[Joe Hadenuf]

Hey, you know we could start a band and call it,

"Joe Hadenuf and the Sick and Tired"