Nonunion competition weighs on contract talks for area grocery chains

Sacramento Bee ^ | 12/24/11 | Dale Kasler

[SmithL]

It's been a ticket to the middle class, no college degree required, for generations of Sacramentans: a job at Raley's or another unionized supermarket.

Now unrelenting pressure from nonunion grocers such as Wal-Mart threatens to change that.

With their labor contracts up for renewal, Northern California's big unionized grocery chains – Safeway, Raley's and Save Mart – are seeking wage and benefit concessions from 60,000 workers in the Central Valley and Bay Area.

The grocers say they need to ratchet down labor costs, particularly health insurance, to compete with the likes of Wal-Mart, Target and newcomer Fresh & Easy. They say their demands are reasonable and won't impoverish their workers.

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers acknowledge that their employers are under pressure. But they're bent on preserving as much of their pay and benefits as possible.

[Right Cal Gal]

The UFCW is another worthless union - they do nothing for the workers but put their hands out for the union dues. My son works for a subsidiary of Save Mart - and he tell me that every one of the workers would like nothing more than to get rid of the union.

[hosepipe]

FREEDOM is not being forced to join a Union..

Where there is NO “right to work law” FREEDOM does not EXIST..
Unions are anti-freedom.. Unions stand against NON union workers..
Unions exist to eliminate non Union work..

Unions have been, are, and will continue to KILL JOBS, company’s even industry’s...
Unions are a BAD IDEA.. and a vector for Marxist and Fascist ideology..

ONLY a big (federal) government ideologue could love a Union..

[Right Wing Assault]

Go for it, unions! Accept no cuts! Kill off those unionized stores! Show them they can’t mess with YOU! /s

Our battle cry: Give me union bennies or give me death!!

Our motto: Union, Family, Anything-else.

[fifedom]

The unions have been successful keeping Walmarts out of the SF Bay region where I live. I happen to live near one of the few and they have recently greatly expanded their grocery department. I also live near a Target and they have done the same.

I welcome this since, with the closing of most Albertsons, there was little competition for Safeway. Walmart and Target don't carry meats but have a huge selection of frozen TV dinner type stuff, which I do not like. So, I still shop Safeway

With the difference in wages mentioned in the article, I would not be surprised if there was a strike. Given the Leftist inclinations around here, the strike might succeed but the old-line grocery chains are between a rock and hard place and there may be more store closings.

[BenKenobi]

“It’s been a ticket to the middle class, no college degree required, for generations of Sacramentans: a job at Raley’s or another unionized supermarket.”

So you can’t get to the middle class without the Union label?

Maybe we should abolish the union altogether and let the workers keep their pay. Then we can test this hypothesis.

[Publius6961]

Just tell me what stores ultimately cave to the unions, so I know where NOT to shop. For DECADES the supermarket industry did what most large businesses did when faced by union thugs; just give in and pass the costs on to the hapless customer. It sort of worked for the auto industry. Until it didn't. In 15 years, the new car Joe middle-class could afford went from "under $10k" to "under 35k".

Same thing with basic necessities.It can't be that far to find non-union grocery stores that determine how much the work done is actually worth. It will take decades to undo the damage wrought by the unions, which has been cumulative and, so far, permanent.

Let's face it, grocery store work is unskilled labor. High school students could handle it, Making the corresponding pay artificially the equivalent of college graduates who spend many additional years acquiring additional knowlege and skills is no longer possible in a free economy (non-socialist) state.

[packrat35]

It's been a ticket to the middle class, no college degree required, for generations of Sacramentans: a job at Raley's or another unionized supermarket.

Let me translate this sentence for you: For generation, Sacramentans have been overpaying for groceries.

[DPMD]

I think it works this way:

Join the union. Pay lots of dues to support the lifestyles of the union lords and democrats they schmooze.

In return, the pols will refer to you as “middle class” from the back seats of their chauffeured limos between tokes, snorts and hookers they share with the union sheikhs.

[Publius6961]

"You can still make a good living and live a good middle-class life in this job," said Trevor Griffin, a veteran Safeway employee in Roseville. "Destroying a middle-class job is definitely not helpful to the economy."

That's the sanitized view from one side of the issue. In today's economy perhaps the other side is more relevant. "Creating" artificial middle class jobs through threat of baseball bat destruction and intimidation, vandalism and assault is not a sustainable method to "create middle class jobs."

There has never been a strike that involves union frustration that did not result in wanton destruction, beatings and occasional deaths. That these no-class hoods insist that they deserve to be in the middle class. Not my middle class. Perhaps the "middle thug class."

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Though not the factor that a Walmart is but next door to the Raley's where I shop there is a 99-Cents Only store.

There are days when I don't have to pay three or four dollars for 4-ounces of blueberries. I can go next door to the 99-Cents Only store and buy 4-ounces of blueberries for $0.9999 (they raised their price by $0.0099).

Ditto lots of stuff, stuff that's available every day such as bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, name-brand packaged vegetable salads ($0.0099 v. $3.00+), milk, popular and name-brand deli products, tons of canned goods, paper products, everything. Don't worry about expiration dates either though it always best to check.

To be fair to Raley's they often have great sale prices on stuff that 99-Cents Only cannot not stock.

I'm always happy to give 99-Cents Only a plug. Dollar Tree is great also but 99-Cents Only is best for food stuff in my experience.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Correction to my reply above. Where it says “($0.0099 v. $3.00+)” that should be “($0.9999 v. $3.00+)”

[LC Gladiator]

UNIONS are a cancer that must be excised

[Popman]

If the unions were long sighted to secure long term viability they would offer to help with costs by really taking a hard look at medical benefit costs they can aborb in exchange for a longer contract for their members....and not ask for more wages

That does two things: the stores will not have to cut the number of employees and affect customer service because rates are determined annually and the cost is figured in when budgeting.Corp Medical costs can be mitigated by reducing the scope of the plans...

Publix in Florida though not unionized do very well against Wal-Mart because of excellent service and creative promotions...

[PAR35]

Walmart and Target don't carry meats

The local target doesn't, but the Wal-Marts around here do. And they are building a new stand along Wal-Mart grocery down the street. No Aldis in the area?